ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


October 1983 /  337

Bibliographic Instruction

Exploring the New Technology 
for Library Instruction

W ith microcomputers seeming to sprout all over 
the place like dandelions in May and with other 
technologies developing faster than our ability to 
keep up with them, the organizers of this year’s 
Tw elfth Annual Workshop on Instruction in L i­
brary Use, held at Carleton University, O ttaw a, 
Ontario, on May 1 8 -20, 1983, felt it essential that 
orientation librarians find out what is going on so 
as not to be left behind in the dust (or laser tracks) 
of the accelerating technological express. And since 
O ttaw a is sometimes known as Silicon V alley 
North, the time and place were both opportune for 
the theme, “Exploring the New Technology for L i­
brary Instruction.”

The sessions often reflected the fact that not a lot 
has been done in the area of librarv instruction
with the new technologies. Discussion

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s were ex­
ploratory and the programs demonstrated were ex­
perimental in nature. For example, participants 
saw a program produced on a V ic-20 microcom­
puter in BASIC that was intended to orient stu­
dents to the various parts of a small education li­
brary. They also saw one produced on an Apple 
using Pilot that attempted to teach students the 
principles of the Library of Congress Subject Head­
ings to show them how to find books by subject. 
Both presentations revealed that it was possible to 
write a library instruction program for microcom­
puters, but neither of them had been used in prac­
tice by students.

There were several sessions devoted to videotex, 
its possibilities, and its potential impact on users. A 
large project employing videotex which has in­
volved several university and government libraries 
and commercial firms is the next trial. The iNet (in­
telligent network) allows for the interfacing of sev­
eral systems that would othèrwise be incompatible 
with each other. A panel discussion on the iNet trial 
focused on experiences over the past year and with 
possible uses of iNet for library orientation and in­
struction in the future.

Participants also had a chance to hear about 
computer-assisted instruction in Ontario (outside 
of library applications), and some had an opportu­
nity to have hands-on experience with CAI. There 
were also presentations that provided guidelines 
for evaluating both educational software and hard­
ware.

A nother techn ological developm ent th at a t­
tracted much attention, both in the exhibit area 
and in a session, was the videodisc. For the past two

years the National Library has been working on a 
project to explore the possibilities of videodisc in 
the library. Though the applications for instruc­
tion are at the moment im practical because of the 
expense and technical difficulty of making a disc, 
the demonstration of various formats on one me­
dium was exciting and held promise for future uses 
in instructional activities.

W hile nearly all of these sessions were devoted to 
new technologies in one way or another, a seminar 
by an education professor on the various ways of 
learning generated much discussion and, though 
not specifically related to computers or technolo­
gies, provided insight into fundamental issues that 
should be taken into account if the new technolo­
gies are to have a lasting, positive impact on li­
braries or, for that m atter, on society. The speaker 
pointed out that people have different ways of 
learning— rational or deductive, empirical or in­
ductive, and metaphorical or analogical— and that 
one of these models is usually dominant in most 
people. The CAI program that will work for one 
person will not work for another. Unfortunately, 
he indicated most educational software does not 
accommodate different ways of learning.

The workshop was well attended by librarians 
from all over Canada and from parts of the eastern 
and mid western United States— a clear indication 
that interest in the topic is running very h igh.— 
Ja n et Carson, C arleton University L ibrary , Ot­
taw a, Ontario. ■ ■

Is C entralizing D em oralizing?

A C R L ’s Education and Behavioral Sciences 
Section has been studying the recent trend to­
wards merging education and psychology li­
braries into general collections.

W hat have been your experiences as you at­
tempt to deal with this new situation? O f par­
ticular interest are the following areas: service 
to users, location and accessibility of materials, 
staff morale and attitudes, collection develop­
ment, and staff training.

Please mail your comments and experiences 
to: Vira C. Hinds, Cohen Library, NAC, City 
College of New York, 138th Street and Convent 
Avenue, New York, NY 10031.