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Project MISSILE

Mobile information skills & solutions for library education (MISSILE)

Problem statement

Hundreds of thousands of libraries in the US lack the in-house information technology expertise required to implement mobile applications and related technologies (MAT), to attain a maximum return on investment including user satisfaction and a reduction in the need for expensive IT consultants. These libraries need affordable mobile technology consultants to design, develop, guide, and maintain technology for use in libraries. However, there is a global shortage of library and information science programs that train graduate students to serve as mobile technology consultants.

Project MISSILE: A Solution

I led an innovative research project to fill in this gap and have helped UTK move forward in joining the ranks of the nation’s top 25 public research universities. Based on my prior research serving as the Principal Investigator on a project focused on researching and developing mobile applications and websites for libraries and other information organizations, Dr. Ed Cortez, Dr. Suzie Allard, and I received a planning grant ($40,121) from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, to develop a cutting-edge interdisciplinary curriculum for training library and information science (LIS) master’s degree students to serve as mobile technology consultants for libraries and not-for-profit organizations.

Based on my research expertise in computer science and IT management, Reynard Regenstreif-Harms and I analyzed numerous research articles and practitioner handbooks, and reports published from 2000 to 2014 to identify the 10 sets of skills and knowledge needed to help libraries select, purchase, design, develop, deploy, and maintain MAT effectively and efficiently. I then identified 16 interdisciplinary courses in accounting, business administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, and information science offered by UTK, which could equip LIS students with these identified skill sets. My research team developed hands-on training opportunities gained through practicums, guest speaker series, and field visits under collaborative interdisciplinary mentorship of researchers and practitioners as part of the 45-credit hour mobile information skills and solutions in library education (MISSILE) curriculum. The curriculum for master’s degree students is novel as no other LIS school in the world offers such a novel combination of coursework.

This MISSILE curriculum advances UTK’s strategic priority – “Support curricular innovations that align with 21st-century workforce needs and our research strengths and priorities” – outlined in the 2021 Strategic Vision document. See https://www.utk.edu/images/i/warmers/strategic-vision-2021.pdf.

Publications

Potnis, D. & Regenstreif-Harms, R. (2016). Transforming LIS students into a mobile workforce for 21st century libraries. Juried paper presented at Accreditation & Emerging Competencies Session, Association of Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference, Boston, MA.

Potnis, D., Regenstreif-Harms, R., & Cortez, E. (2016). Identifying key steps for developing mobile applications & mobile websites for libraries. Information Technologies and Libraries, 35(3), 40-58.

Potnis, D., Regenstreif-Harms, R., Deosthali, K., Cortez, E., & Allard, S. (2016). Skills and knowledge needed to serve as mobile technology consultants in information organizations. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 57(2), 187-196.

Potnis, D. & Allard, S. (2017). Mobile Information Skills and Solutions in Library Education (MISSILE). Interim Report for Planning Grant, Award Number: RE-22-160038-16. Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington D.C.

Potnis, D. & Allard, S. (2018). Training LIS students as mobile technology consultants for libraries and not-for-profit organizations. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 59(4), 253-264. [2020 Impact Factor: 1.07]

Potnis, D. & Allard, S. (2018). Mobile Information Skills and Solutions in Library Education (MISSILE). Final report for planning grant, award number: RE-22-160038-16. Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington D.C.

Potnis, D. & Allard, S. (2018). Developing MISSILE curriculum to train LIS students as mobile technology consultants. Association of Library and Information Science Education 2018 Conference, Denver, Colorado, 66-69.

Potnis, D. & Allard, S. (2018). Mobile Information Skills and Solutions in Library Education (MISSILE). Final report for planning grant, award number: RE-22-160038-16. Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington D.C.

Potnis, D., Allard, S., & Cortez, E. (2018). Proposing interdisciplinary curriculum for developing mobile technology consultants for libraries & not-for-profit organizations. 10th Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN18), Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 7476-7480.