UNIX: A class in itself?

I want to know UNIX. I like the stable machines.

But, wow, it seems nothing from my experience with other operating systems transfers. I want to say it's like trying to learn to drive in England if you grew up driving in the USA, but I think it's even more different than that. Using computers regularly feels like it changes the way our brains are wired. Apparently, Windows wires our brain in such a way that it becomes impossible to adapt to other operating systems. Is it a Microsoft conspiracy? Who knows.

Whatever the case, UNIX could truly be taught over the course of an entire semester.

End User Computing

No matter how many times I hear it, I still find it a little shocking whenever I hear that the price of a computer purchase is really only about 20% the Total Cost of Ownership for a computer user in the workplace (Martin et al. 2005, 440). Both this chapter of our textbook and the article, "Building Systems That Users Want to Use," demonstrate the importance of understanding end-user computing and how it effects productivity and the bottom line.

Reading the Malhotra and Galletta article reminded me of the importance of understanding user motivation and system usage. Also, we have to remember that, while a few people might be interested in learning new technology skills, most workers just want to use their computer system as a means to an end--getting their work done. Therefore, if a new system is perceived as being harder to use, making it harder to accomplish tasks, then workers are going to feel low motivation to use it.

Nielsen's "big five" usability principles, though written for web sites, should also be considered when building systems that users want to use. Learnability, Efficiency, Memorability, Errors, and Satisfaction all effect the way workers feel about the software they use.

Ergonomics is always a sticky issue. Each person is so different that it is very difficult to design a configuration that is comfortable for the current user, yet will be flexible for the next person. I struggle with what is probably CVS (Clark 2006, 71), and I have tried almost everything but eye plugs (click here and scroll down to see a picture, which explains why I'm not going that route!) to accommodate the difficulty. Working in a literacy office, we often help adults who have characteristics of scotopic sensitivity and other vision problems. They want to use our educational software to improve their reading or to improve their own computer literacy skills, yet looking at the computer screen for more than a few minutes causes headaches.

I'm surprised that nothing was mentioned in these readings about accommodating users with disabilities. In planning for literacy computer labs, I wanted to be sure that we met guidelines for accessibility. The Americans with Disabilities Act Home Page was useful. The Clark article described the ergonomic problems sometimes caused by using a mouse. In our labs, we have computers available with trackball mice, for our customers with limited mobility. I've also heard that these kinds of pointing devices can be good for people who experience pain using a standard mouse.

Ethics and Secrets

Reading about ethics for this class made me think about part of an interview that I caught on NPR recently. It was probably a rerun of this one: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4568035

The interview was with Frank Warren, who has created a blog where he posts other people's secrets, http://postsecret.blogspot.com/. The one that I remember hearing on the radio was "all the people who knew me before 9/11 think I'm dead." Deontologically (can the word be constructed that way?), that person is behaving unethically. It's a lie, it harms the insurance companies, probably family and friends...but, who knows? Maybe with a consequentialistic point of view, that person feels that he or she has done the right thing because of some hard-to-understand situation.

Ok, so what does this have to do with IT? Unfortunately...nothing, really. I thought it would be an interesting read for you, and I had planned to search the postcards for computer or IT related secrets that I could use as ethical or unethical examples...but, it looks like the posts aren't really searchable...and now I have to go back to work (which is the ethical thing to do, and, just in case anyone is wondering, I wrote this post on my lunch break, and not on work time, because I try to be ethical with that kind of thing).

Progress for Week of Nov. 22

We probably don't have a post due, since we are out of class for the holiday, but I thought I would post, just in case.

Working on our team project, I have found TechSoup.org to be incredibly helpful, especially the learning center. From there, and later from WebJunction, I came across TechAtlas, which seems like it would be really helpful for some libraries. With a free registration, it gives you some automated tools for some parts of technology planning, such as the technology inventory. According to their website "TechAtlas helps nonprofits [or libraries] map out technology - step by step."

The lecture posted last week was also very helpful. Some of it was a good review for things we learned in LIS5053, such as the different ways of gathering data. I found the "Analysis of System Use: Questions to Be Answered" and the "Analysis of System Users: Questions to Be Answered" very useful.

Diverse readings this week

System reliability, server logs, standard making...

I'm having my own issues with system reliability this week. My wireless connection on my laptop is not working. Sounds like a small thing, but we've now spent at least 9 total hours trying to fix it. As I went through the process of checking all the online help, downloading new drivers, beating my head on my desk, I thought about Butler's comments on individual and collective mindfulness. As a user, I was finding it very difficult to remain "mindful." Right now, at this time of the semester, I do not WANT to exhibit "mindful attention to abnormalities and alternative possibilities" (Butler 2006, 218). I just want everything to work! Yet, facing the dreaded tech support call, I knew that I should try everything I could to fix the problem because they would probably immediately ask me if I had tried the suggested steps online.

Well, they didn't. After three long hours, my wireless still doesn't work. I am now very, very good at installing and uninstalling drivers, however. Unfortunately, my computer now seems to be much less *reliable* that it was before. On Monday, everything worked fine except that I couldn't connect to the Internet via my wireless card. Now, all the "updates" and new drivers and everything that has been changed is causing all kinds of error messages to appear, and it's requesting me to migrate programs and all kinds of useless things. Now, my system is so slow it is basically unusable.

Our topic this week is technology environment management. This whole experience with tech support (nice, but useless in this case) and my computer problems has really brought home to me how little we notice our technology environment until something stops working. As Butler explains, we are so focused on our normal goals and procedures, having to stop and be mindful is very difficult (Butler 2006).

Risks for IT Projects

Recently, I agreed to join a small group of organizations to help test a prototype of a reporting system. The contractors/software people hope to develop a web-based program that will meet some very specific requirements...mostly requirements set by a national organization that wants data and reports from local groups from around the country. The actual users, those who will have to input all the data, do get to do user-testing (hence, the small group that I joined). They will have a real say about how easy the program is to use. However, it doesn't seem like we will have much input as to what the program is actually intended to do.

Therefore, reading the Baccarini, Salm, and Love article this week, I started thinking about the risks involved in this project. As I read, a few potential risks really jumped out at me. First of all, under "technology and technical issues," "application software not fit for purpose," seems like a very likely problem (Baccarini, Salm, and Love 2004, 288). From everything I have seen of the proposed software, it *adds* work to the staff at the organizations, without actually adding any value. They will be able to create reports for the national organization, but they will not actually be able to manage their data with this program. Essentially, two databases will have to be maintained--one that lets the program do day-to-day work, such as tracking customer information, progress, etc, and one that is just used to fill out forms to be sent somewhere else. Much of the same information will have to be kept in both places. I would say that this would lead to "low user satisfaction." The program seems really easy to use, just a duplication of effort.

I think this stems from "Incomplete requirements," (Baccarini, Salm, and Love 2004, 288). The authors discuss how getting too little information during the analysis phase can lead to creating a product that doesn't meet objectives. In this case, I think the product is designed to meet the objectives of the bigger organization--I just don't see how they will convince local organizations to use it as it is currently designed. I know that they did have some discussions with the front-line users before putting any software together. However, I get the impression that once they realized the scope of what an organization really needs in order to manage its data, they shied away from that side of things.

Finally, I want to mention "developing wrong software functionality" (Baccarini, Salm, and Love 2004, 288). In this case, I don't think that it is so much a question of software that "may not meet the purpose for which it is intended," (288), but more that it won't meet the purpose for which it is expected by the front-line users. I think users will be told that this program will make reporting so much easier, and they will therefore expect it to make all reporting easier. However, it will really only be useful for the reports required by the one national organizaiton.

I hope that the group can all work together to develop something that really is a value to the local organizations and the national organization. They seem very willing to listen, but, like any project, they are limited by time and money.

How do we manage?

One of the readings this week, Mark Keil's "Pulling the plug: Software project management and the problem of project escalation," reminded me of the lecture that included the cautionary tale of a library system that hired a company, and several years after the project was supposed to be complete, they still didn't have anything operational. Yikes.

I've been thinking about how IT professionals track all the different machines and software at their organizations this week. Last week, one of the groups presented the idea of having a tag on each machine that held a record of its history, to help make the IT workers' jobs more efficient. We've talked about how more academic sites with a strong feeling of intellectual freedom and privacy rights might feel that Big Brother is trespassing on their space if IT were to dictate every computing detail. Yet, in a big corporation, everyone might be forced to have the same computer with the same set up, with very tight security to monitor it.

What is the best way to track all the different computers and the different set ups in a given organization? In our department, we have about 20 PCs for customer use. They all have special software that is not available on any other computers in the library system, and even those 20 are not all alike. Sometimes we feel frustrated in our office when IT re-images our computers, and we realize--too late--that some of the user information for some of the special programs has disappeared. We feel irritated that they can't keep the different computers straight, even though we have provided them with list after list...yet, I know that when those projects are automated, they're not going to think to dig back through email or through a file for the special computers.

Today, I had to struggle to find one of those lists, to help me with an estimate I needed for a grant report. I knew before, but today it really hit home what a pain it was to look at each computer separately, and try to figure out which software would be where. I can't imagine trying to manage an IT department that is responsible for hundreds of computers, and with their unique users and software.

Painful progress

I checked out a couple books to help me better conceptualize our team project. I found Managing Information Technology Projects, by James Taylor, and Effective IT Project Management, by Anita Rosen. I was hoping to find some sample IT plans, but, unfortunately, both of these books seem geared specifically toward individual projects. I think there will be useful sections, but I'm just not sure they cover the same scope that we are expected to cover in our team project.

I just don't feel that I have a firm grasp on what the project will look like. It would help me immensely to see a sample plan with all of the facets. I put a book on hold that looked like it would really be helpful--something about IT planning for libraries. Unfortunately, it was over-due, so who knows if it will be returned soon.

Open Source Software = Big Money?

The readings this week were very interesting and varied. Outsourcing has been a hot topic in just about any management area. I had seriously considered writing about service-oriented-architecture for my issues paper. Understanding the needs of your team is important for meeting the goals of any project, and creating the right environment for software developers can lead to more successful projects.

I was really intrigued by the open source software information. I've heard a lot about Linux and OpenOffice, but I've never really used them. I've downloaded the occasional open source program for specific needs, such as using GIMP to make a logo for my wiki (www.ambientlibrarian.org). I knew that Red Hat made money off of distributing Linux, but I had no idea how many other companies have money-making ventures related to open source software. I knew about the value-added aspect of open source. I understood that to be providing a service related to the software, like Red Hat making it easier to install Linux. However, I thought that anything that was added to the source of the software had to remain free and open. I was surprised to read that Sun could base StarOffice on OpenOffice and then charge for it.

I wasn't as surprised to learn that some companies support open source not so much for open source's sake, but to undermine their competition. I guess business makes strange bedfellows. In 1982, who would have thought that IBM would be promoting the free stuff?

It's very exciting that open source software is now being recognized as a viable option for business and government operations. I had long heard that Linux was more reliable than Windows. I know that my own impression, however, was that we wouldn't see open source productivity software in our offices because it wasn't as reliable, usable, or supported. However, reading the Fitzgerald article, I realize that it's probably more usable in some ways that a Microsoft product. For example, it sounds like many open source programs are meant to be cross-platform. That might allow the users in your company to enjoy some of their own preferences (Apple vs. Mac) rather than being tied down to what everyone else in the organization has. As far as support goes, it sounds like that's one of the new business opportunities created by open source software.

Change Management

As I worked on my paper, I had to think quite a bit about how new technologies can be introduced. Also, in the technology-related projects that I have been involved with at work, it's very difficult to figure out where to start. This is actually the case with most large projects, whether they are related to technology, or not.

I think for this reason, the "Organizations as Systems" section in Chapter 9 of Managing Information Technology stuck out to me. I appreciated the model (based on the Leavitt diamond) that included the fundamental components of organization.

In comparison to some of the studies we've come across in class, the technology projects that I have worked on have been very small. Still, they bring up the issues of people, information technology, business processes, and organization structure. Several years ago, we undertook a project to put literacy labs in all of our regionals. Even within those four fundamental components, it's hard to know where to start. When do you bring in the staff at those libraries? Do you have your entire plan formulated before you talk to them, so they feel that you've thought out the details? Or, do you meet with them first, so that they feel they've had an opportunity for significant input? Will their staff people have to assist with the technology that we're adding, or is it simply in their space? Do we start attending staff meetings to explain the literacy labs before the labs are built, or wait until the computers are up, so that we can train and demonstrate?

When undertaking a new project, it's important to really consider the various parts of your "system" that your project will affect. Thinking in terms of people, information technology, business processes, and organization structure may really be a simple way to help you cover all your bases.

E. Wainwright Martin, Carol W. Brown, Daniel W. DeHayes, Jeffrey A. Hoffer, and William C. Perkins. Managing Information Technology, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.

Progress this week

This will be brief. This week I've been really concentrating on my issues paper. I've found some really interesting resources. My blog will be more interesting next week, hopefully!

ERPs for Non-Profit Organizations

Reading this week's articles, I could help but think about the limited experience that I've had with Integrated Library Systems. Is an ILS the library world's version of an ERP? It seems to incorporate many similar modules in the "Anatomy of an Enterprise System" depicted by Thomas Davenport (1998, 124). It includes reporting applications, financial applications, inventory and supply applications...as far as I know, our ILS at TCCL doesn't have any human resource management functions, but I can imagine that some might, some day.

Making connections to past semesters...

Reading the chapter for this week, I recalled building a database for LIS 5003: Information Systems and Networks...I was surprised when the chapter implied that the normalization step comes so late in the data modeling. From what I remember, that should be done as soon as possible, to ensure stability of the database.

I think the difference in perception is because we were building a database from information we had at hand, to suit our own purposes. We were designing it with an organization in mind, but we didn't actually have to bring together all the needs of multiple departments. To develop a large database that would serve the needs of several areas, the enterprise modeling and view integration would certainly be necessary. Though I don't remember calling it "view integration," that is essentially how we started building our database--we identified what the database would actually need to track and provide for the user, and then set about creating tables, fields, and relationships. Of course, we were careful to normalize as we started creating.

I thought the hands-on experience with the database was really excellent, though very difficult. The class may have created a monster, however. Toward the end of that semester, I was asked to take part in a small, state-wide group that was trying to identify what would be needed in a database built specifically for adult literacy programs. While other members were saying general things like "don't forget a place for assessments," I was itemizing all of the essential fields, the relationships that I thought would need to be made, and all the various reports that we might eventually want to create.

I also noticed the brief mention of XML as a way to access databases from the Web. XML is something I need to learn more about. I've recently added a couple books on the subject to my Amazon wishlist.

Thinking about the paper...

Well, of course I've been thinking about it for weeks. I knew that I'd really like to do something related to Library 2.0, but I wasn't quite sure how to tie it into IT management. Obviously, there is a connection, but I just wasn't really finding any published information.

Thank goodness, today I came across this blog: http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/08/27/davids-new-job/

David Lee King is/was the IT Director of the Kansas City Public Library. He just accepted a job as the "Digital Branch & Services Manager" at another library, which is all about bringing Library 2.0 to their services. So, obviously, Library 2.0 does have huge ramifications for IT Management, including the creation of new positions, or reassigning responsibilities to old ones.

When the IT manager is also the library director, children's librarian, and circulation clerk...

As I read “Information Technology and Restructuring in Public Organizations: Does Adoption of Information Technology Affect Organizational Structures, Communications, and Decision Making?” by Theresa Heintze and Stuart Bretschneider, I thought about so many of the smaller libraries and non-profits out there, struggling to keep working technology for their staff and customers. Through the MLIS program and through a state-wide literacy coalition, I have met so many people who wear the hat of "technology coordinator," though that is not their primary responsibility. How do these smaller groups manage their information technology? How do they manage to offer any new services, such as all of the exciting "Library 2.0" possibilities, when one person is in charge of IT, personnel, collections, fundraising, and shelving?

Fortunately, the Internet is full of geek-librarians who love to learn about technology, create nifty things, and then, being librarians, give the information away for free. In "Big Tech for Every Library," Sarah Houghton discusses how even the smallest library can create a snazzy online presence--for free--using EngagedPatrons.org . It may not run the Ethernet through the ceiling or install the wireless network, but it at least offers some web-presence solutions for those libraries strapped for staff, money, and time.

Work Cited:

Houghton, Sarah. 2006. Big tech for every library. Library Journal 131: 12-15. Available from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, EBSCOhost (accessed September 5, 2006).

Welcome!

Welcome to my individual progress log for LIS 5223: Information Technology Management.

I look forward to learning more about the topics that we will cover in this class. In fact, in some ways, I wish that I had had the opportunity to take such a class eight years ago.

I am the Literacy Coordinator at a public library. Several years ago, we had the opportunity to create "Learning Labs" for our adult literacy students. I had some good tools and information on evaluating learning programs, but I had never before had to plan the acquisition of so much hardware and software. Truth be told, I had never even gone through the process of purchasing a home computer for myself! Luckily, we had the support of an excellent IT department (then called Automation and Technology). I learned many lessons through that process, but I would like to know more about the "right" way to implement such a large project.

Currently, I have been thinking quite a bit about creating an online tool for our volunteer tutors to use to interact with each other. This semester, I am also enrolled in Design and Implementation of Web-based Services, and it has given me a lot of options to consider. I have been exploring several sites such as blogger.com, wikispaces.com, cospire.com (at the recommendation of Bhakti, who is on my team in Tulsa), Yahoo! groups, and several others. I have asked for suggestions from some friends who own a data solutions company, and they recommended several free software options that would allow us to host a forum from our library servers.

Though this would be a fairly simple task if I just wanted to create a site for friends or family to enjoy, it is a larger IT management issue when creating it for our volunteers. It would represent our library. It would need to be approved by our library administration, and there are differing views on the amount of control we should have over postings and questions. Do we take advantage of a free online resource, or do we use something that requires space on our servers and some sort of database in the background? These are the kinds of issues I have been pondering lately.