TECHNOLOGY IN LIBRARIES: A

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Written By: Breenista Rangel, Felicia Fiedler, & Christopher Rodriguez

MAY 10, 2018

ARIZONA STATE LIBRARY
1 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

Narrative
Statement of Need
Our biggest challenge that our proposal addresses is the need for different library services
by diverse groups of people. Some people may want to see less technological changes, while
others may want to see more changes. Our main focus is on larger libraries and designing a way
to effectively spend the budget of the Sparks Grant. Maintaining our progress and furthering
technological advancement will become a challenge in the future. Constant changes in education,
professional fields and entertainment will require us to adapt our libraries to meet these needs.
On a given day, a teacher may assign an online research assignment or an activity requiring a
specific software. Students will need to complete this assignment to succeed in their classes,
however, it is not uncommon that a number of students will not have access to such technology.
That is where our plan comes in; we want to make technology easily accessible in a public place
for all to use and to succeed in life. No student should fall behind or be denied learning
experiences and we believe that implementing new technologies will help not only students, but
professionals as well.
Our project will address the issues presented in a number of ways. The first will be to
collect data from libraries, schools and patrons to find out which library technologies are helpful,
which need to be improved, and what else people would need to see at their library. We will
highlight these concerns and present them as well as how our changes will benefit the
community. We then want to plan the budget accordingly and make the necessary adjustments
that our data indicates as needed. Helpful statistics regarding how people view libraries prior to
the technological changes will help us gauge how much of an impact our project had on the
community. We will compare that data to how people respond to the new technology after
implementing our project plan.

Goals
Our goal is for all library goers to benefit from our project. We want people to be able to
see the
differences in their libraries and to feel that their needs are being met. More specifically, we want
to be able to see groups of people benefit from their library use every day. One example would
be to look at students’ success rates before and after our project. We want to be able to see if
whether these new technologies helped to aid them in their schoolwork. We also want these
technologies to help teachers plan forward-thinking assignments to prepare their students for a
changing world. Libraries will also benefit from our project by aligning themselves with various
sponsors and partners such as schools, software companies, marketing agencies, non-profit
organization sand many others involved in the project.

Challenges
The main challenge, in our assessment involves finding ways to keep the project alive
after the initial grant funds are no longer available. For this challenge, we would have to
constantly be thinking of new ways to keep people interested and to help the community feel that
their voice is being heard. Another challenge that we face is the actual implementation of the
new technologies. We would need someone to be able to install the technology and teach people
how to use it. Furthermore, some people may not like the new changes and find them difficult or
2 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

somewhat of a hassle to navigate. For this reason, we would find it beneficial to offer classes or
programs as well as specialized training to ease library goers into the new experience.
Our next challenge would be how we need to go about promoting these new changes. We
need to make these new changes are enticing and beneficial to attract people and keep the
support moving forward. We need to ensure that the technology is used often and not forgotten
or deemed useless. It is necessary that our proposed project builds upon the foundations of
empirical research. We look to gather empirical evidence that includes both measurements and
data collected through direct observation and experimentation. We want to directly observe how
libraries implement these technologies as well as gauge how satisfied people are, how effective
the technology is, how accessible the technology is and how simply the technology can be used
by people. We also want to collect feedback and experiment with trial and error techniques. If
we find something is not working for people, we can scrap it and use that data to help build
something better for people. We can do this by collecting qualitative and quantitative data from
libraries, visitors, schools and companies to frequently adjust our goals to meet the needs of the
community.

Project Design

Goals, Outcomes, and Assumptions

The overall goal of our project is to find new and innovative ways to promote the use of
technology in libraries such as public libraries. The libraries we are focused on, act as a
community hub for people across town with varying needs. Our goals range from aiding students
in advancing their education, to providing easily accessible technologies to people. We want to
look at a wide range of libraries and gather information regarding how technology is currently
utilized at these various establishments. We then want to design surveys and other analytics to
determine what people find the most helpful, what is least helpful, and finally what technologies
can improve the library going experience. We hope to gain insight into the modern library goers
mind and expectations while at the same time maintaining a forward momentum. It is simply not
enough to understand what libraries need now, but to also understand how to keep adapting to
the changing world.
Our projected outcomes fall in line with our main goal of enhancing library technologies.
We expect to find that people will favor more helpful tools or services that will benefit them
either in terms of education, career goals, or entertainment. We also feel that although libraries
are different and that people use libraries for different reasons, that we can use our findings to
better libraries as a whole. We expect to find requests such as updated software, varying
computer usage limits and frequently updated technologies. We also expect these opinions to
change over time, which is why we feel it is necessary for libraries and programs to constantly
take in feedback and adjust as necessary.
This project is essentially a chance to allow people to let us know what they want from a
library. Our assumptions are currently focused on how people will react. We feel that at first
people may not necessarily be entirely sure what more they want from a library, or even what
libraries can potentially be capable of doing for the community. We expect people to be
somewhat surprised to discover that some things they want may already be a facet of their own
public library system.
3 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

Potential Risks
While constructing our plan, we discovered a few potential risks that may impact our
project. One risk being that money will be spent in ways that do not further our cause. It is for
this reason, that we must apply the appropriate theory and practice to our goal. We want to
examine client best practices as a way to gauge how we can better reach our goals. We want to
see what is currently being done, as well as how it is being done to find ways we can add our
own input or enhance preexisting practices.
We first want to allocate our resources and plan out every step of our project. We need to
align the necessary funds with their purpose and decide how much money will go to which
particular area. A reasonable timeline would take about a year to have everything in order.
Things we will be looking closely at, specifically, are partnerships from different places ranging
from software companies to marketing agencies. This step should take about one to two months.
We then want to build upon these partnerships and market our goal to the community. We can do
so by creating presentations, flyers, and online social media posts to attract attention to our cause
which should take no more than a month. We then want to gain important information and data
by conducting interviews, creating surveys, and measuring the success of our library users. In
this sense, we want our project design to allow for input, consensus building and buy-in from
others. We want to know what companies think and we want to know what libraries think about
incorporating various technologies. We want to allow these companies to promote their software
at libraries so that patron may eventually spread the word and promote it to friend as well. This
would be an ongoing process of trial and error capturing the middle months of our project. As for
the last portion of our timeline, we want to use our knowledge and data to test out these new
technologies and make them accessible to the public without cutting into library time. We want
to get a feel for what people think and what we can change before fully implementing new
technologies.
Our audience, essentially is comprised of three groups, libraries, schools and companies.
These groups, large and small, will tell us what is working, what is not working, and what we
can do to improve our project. Our audience will also participate in and help plan and manage
our project. For the most part, a lot of our project is dependent on libraries and their
implementation of our project. Different staff members can be in charge of aspects that they are
familiar with or specialize in such as finance, scheduling, program directing and other areas. Our
project will find the libraries and set up different opportunities to build partnerships, however,
the libraries will be responsible for implementing the technologies and finding ways to promote
them. These can be short training sessions or even online workshops set up by libraries. We may
even hold special days or after-hours sessions and invite the public to test a few of the new tools
and resources and ask for their insight. For example, each session can focus on a specific new
type of technology or service and we can provide demonstrations and hands-on trial runs for
patrons.

Progress
Tracking our progress and goals will be something we start off small. We first want to
build relationships and have new technologies implemented in libraries as our first step. Then,
we want to rate the library’s satisfaction, and how simple it is for them to teach with this new
technology. Then, we want to examine how happy people are with our project. We want to see
an increasing success rate, whether that be more library traffic, more satisfied visitors, or better
grades for students using libraries. We would like to span this out over a multi-year timeline and
4 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

adjust our work accordingly. We will constantly ask for feedback and provide opportunities to
speak about changes by voting online, writing reviews, and filling out surveys.
We want to share out project findings with schools, libraries, companies and the
community via social media and through the use of weekend events. We want to be able to
constantly report news of our success on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and
other outlets. We also want to present our findings to teachers and parents of children from
underserved schools and communities as a way to open another door for the success of students.
We want to open up various avenues for people to discover what we are doing and how they can
be a part of it. We also want to interact with libraries to discuss their visitor numbers and overall
satisfaction of their visitors.

Diversity Plan
The Libraries
For this study we have chosen to focus on five different libraries across Arizona. We
decided to incorporate not only large libraries such as Burton Barr, Joel D Valdez Main Library,
and Scottsdale Public Library-Civic Center, but additionally some of the libraries from smaller
communities including Safford City-Graham County Library and Elsie S. Hogan Community
Library. By studying communities of different sizes, locations, and diversity we are able to
determine the different needs and technological services various communities are expecting their
libraries to fulfill.
In addition to the libraries, we will also extend this study to include the schools. Students
like to be able to rely on their libraries to provide the necessary tools and resources to aid their
success. By contacting random schools within the community, we can achieve a better
understanding of what the children and young adults are wanting their libraries to provide in
terms of technology. This will also give schools the chance to give their input and help build
libraries into better sources of information centers and sources of information.

The Communities
Burton Barr Public Library is located in Phoenix, the largest city in Arizona and the one
of the top five fastest growing cities in the United States. The community and population this
library serves are huge and diverse. This community is the center of endless employment
opportunities and growth, however, Phoenix also has a high poverty percentage, so though the
community is economically growing, there is a large portion of that community that is
struggling. Understanding the diverse needs and situations of the population will help us identify
the needs and requirements the community wants from their library will give us a better
understanding of which types of technology communities are needing from their libraries based
on their location, job opportunities, education, and income.
Joel D Valdez Main Library also serves the large community of Tucson, which is the second
largest city in Arizona. Additionally, it is home to the University of Arizona. By incorporating
this library into our study, we are also assessing the needs of university students and what
technologies they may require furthering their education. This will also be helpful when
collecting surveys and conducting interviews to incorporate the schools’ perspectives on libraries
and the types of technologies they should have available to ensure success for both students and
teachers.
5 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

Scottsdale Public Library-Civic Center has median income of around $76,543. Scottsdale
has a large and wealthy community. Scottsdale is a luxury city with expansive shopping malls,
hundreds of unique shops and restaurants, and several entertainment centers. This library is
serving a higher end community and the needs of the community is going to be vastly different
to those from the various other communities we will be studying. The input from a community
values luxury and entertainment will allow us to analyze how certain communities might be in
need or would like to be able to use higher end technology within their library. This might
include being able to check out tablets or laptops.
Both the Safford City-Graham County Library and Elsie S. Hogan Community Library
serve communities who population is under 10,000. These are extremely small communities,
with Willcox housing barely 3,000 people, analyzing the types of technologies they would like to
have and explore would be essential in understanding what technologies small communities
would like to have access to and how this might affect their desire to learn and utilize new
technologies for knowledge discovery. In smaller communities like this, we might anticipate that
they are in need of larger computer labs or maybe more printing stations, their community’s
needs are going to differ greatly from those in large cities like Phoenix, Tucson, and Scottsdale.
Additionally, they might not have the access to the kinds of technologies that the other libraries
are able to offer. In completing this project, we will be able to assess the status of each
community, where their educational and professional needs are, and determine the best way to
address their technological needs within their libraries.

Addressing Their Needs

Each library is in a different location, serving vastly different population sizes and
diverse communities. We will assess the needs of the communities by conducting a survey to
understand what technologies they are hoping to have access to through their libraries. The larger
communities might be looking for more advanced technologies including 3-D printers or
technologies that they can borrow like virtual goggles and STEM Kits. Tucson serves a
community that has a high percentage of the college students, so maybe the community is
needing larger computer labs, or laptops, camera equipment, and tablets available to check out to
complete school projects. However, the smaller communities might have extremely limited
access to technology and would like to have access to computers, digital libraries, and printers.
All of these communities have different goals, employment options, and educational
needs, so by conducting a survey, will be able to analyze which communities are needing which
technologies and how their library can better support their desire to learn, create ease of access to
information, and promote knowledge discovery.

National Impact
Impact
Due to technology being a prevalent source of information and learning, conducting this
study is essential to encourage libraries to become influential staples in their communities as a
source of learning and growth. The main priority of libraries is to be a source of information for
their patrons, and as technology continues to advance it is essential for libraries to incorporate
these technologies to aid their patrons in knowledge discovery and educational growth. The goal
6 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

of this project is to discover the technologies these various communities are wanting to help
other libraries that serve similar communities meet those goals as well.
Through this project, we aspire to achieve a better understanding of the needs and
expectations of communities when concerning technology in their libraries. By analyzing
different data sets provided by different libraries and their communities we can begin finding
patterns. Which communities are looking for more technology to improve their learning process
and knowledge access and which libraries have already met the needs of their community in
terms of technology. We are evaluating statistics and finding from libraries that vary greatly in
size, diversity, employment opportunities, and income. In doing so, we are ensuring that other
libraries that serve communities of similar attributes will be able to also gather a stronger
understanding of new technological implementations that might be necessary for their
communities.

Benefits and Adaptations for other Libraries

After analyzing our findings, other libraries can use that information to begin
implementing changes to better suit the needs and requirements of their communities. Our
project is focusing on making strengthening libraries and ensuring that they remain as
community anchors. Over the years, STEM/ STEAM related professions have risen in numbers,
and libraries need to continue to provide relevant tools and information regarding the
information that their patrons are searching. By conducting surveys that can be replicated and
used by other libraries, we are ensuring that libraries of other states, cities, and communities no
matter the size or location, are able to achieve similar results and reach a common goal.
In addition to surveys, we will also be conducting interviews of library staff and patrons,
teachers and students, and members of the city council, all of which will be randomly selected to
provide external validity. We are hoping to achieve different perspectives on which technologies
the community is utilizing most, and which devices they are in most need of. Furthermore, we
can also understand how libraries are not only providing access to these technologies, but what
they are doing to ensure their communities know how to use them. This includes any programs
and classes the libraries are providing to help their patrons be successful when using these
devices. By gathering these statistics, we can begin to analyze how successful these programs
and classes are, and patrons will be able to conclude how helpful their libraries are in teaching
about these technologies.

Benchmarks
We have several benchmarks for our project. Our first would be to have access and
permission from all five libraries we have selected to participate in the study. Second, would be
ensuring that we have built partnerships within each city so that we can distribute flyers and
information about the study to achieve a higher number of returns on the survey. We are looking
for 50-100 completed surveys from each library, this will allow us to account for any incomplete
or blank surveys. We would like to conduct at least 10 interviews for each library, 4 from staff
and 6 from patrons. In addition to the library staff and patron interviews, we will also be
conducting random interviews with students and teachers as well as those in City Hall.
Understanding the views from various members of the community will allow us to continue to
strengthen libraries and make them an essential anchor within their communities. This will also
give us more data to work with, and allow us to achieve more accurate results. By fulfilling these
goals and reaching each of these numbers we will be able to successfully complete our project.
7 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

Schedule of Completion

Budget Justification

1. Salaries and Wages

Holly Henley is the State Librarian and Directory of Library Services, she is the one that would
oversee the operation. She would direct the grants funding to the required resources and to the
people in other departments that would be working on the project. Her pay is decided upon how
much she is contributing to the project, which is 3% of the $25,000. Benjamin Kim is the IT
Director on the Arizona State Library, so he would decide which libraries to send which
technology to. His pay is decided upon how much he is contributing to the project, which is 5%
of the $25,000. Kimberly Ash is the IT Branch Manager at the Arizona State Library, so she
helps the branch locations set up their technology programs. Her pay is decided upon how much
she is contributing to the project, which is 10% of the $25,000. Daniel Stevens is the Library
Branch Manager for the Arizona State Libraries, so he helps train staff for the programming and
technology. His pay is decided upon how much he is contributing to the project, which is 13%
of the $25,000. Aaron Folly is the Library Services Manager of the Arizona State Library, so
they would oversee creating the program that the branch libraries would use. Their pay is
decided upon how much they are contributing to the project, which is 15% of the $25,000. These
positions will be paid for their work by the Arizona State Library based on funds that have been
put aside for this project. The Programming Librarians: Jessica Woo, Marian James, and David
McDonald, are paid the remaining balance of the grant divided by three for their work at their
libraries.

2. Fringe Benefits
Fringe Benefits are paid by the Arizona State Library. Both Social Security and Medicare are 3%
of the total amount paid to each employee that assists with the program.
8 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

3. Travel
The cost for Travel is low since it will be from the Arizona State Library to the branch locations,
mostly for delivery. It is a low cost because the implementation of the technology will be done
by the Programming Librarians and training done on the day of installation. The costs are
calculated by cost of gas and how much it costs to fill up the tank.

4. Supplies, Materials and Equipment

The equipment that would be purchased are: 6 Oculus Rift VR Headset bundles costing $340
each, 6 Dell Tablets costing $425 each, 10 Dell Desktops costing $175 each, 10 Dell Keyboards
and Mice costing $17 each, and 3 Microsoft Windows software costing $510 each and a bonus
one added from contract. The equipment will be used to enhance programs at selected libraries
and to start a new Virtual Reality programming. Each library will receive 2 Headsets and 2
Tablets. The Computers, Keyboards, and Mice will be shared with the libraries that need extra
computers. The software is for the tablets and the computers.

5. Contracts and Subawards

Contracts were created with Dell, Microsoft, the company Oculus VR to reduce the price of our
equipment by 15%, allowing us to purchase more equipment for less.

6. Student Support
There will be no student support.

7. Other Costs
There are no other costs.

8. Total Direct Costs

Indicate the total direct costs, and specify how much you are asking from IMLS and how much
you intend to provide as cost share.

9. Indirect Costs
We are not including any indirect costs.

10. Total Project Costs

Indicate the total project costs here, and specify how much you are asking from IMLS and how
much you intend to provide as cost share.
9 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

List of Key Project Staff and Consultants

The staff listed on the budget form are key to this project. Henley oversees this project
and receives consulting from the library board. Kim is the Director of IT and oversees the
management of the technology. Ash will focus on the technology set-up at the libraries. Stevens
is the Library Branch Manager that focuses on the training of the staff for the technology and
programming. Folly is the Library Services Manager that creates the programming for the
libraries to use. Woo, James, and McDonald are the ones that will initiate the programs at their
library and keep it running.
10 Technology in Libraries: A Research Proposal

Bibliography/Reference
"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Phoenix City, Arizona." U.S. Trade with Haiti. Accessed May
10, 2018. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/phoenixcityarizona/PST045217#.

"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Scottsdale City, Arizona." U.S. Trade with Haiti. Accessed
May 10, 2018. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/map/scottsdalecityarizona/INC110216.

"Tuscon Population 2017." World Population Review. October 20, 2017. Accessed May 10,
2018. http://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/tuscon-population/.