Applying the Critical Theory of Library Technology to Distance Library Services

Abstract

The re-envisioning of libraries as information leaders in higher education requires an examination of the decisions made in the acquisition and adoption of library technology. The Critical Theory of Library Technology offers a framework for viewing technology decisions through a social, economic and political perspective. This paper uses the Critical Theory of Library Technology to open discourse on the varying levels of impact of distance library technology, suggesting that an application of the theory brings with it a set of questions that libraries may need to address.

Net Neutrality and its Implications to Online Learning

“…We may find ourselves needing to work around an "Internet access gap" where not all online learners will be able to access course materials unless they come to a location with a high-speed Internet connection or pay high premiums. As discussed earlier in this article, Brumfield (2010) already found that online students in university settings feel isolated from their learning community when they do not have access to the library or have difficulties with the Internet. Therefore, distance education learners from low income families who may not have access to high-speed Internet connection will become systematically disadvantage learners in online classrooms.…”

“…When we examined the literature to find commonly identified barriers for students taking advantage of distance education opportunities, we found that there were several conversations about learner skills, costs, and retention (e.g., Muilenburg & Berge, 2005;Simpson, 2013;Taplin, Kerr, & Brown, 2013). In one of the few publications we found that discussed net neutrality and its implications to distance education Brumfield (2010) examined factors that brought challenges to students in university environments. She found that online students felt most isolated from their learning community when they did not have access to library materials and they experienced difficulties with their Internet connection.…”

Social informatics as a concept: Widening the discourse

“…The conceptual grounding and the creation of research methodology and tools in the final years of Kling’s life (1996–2003) made possible an unprecedented diversity in terms of areas of application in the study of sociotechnical systems [1]. This diversity concerns mainly the areas of information systems [101–103], management [104, 105], education [106], communication studies [107], sociology [108], anthropology [109, 110], and library and information science [111, 112]. Shortly after Kling’s death came a critical reflection of the existing approach to social informatics [78, 113], as well as perspectives for future orientation [100, 114].…”