Apr 12 2009
Usability, Design, and Ecological Impacts of Technology
The meaning of appropriate technology is very narrowly described by the U.S. Congress’s Office of Technology Assessment as “…being small scale, energy efficient, environmentally sound, labor intensive, and controlled by the community.” (Dorf p.101) These are all guidelines that librarians should keep in mind when selecting and implementing technology. The last rule is immensely important for the contemporary librarian; patrons should not be forced to use technology they cannot control. People are experienced with and accustomed to being able to customize and tweak technology to best meet their needs. The technology implemented in your library should have the ability of being customized by your librarians.
The paper can be downloaded in its entiriy here
