When we think of how we might use robots in the future, we often imagine them replacing people’s jobs. McKinney Public Library recently introduced new robot helpers to the library floor (the first in a Texas public library to do so), and instead of threatening jobs, they are actually pulling people out of work they…
I recently had the chance to interview Dauna Campbell, Library Director of Harlingen Public Library, about her library’s new 24-hour outdoor kiosk. Today’s highlight: 24-hour outdoor kiosk What is the kiosk exactly? If you can imagine a Redbox for a library, that’s pretty much what this is. It’s a machine that holds 340 items, and…
Howdy, y’all! It’s the Halloween edition of Henry’s High-Tech Highlights, and I am here to heap a hefty hoard of handy hyperlinks to heighten your happiness, hopefully. A hodgepodge, if you will. Today’s highlight: A variety of emerging technologies of interest to libraries. A Palm-size Robot Pet that Helps Teach STEM Meet Petoi Bittle, an…
In May 2019, I highlighted the topic of telehealth for my Henry’s High-Tech Highlights blog series. I think it’s high time we take another look. Before this year, telehealth was a fairly new technology that only a handful of folks were thinking about and exploring. With the pandemic, it’s risen to the forefront of people’s…
Not that long ago, gadgets were something we associated with a far-flung future straight out of science fiction. We imagined people in this distant time using special mechanical pocket-sized devices to perform their daily tasks, like wrist-watches with two-way tv/radio, or handheld computer scanners that could reveal the secret information embedded all around us. And then…
I’ve highlighted a lot of exciting technologies in this blog series, but there is one out there right now that I believe libraries should be making every effort to acquire and take advantage of, if they haven’t already. Harnessing it will ensure that both the library and the community it serves will continue to thrive…
In early February 2020, I had the privilege of attending the TCEA Convention in Austin. This is a conference put on by Texas educational professionals, teachers, trainers, media specialists, and school librarians all of whom love to employ technology in fun and innovative ways for their students. You can really feel the love there. TCEA…
Even before the pandemic closed our buildings, necessitated social distancing, and gave sudden prominence to our online offerings and services, many libraries had already ventured into less familiar digital territories to explore new ways to connect with and build their communities. They did so to reach the underserved, those in the community who were either…
Back in late summer of 2019 (remember those halcyon days?), I noticed that May 2, 2020 was ‘International Drone Day’. So I planned a Henry’s High-tech Highlight post for this week on that topic. The world is in a different place now than when I penciled that into my calendar. But as the week of…
If your library has a website, you’ve got a virtual, or digital, branch. So what happens when all the library’s buildings are closed, the books are locked away on their shelves, the computers and printers are shut down, and the staff are sent home? Is the library gone? Is it really closed? There may be…