Introduction

“Technology permeates almost every aspect of libraries, archives, museums, corporations, and other organizations where information professionals carry out their work” (Breeding, 2022). The ability to identify, use, and evaluate technologies is an important aspect of information work. In an archival context, it is necessary for an archivist to “understand human/computer interaction … the importance of information standards, and how to evaluate systems and related services effectively” and to develop skills in databases, spreadsheets, website design, metadata schemas, and programming (SAA, 2011).

Identifying & Evaluating Technologies

At this point, there are so many technologies being created and updated that it is necessary to know how to identify what is and isn’t useful. An information organization’s technological infrastructure must be reliable, but “it is also essential for information professionals to be well versed in new cutting-edge technology, implementing these new tools early in their development and adoption cycle” (Breeding, 2022). There are trend watchers, organizations and individuals who report on or explore new technology, who can help identify useful products. Examples include the American Library Association’s Center for the Future of Libraries, Pew Research Center, and Wired. There are also conferences specifically for library technology that professionals may want to attend if possible. Sites like bloggERS!, the blog of the Society of American Archivists’ electronic records section, provide useful tech information for archivists; a recent post covers different tools and methodologies and provides links for learning them (Kopin, 2025).

Cybersecurity is a major concern when adopting new technologies that information professionals need to consider. There has been a huge shift from local computing to cloud computing, where software is “moving from local servers to some form of hosted infrastructure” (Breeding, 2022). Cloud infrastructure makes using and managing technology easier for information professionals, since local computing requires much more attention to servers, hardware, and operating systems. Cloud computing comes with security risks that information professionals should be aware of, such as DDoS (Distributed-Denial-of-Service) attacks, employee negligence (like logging into cloud accounts from personal and shared devices), data loss, phishing attacks, and system vulnerabilities (Elaturoti, 2021, p. 327).

Using Technologies

Information professionals need technological skills, especially if their organization allows patrons access to those technologies. Makerspaces, where community members can work on collaborative, creative products, have been on the rise for over a decade. Fontichiaro (2022) recommends information organizations “start small and test out some potential tools and projects to see how they resonate with patrons.” It is best to conduct research on patrons’ interest in a new technology before sinking resources into adopting it. A survey gauging interest in the service can be distributed to patrons on paper at the circulation desk, on the website, and on social media (King, 2018, p. 26).

There are a number of skills that information professionals can use to enhance the services they provide; social media marketing, video creation, and using video conferencing software are all useful skills to acquire or improve. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most in-person services, “information professionals quickly transformed their pre-COVID service offerings to encompass remote learning and entertainment, incorporate online outreach and marketing … and embrace new technologies that keep them relevant to their patrons from a distance” (Kroski, 2022). Because many information professionals already had these skills, it made the fast transition to virtual services smoother.

Evidence

Artifact 1

Assignment: Deepfakes as a Tool for Misinformation Research Paper
Course: INFO 287, AI, Data & Ethics
Description: For the capstone project in this class, I was asked to write a research paper on any topic regarding AI, data, and ethics. I chose to focus on deepfakes, which were a big deal in the news at the time, and their effect on misinformation. My paper discusses the concept of misinformation, deepfake technology and its ethical issues, how deepfakes can be used in political misinformation, and legislation being proposed and enacted around the world. I argue for the necessity of legislation around deepfake technology to address the serious harms it can cause. I used knowledge from my previous career in law to explore currently pending legislation and proposed draft legislation from the legal community, as well as the possibility of using common law to address harms in the absence of legislation.

This paper demonstrates my ability to research new technologies and evaluate their impact on information, as well as their ethical impact on peoples’ lives in general. Deepfakes are only becoming more sophisticated with time, so it is crucial information professionals learn how to spot them and what steps to take to dispel the misinformation.

Artifact 2

Assignment: Project Report: Analyzing Banned Books in US Prisons
Course: INFO 246, Big Data Analytics and Management
Description: This report was the final product of a semester-long group project researching an issue in information science using big data analysis and visualization. We chose to examine the ever-increasing issue of banned books in US prisons because of our dedication to intellectual freedom and battling censorship. We used a dataset from the website Kaggle that included about 50,000 banned books from 18 states, as well as datasets about prison populations, crime and incarceration, and prisons themselves. We used the website RAWGraphs.io to generate visualizations of the datasets and explore what stories they told. We used Orange Data Mining software to generate a word cloud from banned book titles and perform an in-depth analysis. We found an apparent bias against books regarding race and sexuality in prisons, as well as a suspicious number of coloring and language learning books banned.

This assignment demonstrates my ability to use different emerging technological tools for big data analysis. These skills can be useful in any information environment, especially for researching trends and making decisions about how an organization provides services. Visualization tools like RAWGraphs are useful for telling stories using data, which could be especially helpful when evaluating services and making arguments for funding. Data mining software could also be useful when there is a large amount of data to be analyzed.

Artifact 3

Assignment: Crowdsourcing UFO Investigations Presentation
Course: INFO 200, Information Communities
Description: For this assignment, I needed to create a media-based artifact, like an infographic or presentation, about my information community’s use of emerging technologies. My information community was ufologists, people who study UFOs, and I looked into a new mobile app that ufologists were using to crowdsource information about UFO sightings. The app, Enigma Labs, is an innovation in this field, but my research uncovered some suspicious facts about the company’s funding and structure, that could point to potential issues with adopting this technology.

This presentation demonstrates my ability to research emerging technologies, evaluate their usefulness, and create eye-catching presentations (in this instance, using Canva).

Conclusion

I have above-average technological skills, and the coursework for my MLIS has helped expand these skills. I was largely unfamiliar with the technical aspects of artificial intelligence like deepfakes, and had almost no understanding of data analysis and visualization. I am now skilled at researching emerging technologies in an information context. I plan on keeping up with more advancements in technology through professional organizations’ publications like Archival Outlook and journals like Information Technology and Libraries.

References

Breeding, M. (2022). Managing technology. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.

Elaturoti, A. B. (2021). Impact of the cloud and social platforms on records management. In C. T. Chisita, R. T. Enakrire, O. O. Durodolu, V. W. Tsabedze, & J. M. Ngoaketsi (Eds.), Handbook of research on records and information management strategies for enhanced knowledge coordination. IGI Global.

Fontichiaro, K. (2022). Creation culture and makerspaces. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.

Givens, C. L. (2022). Information privacy and cybersecurity. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.

Hirsh, S. (2022). What it means to be an information professional today. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.

King, D. L. (2018). How to stay on top of emerging technology trends for libraries. Library Technology Reports, 54(2), 1-35.

Kopin, E. H. (2025, February 13). How do I develop digital archivist skills? bloggERS! https://saaers.wordpress.com/2025/02/13/how-do-i-develop-digital-archivist-skills/

Kroski, E. V. (2022). Virtual resources and services. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.

Society of American Archivists [SAA]. (2011). Guidelines for a graduate program in archival studies: Information technology. https://www2.archivists.org/gpas/curriculum/information-technology