LIS 5213 Social Informatics

These artifacts are for LIS-5213 Social Informatics, taken in the Spring of 2022. Both artifacts are for the final project, which was to identify an information gap and devise a solution to help mediate the information gap. I specifically thought of language gaps in relaying vital medical information to first responders/doctors and patients. 

The solution provides a short-term and long-term process for identifying and helping mitigate the information gap. The biggest shortcoming of the research and looking into the information gap was the lack of recorded data on the issue. The sociotechnical gap had to be extrapolated between the census data of the non-English-speaking US population and the rate of hospital visits. The proposed solution will help reduce the sociotechnical gap in both the long and short term. The solution covers a large swath of those listed in the sociotechnical gap. My biggest takeaway from this artifact was the ability to find sociotechnical gaps. Coming up with solutions and researching solutions to problems is something I have had to do extensively in my Bachelor’s degree and my career. 

As mentioned above, identifying sociotechnical gaps is something I have been looking into more at my current position In the maker lab and how to balance saving time for users while also helping them bridge these gaps by teaching them how to utilize resources. It is also something I am looking to address in my programming and projects, which is part of my second learning goal. This project also ties into SLIS SLO 6 (2022) because the project looked at how to understand the role technology plays in creating gaps and the exclusive nature of aspects of technology. I now understand the role which libraries play in reducing sociotechnical gaps. I have been applying the knowledge from this class to assist patrons with issues or troubles with using technology within the library. I work to minimize the sociotechnical gap and help provide open access. This also ties into part of my learning goals of ALA Core Competences (2023) Reference and User Services and Management and Administration. Understanding how technology affects users when seeking information is an important skill I learned from the class. I also will take a more critical look at how to implement new technologies in both programs and projects to offset sociotechnical gaps better.

Reference

American Library Association. (2023). 2022 ALA core competences of librarianship_final. In American Library Association. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/sites/ala.org.educationcareers/files/content/2022%20ALA%20Core%20Competences%20of%20Librarianship_FINAL.pdf

School of Library and Information Studies. (2022, October 10). Goals and student learning outcomes. The University of Oklahoma. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.ou.edu/cas/slis/about/vision