2014 | The Journal of Creative Library Practice

Ernesto Hernandez
Emerging Technologies Librarian
Marydean Martin Library, Nevada State College

Developed by Google, Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD). This wearable computer frame with an OHMD comes with or without lenses and displays information in a prism projector located just above the right eye. Google Glass has the ability to take photos, record 720p HD video and allow the user to have access to the web, weather, Google Hangouts, email, news and integration of specific apps.[1] Users can also issue voice commands to initiate Google Glass by first saying “ok glass,” followed by the command. A touchpad is located on the side of Google Glass, allowing users to control the device by swiping through a timeline-like interface on the screen.

Continue reading Google Glass in the Academic Library: The Exploration of Google Glass in the Marydean Martin Library →

Mark Lenker
Coordinator for Information Literacy and Outreach
Longwod University[1]

Michael Corleone advises us to “keep your friends close but your enemies closer” (Godfather, Part II). As librarians and educators work to further develop the information literacy movement, we need to consider the perspective of those who work against our goal of developing citizens who can inform themselves in an objective manner. An example of this class of rivals that poses a particularly poignant threat to the health of democratic institutions is the demagogue, a public figure who employs disinformation to inflame people’s fear and anger, thereby securing for the demagogue a greater percentage of the votes, a larger chunk of the viewership. I believe that a careful examination of the motivations and techniques of past demagogues can put information literacy educators in a better position to help their students critically evaluate inflammatory political communications.

Continue reading Information Literacy vs. the Demagogue →