Blog Posting #1

In their article, "Integrating Human-Computer Interaction Development Into the Systems Development Life Cycle: a Methodology," Zang et al. present a versatile and flexible system of evaluation. Their goal is to create a template capable of addressing the physical, mental, and aesthetic concerns inherent in human- computer interactions. They discuss the problems inherent in creating an electronic system capable of meeting the needs of users and present several examples of processes mapped to this structure (eg: ordering international cuisine).

As time passes and human-computer interactions continue to increase in complexity and frequency, I imagine the need for system optimization will only increase. Ten years ago, the concept of ordering a meal from a local establishment online for delivery was a novelty and, perhaps, even a gross abuse of technology. Today, it has become incredibly common. In areas such as DC, where public transportation is a necessity, more and more consumers are purchasing the day-to-day essentials of life (ie: paper products, groceries, cleaning supplies, etc.) online rather than seeking them out in person. Take Amazon.com,  for instance. Once, it existed solely as a purveyor of books. Today, however, you can purchase almost anything through it. Today, you can purchase tax help, education, even advice through the Internet. Imagine what well be buying online tomorrow.

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Out of all the articles I have read so far for this class, I would say that Kochtanel and Matthews did the best job of writing to the common reader in their "The Evolution of LIS and Enabling Technologies." The authors take the reader through the history of computing operations in libraries, spanning from the days of punch cards and the origination of library automation as a concept. They go on to discuss such concepts as library technology integration, globalization, and the importance of the World Wide Web.

I find the discussion of eTexts to be of most personal interest. I, myself, was one of those readers who first viewed Stephen King's "Riding the Bullet" as it was published - an eBook exclusive  At the time, I did not realize that I was witnessing history, instead seeing it as some sort of a publicity grab. Still, I was a fan of King's and took the plunge as many others have since. Today, devices like the Nook and Kindle have all but put local bookstores out of business. We've seen the decline of Borders, Waldenbooks, and countless "mom and pop" bookstores. Indeed, only Barnes and Nobles and a few others have managed to survive against the online book market.

It occurs to me that, ever since the mid to late '90s, librarianism as a profession has experienced a painful and sometimes unwanted bout of pubescence. It has been forced to grow exponentially to meet with the modern demands put fort by technology where once, for a period spanning millenia, its only real concerns had been physical print. This process has continued to this day, as computers have fundamentally altered the entire industry.

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Resources

Kochtanel, T. R., & Matthews, J. R. (2002). Ch.1. The Evolution of LIS and Enabling Technologies. In Library Information Systems, pp. 3- 12. chapter1.pdf

Zhang et al. (2005). Intregrating Human Computer Interaction Development into the Systems Development Life Cycle: A methodology. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 15, 512-543.