Emerging Technologies and Services Committee Annual Report 2020

submitted by Amy Jackson

Current Roster

  • Amy Jackson, Chair (2024)
  • Michelle Urberg (2021)
  • Melanie Zeck (2021)
  • Beth Thompson (2023)
  • Ellwood Colahan (2024)
  • Tiffany Gillaspy (2024)
  • Christopher Sciff (2024)
  • Stephen Henry, ex-officio, (2023)

 

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

  • TechHub 2020: ETSC successfully hosted and ran TechHub at the MLA conference in Norfolk, VA on Feb. 28, 2020. TechHub was a drop-in session where MLA members could get quick informal tutorials on a variety of current or emerging digital tools, as well as on-the-spot consultancy about Digital Scholarship / Humanities / Services projects or ideas. Participants were able to come and go as they pleased, and all tutorials were offered on demand. The event included five core tables: Wordpress (Katie Buehner), Music Encoding (Anna Kijas), AV Access Systems (Jonathan Manton), Institutional repositories and music school content (Anne Shelley), Scalar (Bonnie Finn), and one additional pop-up table. Approximately 50 people attended the event, and feedback was positive. ETSC will be hosting another TechHub event for the 2021 conference.
  • MLA Emerging Technologies and Services Committee Survey: In the Fall of 2019, ETSC sent a survey to the MLA list about the needs of the MLA membership with respect to current technological trends. Results were reported at the ETSC business meeting in Norfolk. Seventy seven people took the survey; 42% identified with instruction/outreach/reference, and 23% identified with cataloging/technical services. Over 50% of respondents have experience with music/audio tools and online tutorials. Over 50% of respondents are interested in digital humanities, digital literacy, and information literacy. We gave respondents a list of 18 tools or software and asked them which ones they’d like to learn more about. The top six are: Omeka (46%), Audacity (38%), Sibelius (37%), Camtasia (37%), Finale (33%), NVIVO (33%). When filtered for those who identify with instruction/outreach reference, 75% are interested in digital literacy, 71% in digital humanities, and the top tools are NVIVO, Audacity, Camtasia, and Omeka. When filtered for those who identify with cataloging/tech services, 55% are interested in data analysis, 50% in digital humanities, and the top tools are Sibelius, Finale, and Omeka. Results from this survey will be used to determine topics for the 2021 TechHub.

List of Future Goals

  • TechHub 2021: Strategic plan goal area: Education
    • ETSC will host TechHub at the 2021 annual meeting with topics identified from the 2019 ETSC survey and other current trends. These topics include: Omeka, NVIVO, Introduction to Sibelius/Finale, Intermediate MuseScore, Camtasia, Data sonification, Score reading equipment
  • Other initiatives to support emerging technologies and services education: Strategic plan goal area: Education
    • ETSC is investigating additional options for educational activities, including webinars with the Education Committee, an ETSC blog, and a list of tech tool consultants.