Thursday, March 30, 2017

The question of whether libraries are still needed always comes up when faced with growing and changing demands. Thirty-seven years ago, the idea of a “paperless” society or being able to search the library files “electronically” was perceived as “extreme and painful.” Today, we think the same way of the Internet of Things and virtual reality in libraries. Unless librarians engage in new opportunities to advance teaching, learning service, and research, libraries are vulnerable to “becoming just another campus utility like parking, dining services, and IT rather than the intellectual soul of the community.” UMKC School of Law initiated a new experiment and hired graduate students from the Engineering and Computing schools to help work on innovative projects that can benefit not just the law library but also the law school and the entire university. The students work on various projects designed to solve existing problems such as a library mobile application and a room schedule display system; the students also get to work on experimental projects such as the short story dispenser and close proximity notification system. Hear about their experience leveraging existing, new, proven, and unproven tools to improve services and solve persistent problems, and get tips for initiating similar programs.