Assistive Technology LT 130 2024

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     Google Books Influencing Digitization      In 1996, Sergey Brin and Larry Page introduced Google Books to the world with a mission to make digital libraries viable for research. Since this time, Google Books has digitized over 40 million books that are available in over 400 languages (Google). These languages make it possible for scholars from all over the world to access works that would have only been available in the original language it was written in. Powered by Google's "web crawler" feature and page ranking algorithm, Google Books has quickly become the go-to resource for scholars. Google Books has increased the possibilities in many fields of study, such as the psychology field. A study performed and published by the International Journal of Psychology analyzed the cultural change for Chinese students by studying the use of words and lexicons through the reoccurrence of words used in Google Books (Zhang 146)." Collecting this data of reused wor...

Libraries Bridge the Gap in the Digital Divide Libraries have served a critical role closing the gap in the digital divide. However, using technology comes at a cost which can become out of reach for people, thus creating the digital divide. In David Lee King’s article, he described the digital divide as those who have access to internet and those who do not. We all use our mobile phones everyday to read our texts, watch videos, search things on the internet, and even keep track of finances. However, this “level of use is possible with a mobile device and a stable internet connection (King, 24). The digital divide is the access to stable internet. King’s study shows that “...more than 21 million people in the United States don’t have [the internet]. That includes nearly 2 in 10 people – 27 percent – who live in such rural places…as well as 2 percent of those living in cities (King, 24).  As technology continues to make advances that improve our quality of life and efficiency, this ...

     Assitive Technology: Technology Made Easy      As technology becomes more sophisticated in its performance and development, libraries have been a leader introducing new technology to its users. Libraries have served a critical role introducing new technology to library patrons. One way that libraries achieve this is by providing and teaching how to use assistive technology to patrons with disabilities. As defined by the New York State Education Department, “[a]n assistive technology device is any item, piece of equipment, or product system . . . that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of students with a disability" (NY Education Dept). These types of devices help bridge any accessibility issues towards digital literacy      The Talking Book and Braille Center (TBBC) at the New Jersey State Library (NJSL) has offers assistive technology classes that helps readers magnify text on computer screens and how...

  There are many ways that libraries are changing in this new age. This, of course, pertains to many things, but especially how the library is both shaped and shapes the community around it. According to Shana Hinze, the message we should send to the community is that “the library truly cares about the people in our community.” Library staff needs to integrate themselves into the community and listen to input about what the community needs from these libraries. I’ve seen this in my observations of the two different libraries in my area. One of these libraries provides things like “Bingo Night” and “Technology Assistance” since a lot of their population consists of retirement age people and the other provides “Family Game Night” and “Children’s Storytime” as that library’s population consists more of families. A lot of these activities and programs are made possible by open communication with people in the community and other service centers like City Hall and the local community c...