EDITOR'S NOTES
Innovative Approaches and Fresh Perspectives on Library Services
by Dick Kaser
In this issue, we challenge you to rethink some things by looking at library services from new angles.
Dariush Alimohammadi (from Tashkent University of Information Technologies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan) discusses the challenges of teaching AI literacy in developing nations. Many a small or rural library in the U.S. may relate to the same issues that he addresses in his article about the digital divide and how it only widens with AI deployment.
From China, the presumptive competitor with the U.S. for AI dominance, Yanyi Wu (Institute of China’s Science, Technology and Education Policy at Zhejiang University) takes a thoughtful—albeit surprising—view of AI in libraries, which is not all that dissimilar to a Western perspective on the role AI should play in traditional libraries.
Elizabeth Gray (central services manager at Yolo County Library in West Sacramento, Calif.) provides a fresh perspective on the public library’s youngest—and often overlooked—patrons: preschoolers who are just learning to read. She reviews digital tools and e-resources that are appropriate for the youngest users and can assist with building fundamental language skills.
Lisa Zarrella (medical librarian at INTEGRIS Medical Library in Oklahoma City) shares an innovative approach to teaching library skills to professionals through gamification via a virtual escape room. You want to get out of the library? Well, you have to master some reference tools. Intrigued? Zarrella tells you how to build a virtual escape room using basic applications and standard document formats.
As always, the many other authors and columnists in this issue present their personal take on technology applications to boost your library’s presence and performance. I hope the issue helps you think outside the box.
Dick Kaser, Executive Editor
kaser@infotoday.com
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