Currently, I am working as a tax preparer during tax season, while on hiatus from food service due to health issues I'm sorting out. I live in Huntsville, with my girlfriend and my very thoughtful six-year-old daughter, as well as four cats and one dog. (Help me please lol.) My interests in library studies include user-interface system design and public library community outreach issues that can be aided with technology. How we search, what we search for, who gets to search, and why we search for the things we do the way we do are all interesting research questions for me. One of my longterm goals is to develop the skills necessary to help build a collaborative search interface built by librarians for libraries, which would both reduce library reliance on third party system, and allow for greater customization to serve diverse population needs. We share the workload when it comes to authority records and collaborative call number assignments, why not share the work on our own search algorithms too?
As far as my proficiency with technology, I have done quite a bit with html and database design and maintenance, but most of my experience is rather dated, and forgotten from lack of use. As far as skills that are less rusty, I'm comfortable with social media and proficient in the use of internet information search tools. Having not grown up with computers, I am fascinated by them, and often approach technology the way I imagine most Baby Boomers do, as a powerful tool constantly both present and necessary in my life. However, like someone of an older generation, I often take a bit more time to intuitively grasp new apps or new technologies. I did not own a computer until I began grad school in Fall, and instead used a cheap tablet which I had modified to behave like a computer in most circumstances. I did not own a smartphone until last Christmas (2014) and now I'm addicted to the user-friendliness of a device I don't have to force as hard to do my bidding for social and research tasks. I'm excellent at figuring out ways to make technology do what I want it to do, but it often takes me longer to figure out the appropriate work-arounds.
Many of my own limitations made me decide to interview my girlfriend, to compare our differences in technology use, because of the many differences I know we share in these areas. For one, she grew up in a much higher income bracket than I did, and has almost always had ready access to modern technology and computers. She does not own a computer, but has had a smartphone almost since smartphones existed, and uses it in the same ways I normally use a computer. She is extremely versatile in more modern forms of technology, but she still winds up coming to me with issues that involve more old-school research skill. It's almost as though her tech savviness skips a generation because of her income level. I find that concept fascinating. Another reason for our differences is that I am a visual learner, and think in words and concepts. I read constantly. She, on the other hand, is slightly dyslexic, and not as comfortable reading when she needs to find information. She is more likely to try to find a video or sound bite for what she needs to know, and would rather watch Netflix than read a book, no matter the subject. This makes for quite a few differences between us, even though we are the same age, and I thought exploring these differences could prove educational.
I focused my questions more on practical applications of technology, and how she would go about solving a technological problem. Knowing that her smartphone is the only means she normally uses to use the internet, first I asked what steps she would take if she lost her phone. She answered that after having a good cry about it, and provided the phone was truly lost and she couldn't find it, she would borrow a phone to call her service provider and have the number turned off, as well as try to log onto facebook and let everyone know that her phone is lost. She did not seem aware of the fact that service providers can often track lost and stolen phones. She would then attempt to get some kind of replacement phone, even if it wasn't a smartphone and have her phone number transferred to it so she could stay in contact.
My second question posited a meeting with friends, and I asked how she would go about communicating and coordinating meeting times and places with others. She said that for pre-planned event she would create a facebook event and distribute invitations electronically. This is a technology feature that I have only recently become aware of, so she seems more proficient than me in this aspect. For a smaller group or a more casual event, she would call and text others to establish contact, which is understandable considering her main means of connecting is, besides all else, a phone.
I also asked about how she would go about performing a research task for work, or doing an online job application, knowing that these things are notoriously difficult to do using a smartphone, and asked about how she would deal with such barriers. She said that her primary research method would be to use google to find appropriate resources, and had knowledge of where to look for job links on employer websites. Faced with difficulties, however, she admitted that she would probably turn to me for help, or go to the public library to use a computer for job applications or an encyclopedia for research. When I asked, she was not aware of the existence of online encyclopedias, or how to use many of the library's research tools. She knows how to copy and paste a resume into an application, but is not aware of how to use attachments or store documents online.
I found these differences extremely illustrative of the differences between our technology habits which illuminate our divergent ways of thinking and experiencing technology on a regular basis. Whereas I'm just discovering many social media tools and smartphone apps and technology, my girlfriend is far more fluent in those types of technology, whereas she seems lacking in other computer-based skills that I consider fundamental to the way I use technology such as online data storage and research techniques. I feel that this is illustrative not only of our differences in terms of what technology we grew up with and what means we have each traditionally used to access resources, but also indicative of the differences inherent in our personalities and learning styles, as well as what kinds of resources we are likely to seek out. She mentioned that rather than researching a particular subject, she is more likely to wait for information to show up on her facebook feed, whereas I often seek out information through other means, and I consider the passive vs. active learning implications an interesting concept for possible further exploration.
