Exhibit on lowrider culture at San José State University
Estella Inda, research services and social sciences librarian at the San José State University King Library (OCLC Symbol: CSJ) recounts her frustration as a student when she found that the library had scant resources related to an important part of her culture, lowriders. Worse, the resources that were available showed the activity – which involves cruising, displaying, and admiring customized automobiles – in a negative light. The memory of this experience stayed with Inda, who recently curated an exhibit called Forever Cruising at the SJSU King Library dedicated to lowrider culture.
I had the opportunity to see the exhibit at the King Library last month, and immediately connected with the colorful exhibit and my own memories of lowriders in my southern California childhood. Inda’s advice about authentically connecting with communities to build collections and represent missing narratives is important: “. . . first do your research and find your focus. Second, be honest about what you are trying to do and why you believe having a cultural exhibition is important. . . . . as long as you are respectful and take the time to acknowledge the importance of the story that is being told through the exhibition, it will be impactful. It can also establish lasting community relationships that can be built on in the future.” Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt.
AI and opportunities for accessibility
EDUCAUSE, the nonprofit community that brings together education and technology, has provided a valuable service in summarizing some of the promises of artificial intelligence (AI) in “The Impact of AI in Advancing Accessibility for Learners with Disabilities.” Rob Gibson, Dean at the Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (OCLC Symbol: KSWAT), has written a useful summary of current and future prospects for AI to enhance accessibility and inclusion in educational institutions. Categories of promise include the automated generation of image and audio descriptions, support for cognitive and physical disabilities, inclusive design, coding tools, and a whole variety of applications for translating, captioning, lip reading, and speech recognition.
The pros and cons of artificial intelligence have been debated deeply in recent years. I have been highly skeptical of its morality, legality, real threats to privacy and intellectual property, disregard for human creativity – you get the idea. But one may grudgingly admit that under the right circumstances (and with humane controls), it has the potential to provide genuine assistance to students, educators, library users, and others with disabilities. Rob Gibson’s article offers a brief but informative perspective on some of the developments in AI that can now, or may soon, enable more accessible learning experiences. Contributed by Jay Weitz.
Merrilee Proffitt is Senior Manager for the OCLC RLP. She provides community development skills and expert support to institutions within the OCLC Research Library Partnership.