News Report #4

News Report #4

“Morgan Library Becoming Information Technology Center”

Kevin Ruby, Rocky Mountain Collegian

10/30/2012

            Colorado State University has recently put major strides in utilizing their library by synthesizing the importance of technology and education. Steve Hayman, the senior consulting engineer for Apple, was invited to present at the Morgan Library in Colorado State University. CSU recognized the remarkable success of the Apple brand- with 400+ iPhones sold though June and 35+ billion Apple iOS Applications downloaded. David Ramsey, a director at CSU hopes that Hayman will introduce new technologies to students and offer valuable insight into the industry. Ramsey quotes, “What we’re focusing in on is making the library the information and technology center for the university, we’re going to be crossing over and trying to educate people with technology and then also having the most amount of information that the library normally does. And that kind of convergence between those two of information and technology is probably best suited in the library”.

            Inviting Steve Hayman from Apple to educate students on technology- in a library nerveless- exemplifies the idea that libraries today are recognizing the new role they play in a student’s education. As Ramsey had illustrated, the convergence of library and information technology are hand in hand. The libraries continue to play the role that they’ve always played- educating students. It is important that our own Randall library is aware of strives other schools are taking and to reflect back onto the UNCW student population in what they would want. The defining of the “role” that the library plays will continue to change and be ambiguous but I support the idea of libraries and technology merging into one.