Modern public libraries are a hub of innovation and information, but among all the valuable services libraries provide, research shows people still visit public libraries for one primary reason: To find books to read for pleasure. This project offers a new way to connect readers with books through an interactive quiz on the San Jose Public Library website. The quiz suggests books from the library’s collection that have been handpicked by library staff members. It can easily be reproduced to recommend books for a variety of genres and audiences, or even to suggest non-book items such as DVDs, eResources or library programs. By directing users to relevant and useful items within the library in their quiz results, this digital tool serves the community by providing expert recommendations and also helps market the library’s various collections and services. Finding your next favorite book has never been easier!

In many cultures, oral storytelling and folktales are an important tool for elders to share the intimate lore and cultural norms with future generations. Individuals and institutions are coming to the realization that generations of stories are being lost. Efforts to preserve these treasures have largely been dedicated to oral histories and personal narratives. Folk Mic is a publicly-accessible online repository for recordings of folktales. The project creates a framework for any storyteller, amateur to professional, to add their folktales and original stories. Furthermore, users are able to search for the stories using newly developed metadata and to develop more sophisticated metadata as the project grows in size. Folk Mic promotes the value of hearing and seeing a storyteller weave a tale rather than simply reading it. Now, future generations will have an online database where they can watch, hear, and record more storytellers.

The non-profit organization Forest to Furniture promotes good Forest Stewardship practices and works to connect together the chain of people involved in woodworking, including Land Owners, Sawyers, Truck Drivers, Woodworkers and Clients. People need a website to connect. The website serves three goals: to be accessible to clients, to connect members of the woodworking industry together and to inform the greater public. This website includes an information page, a page of partners and a blog to highlight different stewardship practices in the philosophy of Forest to Furniture. The purchaser gets to know the story of their furniture- the land it came from, the age of the tree, the hands it touched. Forest to Furniture adds value to the otherwise mundane task of selecting furniture by empowering people to recognize that their choice in furniture is about more than just the furniture- it’s a vote for the process that created it.

Often when people come across words they do not know, they search for definitions and find them quickly to get through the line they are reading. But for vocabulary to be memorized long-term, there must be spaced repetition of studying over a period of time. Currently, there is no way to seamlessly curate vocabulary without interrupting one’s daily flow and effectively study said vocabulary until mastery. ForWord incorporates a browser extension and a gamified platform in order to accomplish these things. ForWord’s target audience is college level English Second Language learners, however anyone user can improve their English skills. Special algorithms are utilized to make word recommendations based upon one’s interests and vocabulary level and to engage them using a gamified platform. If used on a regular basis, ForWord can aid in improved mastery of the English language, heightened eloquence, and the ability to read even the most verbose books.

In 1941, a group of Seattle citizens joined together to create the Friends of The Seattle Public Library, a non-profit which advocates, educates, and raises funds on behalf of The Seattle Public Library. The Friends group has been and still is influential in supporting The Seattle Public Library by supporting existing library programs, funding new library programs, improving library facilities, and purchasing tools and technologies. I have partnered with the Friends of The Seattle Public Library to create a digital collection as well as training materials for future volunteers. The organization has archival files from its past but has no method for managing these materials. Therefore, I selected and digitized documents to create the start of an online repository, using Omeka, of key documents from the organization’s history. These documents shed light and provide unique perspectives on the organization, the library, and the history of Seattle.

Many of us have been hooked to playing video games for over 10 years now, secretly wishing to make money of our talent to understand the game play. Our sponsor Unikrn provides a platform for eSports enthusiasts to gather insights, play and bet on popular games like League of Legends, Counter-Strike and more. Our market research suggests that users have difficulty comprehending how eSports betting works and tend to bounce off their website. To address this problem, we made it our mission to redesign Unikrn’s web experience. Through extensive user interviews, competitive analysis and user stories, we designed new interactive UI and workflow that delight users and help make informed gaming decisions. Our tests have shown higher engagement rates with the new UX. Once implemented, the new experience will be more user-friendly and trustworthy; targeting an audience of 600,000 users who will together wager around $85 Million in 2016.

Research and professional journals confirm micro and small businesses lead the way in Web 2.0 adoption. Although these businesses “are increasingly using social media technologies as part of their business activities… [it is] often as a supplemental promotional tool and without any clear idea of how to measure performance” (Atanassova & Clark, 2015). Many lack a strategic plan guiding their social media practices in a manner supporting their overall mission and goals. The barriers creating these gaps are often identified as lacking time, budget, and technology skills. Knowledge barriers include a limited awareness of information resources, software and platform features, implementation strategies, and best practices for user engagement and interface design. Our workshops help business owners overcome these barriers by providing a methodical approach, information resources, and analytic training with the goal of integrating social media as a tool into their overall business plan.