Recent School of Information (iSchool) graduate Craig Moore shared how the Florida State University Innovation Hub approaches the challenges of providing access to emerging technologies during the inaugural Information Science Summit & Special Libraries Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in June. 

Moore, who earned a Master of Science in Information Technology this summer, presented a practical framework for distinguishing between resources and services in innovation spaces. His presentation explored how this distinction can help libraries, makerspaces and other organizations make emerging technologies more accessible while considering the staffing, maintenance and long-term costs required to support them. 

“Understanding that purchasing a piece of equipment is not the end-all, be-all. It’s really the start. There’s a lot of hidden cost, whether in dollars and cents or in human resources and time, that goes into maintaining emerging technologies, making them accessible and making that access equitable,” Moore said. 

The conference brought together practitioners and researchers from across the information field following the merger of the Special Libraries Association and the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T). For Moore, the event was especially meaningful because he was involved in helping plan the inaugural conference as a member of its planning committee. 

“It was really rewarding to watch the hard work of that committee come together and actually take place,” Moore said. 

Moore was also able to introduce conference attendees to the work being done at FSU’s Innovation Hub, and how students have access to this innovation center that provides access to technologies such as 3D printers, virtual reality headsets, and media production equipment. 

“It’s always gratifying to just share what the Innovation Hub does with a broader audience,” Moore said. “I find that the types of things that we do here excite a wide variety of professionals and scholars.”