iSchool Capstone

2023

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Building Early Literacy Skills: The Family Place Play Space at Penrose Library

The Family Place program of the Pikes Peak Library District is a district-wide initiative aimed at fostering early literacy from birth to age five. One of the goals is to enhance the play area of Penrose Library. A 5-year plan is now implemented to continually review and improve the space and purchase new toys and furniture that entertain families and support early childhood development. The purpose is to create unique experiences for children and families. As a result, the library has become a popular destination for patrons who enjoy returning.
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BuyScout

Due to COVID-19, the current economy's regression is having a significant impact on people's daily lives, with profound effects. Particularly as production capacity is insufficient, individuals are struggling to find effective ways to browse and shop. This browser extension provides users with up-to-date product inventory information, assisting them in making shopping decisions that greatly enhance their overall experience.
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Cataloging Resources for All

The New Mexico State Library provides free cataloging resources for librarians, however, its collection was in need of detailed guidelines on the RDA (Resource Description & Access) descriptive cataloging standard. The Cataloging Instruction Guide aimed to address this through the curation and compilation of instructions from freely-available digital resources. The new guide on the State Library’s website defines and describes frequently-used RDA elements and explains how to formulate bibliographic data in accordance with RDA. It also provides access to valuable reference links for librarians at public, small and rural libraries looking to further explore specific cataloging scenarios.
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Celtic Arts Foundation's Oral History Project

Following the 25th anniversary of its founding, the leadership at the Celtic Arts Foundation wanted to preserve the experiences of its founding. A pilot program lead by volunteers and an iSchool student was then launched to perform Oral History interviews and establish a procedure for future capture. A Policies and Procedures document was produced outlining the project for replication and many ideas for subsequent iterations were developed. The creation of Oral Histories at CAF will record Scottish culture in America for scholarly study as well as preserve institutional memory.
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ChatDWG

ChatDWG provides a unique opportunity for learners to engage with the cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology of ChatGPT. Through an educational game and collection of resources, learners can explore the capabilities and limitations of this technology in order to gain a deeper appreciation for its ability to shape the future of communication. This web app is consequently a powerful tool for anyone seeking to integrate AI technology into their lives alongside the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
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Children's Theme Kits for the Ledding Library

The Ledding Library has provided children's theme kits to patrons for the last 20+ years. Consistently popular, these theme kits now show the normal wear of age. They also no longer fit library space or goals. This proposal contains ten updated kits, including book lists, manipulatives, activities, storage, and a publicity plan. These kits will give parents and caregivers easy options to create fun learning environments. The updated title selections reflect the rich array of books published within the last ~10 years and focus on fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion at the library. This project will serve library funding discussions.
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Chīmu: Fostering Academic Teams for Success

Chīmu fosters positive experiences for team collaboration in an academic setting by focusing on three core concepts that make a great team: communication, accountability, and reflection. Our platform incorporates these concepts into three key features: icebreakers, team agreements, and team check-ins. We understand that teamwork is a continuous process that requires feedback from beginning to end, and our goal is to create a positive first impression. Through peer accountability, open communication, and feedback we aim to reduce negative team experiences. Our platform emphasizes the importance of the team agreement to establish clear expectations and encourage trust among team members.
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CleanCommute

Greenhouse gasses trap heat and make the planet warmer, and the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the US are from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Car ownership and use is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions accountable for 43% of emissions. CleanCommute is a web-based solution to help young King County residents calculate, monitor, track, and mitigate their transportation-related carbon footprint. CleanCommute aims to empower young adults in the metro Seattle area to be conscious of how their individual transportation choices affect the environment.
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Co-Design to Redesign: Optimizing a Multi-Use Middle School Library

Lakeside Middle School has a bustling library. The space accomplishes a lot, but it could accommodate the students better. The shelves are not easy for students to browse, and loud and quiet activities happen simultaneously in the relatively small space. Working closely with the students, I and the librarians at Lakeside redesigned the library space to accommodate these multiple uses and to allow for the organization of the books by genre. We expect to see an increase in circulation and have students happier with the space they helped design.
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collabor-action

As it currently stands, cross-sector partnerships between hospitals & community based organizations are under-performing & disoriented, leading to disparities in community-based health outreach. Our platform collabor-action aims to streamline discovery and communication between healthcare systems and community based organizations. We accomplish this through the use of information cards to provide information on services/specialties, contact information, and a message form feature to send collaboration requests. In doing so, we hope to facilitate clear communication and planning between these organizations in pursuit of promoting relevant partnerships and community health outreach.