A/N: You can find the activity here: https://archerslibrary.com/2023/05/24/pd-there-is-a-reason-kids-are-talking-about-megan-2022-the-emerging-technology-of-a-i-and-connected-toys-in-libraries/

You can find all of my professional development activities here: https://archerslibrary.com/librarianship/

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Description of Activity

For this professional development activity, I read the electronic resource of the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2017 article on Connected Toys. The emerging technology of interest was artificial intelligence (A.I.). I further reflected upon a peer-reviewed journal article by Ikeshita (2020) as it related to the use of toys in the library. A.I. has been a topic of interest for many in recent years, from children to adults, and has been brought to the forefront of people’s minds by the skyrocketing popularity of the A.I. service, ChatGPT, and by movies such as 2022’s Megan. Thus, I thought it would be important to understand the nature of A.I. and its relevance to children’s librarianship.

What did I learn?

I learned that A.I. technology is rapidly advancing, with toys such as the Hello Barbie Hologram by Mattel in development (ALA, 2017). These toys are often connected to the internet, hence connected toys, and use A.I. to answer simple questions and ‘talk’ with children (ALA, 2017). There are concerns about connected toys regarding privacy and security, as they may be vulnerable to hacking and cause children to be vulnerable too, and information about the child may be sold for use in targeted advertisements (ALA, 2017; Rubin et al., 2020). There is also concern that connected toys may limit a child’s socialisation, ability to conduct authentic play, and ability to speak naturally due to overexposure to digital technology (ALA, 2017; Rubin et al., 2020). However, connected toys can be used educationally to help children learn and allow parents insight into their child’s behaviours (ALA, 2017). Furthermore, Ikeshita (2020) identified eBooks, apps and games as useful educational toys for children with dyslexia in libraries, and thus I speculate that connected toys may also prove useful in a similar fashion.

How was the activity relevant to my professional practice working with children/young adults?

The activity was relevant to my professional practice, as libraries in Australia have been well-regarded as pioneers of emerging technologies (Aba & Makinde, 2020, p. 382; Byrne, 2011, pp. 51, 61; Rubin et al., 2020) so I can expect to see the use of A.I. and connected toys in children’s libraries soon. Furthermore, many children today are considered to be ‘digital natives’ (Rankin, 2012) and the use of connected toys will encourage a sense of familiarity and welcome in the library. I am now better prepared to work with the implementation of connected toys for children in the library.

What gaps in my knowledge were revealed and how might they be filled?

I identified gaps in my knowledge including what toys are used in libraries currently, how it is predicted those toys may be enhanced with emerging technologies, and the technical functioning behind A.I. Further reading of resources like Ikeshita (2020) and Tuckwiller (2003) can broaden my understanding of toys in libraries. However, predictions about emerging technologies in libraries are harder to unearth. I will need to look deeper into that. As for the mechanisms behind A.I., I will need to study further to know if understanding this in depth will be useful and relevant to my professional practice.

References

Aba, J. & Makinde, T. (2020). Relevance of web 2.0 for library services in digital era. In A. Tella (Ed.), Handbook of research on digital devices for inclusivity and engagement in libraries (pp. 382-405). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9034-7

American Library Association (ALA). (2017). Connected toys. http://www.ala.org/tools/future/trends/connectedtoys

Byrne, A. (2011). Early adopters down under: Technology in Australian libraries. In R. Sharma & IFLA, H. I. (Ed.), Libraries in the early 21st century, volume 1: An international perspective (pp. 51-61). Walter de Gruyter GmbH.

Ikeshita, H. (2020). Japanese public library services for dyslexic children. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(2), 485–492. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000618823871 

Rankin, C. (2012). Library space and place transformation – designing for the digital natives. In C. Rankin & A. Brock (Eds.), Library services for children and young people: Challenges and opportunities in the digital age (pp. 159-182). Facet. https://doi.org/10.29085/9781856048989.013

Rubin, R. E., Rubin, R. G., & Alire, C. (2020). Foundations of library and information science. American Library Association.

Tuckwiller, M. (2003). Assistive technology collection: Serving people with disabilities. In American Library Association, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, & Robin Osborne (Eds.), From outreach to equity: Innovative models of library policy and practice (pp. 33-34). ALA Editions.

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You can find the activity here: https://archerslibrary.com/2023/05/24/pd-there-is-a-reason-kids-are-talking-about-megan-2022-the-emerging-technology-of-a-i-and-connected-toys-in-libraries/

You can find all of my professional development activities here: https://archerslibrary.com/librarianship/