Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle

49 Pages·1.936 MB·English

by  Char Booth

Library Technology
R e p o R T s
Expert Guides to Library Systems and Services
Hope, Hype, and VoIP:
Riding the Library Technology Cycle
Char Booth
www.alatechsource.org
Copyright © 2010 American Library Association
All Rights Reserved.
Library Technology About the Author
R e p o R T s Char Booth is E-Learning
Librarian at the University of
California, Berkeley. A 2007
AAmmeerirciacann L Libibrararyry A Asssosocicaiatitoionn
ALA Emerging Leader and 2008
505 0E aEsats tH Huruorno nS tS.t.
Library Journal Mover and
CChihciacgaog,o I,L I L6 06601611-12-729759 5U USASA
wwwwww.a.laaltaetcehcshosuorucrec.eo.rogrg Shaker, Char blogs about library
80800-05-4554-52-423433,3 e, xetx.t 4. 2492999 futures, instructional design,
31321-29-4944-46-7687080
31321-22-8208-05-257257 5(f (afxa)x) and technology literacy at info-
mational (www.infomational
AAddvveertritsiisningg R Reeppreresesenntatatitvivee .com), and tweets @charbooth.
BrBiarina nS eSaeralerlse,s A, Ad dS aSlaelse sM Manaangaegrer Char advocates for library cultures of experimentation
AALALA P uPbulbislihsihnign gD Depetp.t.
and assessment, explores free and open source solutions to
bsbesaeralerlse@[email protected] g
31321-22-8208-05-2582282 library sustainability, and promotes the integration of instruc-
1-18-0800-05-4554-52-423433,3 e, xetx.t 5. 2582282 tional design and pedagogical training in library education.
In 2009 she published Informing Innovation: Tracking
AALLAA T eTechchSSoouurcrece E Edditiotorr
Student Interest in Emerging Library Technologies at Ohio
DDana nF rFereememanan
University (ACRL Digital Publications) and has a book on
dfdrfereememana@[email protected]
31321-22-8208-05-4514313 teaching and technology effectiveness forthcoming in Fall
2010, Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning; Instructional
CCooppyy E Edditiotorr Literacy for Library Educators (ALA Editions).
JuJduidthit hL aLuabuebrer Char completed an ME in educational technology at Ohio
University in 2008, an MSIS at the University of Texas at
AAddmmininisitsrtaratitvivee A Asssissitsatanntt
Austin’s School of Information in 2005, and a BA in history at
JuJduyd yF oFloelyey
Reed College in Portland, Oregon, in 2001.
jfojfloelye@[email protected]
80800-05-4554-52-423433,3 e, xetx.t 4. 2472272
31321-22-8208-05-257257 5(f (afxa)x)
PProrodduuctcitoionn a anndd D Deesisgignn
AALALA P rPordoudcutciotino nS eSrevrivciecse:s T: rToryo yD D. L. iLniknekre r
anadn dT iTmim C Cliflfifofrodrd
Abstract
LiLbirbarrayr yT eTcehcnhonloolgoyg yR eRpeoprotrst s( IS(ISSNSN 0 002042-42-528568)6 )i si sp upbulbislihsehde de iegihgth tt imtimese sa a After the initial hype is past, the real value of an emerging
yeyaera (rJ (aJnaunaurayr,y M, Maracrhc,h A, Aprpilr,i lJ,u Jnuen,e J,u Jluyl,y S, eSpetpetmembebre,r O, Octcotboebre,r a, nadn dD Deceecmembebre)r ) technology unfolds as librarians adopt, test, and learn from
byb yA Ammereicriacna nL iLbirbarrayr yA Asssoscoicaitaiotino,n ,5 05 0E .E .H Huruorno nS tS.t, .,C Chihciacgaog,o ,I LI L6 06601611.1 .I tI tis i s
it on the ground. This issue of Library Technology Reports
mmanaangaegde db yb yA ALALA T eTcehcShoSuorucrec,e a, au nuint ito fo ft hteh ep upbulbislihsihnign gd edpeapratrmtmenetn to fo fA ALALA. .
PePreioridoidciacla pl opsotsatgaeg ep apiadi da ta Ct Chihciacgaog,o I,l lIilnlioniosi,s a, nadn da ta at daddidtiiotinoanla ml maialiinlign go fofifcfiecse.s . examines the long-term adoption cycle of one established
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tool, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), in order to gain
HHuruorno nS tS.t, .C, Chihciacgaog,o I,L I L6 06601611.1.
actionable insight into the library innovation process. It out-
TrTardaedmemarakrekde dn anmamese sa pappepaera rin i nt hteh et etxetx to fo ft htihsi sjo juorunranla. lR. aRtahtehre rt htahna nid iednetniftyif y lines the types of online calling and conferencing products
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that have developed, examines their library implementations
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edeidtoitroiarila pl uprupropsoesse se xecxlculsuisvievleyl,y ,t ot ot hteh eu lutilmtimataet eb ebneenfietfi to fo ft hteh eo wownenresr so fo ft hteh e from video kiosks to telecommuting to distance instruction,
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and considers how their successes and failures can inform
ofo ft hteh et rtardaedmemarakr ko wownenresr.s.
other emerging applications. By understanding a tool’s prac-
tical library affordances and how there are adopted, adapted,
and rejected, we can better evaluate its local promise criti-
cally, creatively, and with an eye toward sustainability.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1—VoIP Demystified 5
Why VoIP? 5
The Library Hype Cycle 6
Learning to Fail 6
A Lesson in Layers 6
You Asked for It 7
Unequal Access: Phone and Broadband 7
Laying the Groundwork 8
VoIP Defined 8
Three Types of VoIP 8
Rates of Adoption 9
Quality, Stability, and Security 9
Notes 10
Chapter 2—IP Phones, Software VoIP, and
Integrated and Mobile VoIP 11
Type 1: IP Phones 11
User Experience 11
Infrastructure and Benefits 11
Quality, Security, and Stability 12
Carriers 12
Type 2: Software VoIP 12
Audio/Visual Externals 13
Classes of Software VoIP 13
Quality, Security, and Stability 16
Type 3: Mobile and Integrated VoIP 16
Mobility and Adaptation 16
Adoption (and Resistance) 17
Benefits and Issues of Mobile VoIP 17
Integrated VoIP 17 L
ib
Notes 18 ra
r
y
T
e
c
Chapter 3—VoIP in Professional Communication, h
n
o
Collaboration, and Development 20 lo
g
y
Workplace Telephony 20 R
e
p
Flexible Work and Distance Collaboration 21 o
r
Recruiting and Interviewing 21 ts
w
Virtual Participation 22 w
w
Online Learning and Development 23 .a
la
Notes 24 tec
h
s
o
u
rc
e
.o
rg

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u
ly
2
0
1
0
3
Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth
Table of Contents, continued
Chapter 4—VoIP in Reference, User Services,
and Instruction 25
VoIP Reference 25
Video Kiosks 27
International Services 27
Virtual Participation and Community Building 28
Distance Learning and Instruction 29
Content Creation and Archiving 29
Conclusion 30
Notes 30
Chapter 5—Video Kiosk as Hype Cycle 32
Technology Trigger 32
Peak of Inflated Expectations 34
Trough of Disillusionment 34
Slope of Enlightenment 35
Plateau of Productivity 36
Notes 36
Chapter 6—Lessons for Library Innovation 38
Analyzing the Kiosk Experience 38
Knowledge Sharing 38
Organizational Culture 39
Rationalizing Expectations 40
Video Reference 40
Consolidating the Streams with Universal Communicators 41
Fidelity, Social Presence, and User Preference 41
The Uncanny Valley 42
Learning from History 42
Notes 43
Chapter 7—Knowledge Sharing and the
Next-Generation Network 44
From Hype Cycle to Innovation Trajectory 44
From Disruption to Diversification 45
In Closing: Knowledge Sharing Leads to Hype Cycle Productivity 46
Notes 46
Chapter 1
VoIP Demystified
Abstract
VoIP tools come in many configurations and have been
applied with great diversity in libraries. This chapter
outlines the technical foundation and adoption patterns
of online voice and video calling, and explores how
VoIP provides insight into the library technology cycle
on a broader scale.
Why VoIP?
In a 2007 Librarian in Black post, Sarah Houghton-Jan
described Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as “not a
really sexy technology.”1 In terms of the bleeding-edge con-
cepts Library Technology Reports tends to focus on, I’d L
ib
have to agree. Web voice and video are old news: Skype’s ra
r
y
international popularity is established, voice and video chat T
e
proliferate in social media, embedded webcams are com- ch
n
monplace, and many organizations have made the transi- o
lo
tion to IP phones in offices and classrooms. The rise of g
y
mobile technology is another nail in VoIP’s nonsexy coffin: R
e
p
international cell subscriptions continue to skyrocket and o
r
have already far outstripped landline and Web phones.2 ts

Bearing this in mind, you might be wondering why w
w
I’ve chosen VoIP as the subject of this report. When Web w
.a
calling tools began to emerge several years ago, I took on la
te
the de facto role of video reference evangelist. I predicted ch
s
that applications like Skype could transform how librar- ou
rc
ians provided public services over the Web. I imagined e
.o
video consultations and kiosks that could increase ser- rg

vice point efficiency and humanize the virtual reference J
u
experience. When I worked at Ohio University between ly
2
2006 and 2008, my colleagues and I built an interest- Figure 1 010
ing, innovative, and frequently hilarious proof-of-concept Hilarity ensues.
5
Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth
video kiosk using Skype and a couple
of webcams (figure 1). After about
two highly instructive years of opera-
tion, we (they, actually—by this time I
had relocated to California) shut the
kiosk down.
The Library Hype Cycle
Why did I have such high hopes for
video reference, which I will show to
be among lowest impact applications
of VoIP that have come to pass? A
partial answer is that I was caught
up in the overenthusiasm that often
accompanies the innovation process,
otherwise known as “hype cycle” Figure 2
thinking. When a new tool catches Representation of the Hype Cycle (Wikimedia Commons).
the eye of trend watchers, it initiates
an arc of blog and tweet prognosti-
cation that spurs people and organizations to adopt the Learning to Fail
tool. Some expectations pan out while others don’t, and
lessons are learned and (hopefully) shared in the pro- Piloting Web voice and video in libraries personally taught
cess. This progression from hype to hope to reality is me an important lesson about working with technology:
often bound up in library technology adoption. snafus are going to occur, and a concept rarely performs
Developed by Gartner Research, the hype cycle (more to expectations. This reality is not often addressed in the
of a curve, really) describes the rise and fall trajectory discourse of our field—in presentations I have given on
shared by many emerging technologies, from Second Life the video kiosk, the audience has invariably been sur-
to the iPad (figure 2).3 It begins with a technology trigger prised when I have spoken about our difficulties with can-
that creates an upswing of media and user interest leading dor. Challenges in experimental initiatives are inevitable,
to a peak of inflated expectations, after which a trough but can be guided by planning and made didactic through
of disillusionment occurs as expectations are not met or reflection. The kiosk program taught me to try and under-
the shine simply wears off. This is followed by a gradual stand my users at least as well as I understand the appli-
0 slope of enlightenment where more modest assessments cation itself, to learn from setbacks in order to address
1
0 are made, culminating in a plateau of productivity as the problems, and cultivate a perspective that is simultane-
2
uly lasting utility of a tool is determined. ously positive and critical. This education did not occur
J Instead of inflating expectations around the next big in one fell swoop. Rather, it accumulated over the kind of
org thing, this LTR examines how a once-hyped technology time that is sorely lacking in the day-to-day whirlwind, the
ce. eventually reached its plateau of productivity. In other very condition that makes taking a tool at face value so
ur
o words, it’s not in spite of the shine being off of VoIP that tempting in the first place.
s
h
ec I’m taking it on, but because of it. Unlike many up-and-
at
al coming tools, VoIP has longevity. Over the last decade,
w. A Lesson in Layers
w it has come to facilitate much of the one-to-one, one-to-
w
many, and many-to-many voice and video communication
ts that happens over the Web, from Vonage to voice chat, Successful technology development takes depth of per-
or spective. In this issue, I explore VoIP in the three suc-
p gaming consoles to Web meeting tools. Not only has VoIP
e cessive layers of utility, application, and insight, each of
y R underpinned a massive paradigm shift in how people com- which examines a critical stage in the process.
og municate in “fixed” locations, it is beginning to enable
ol
n free calling and messaging on smartphones and handheld
h Layer 1: Utility
ec devices. Examining VoIP’s library applications—some dis-
T
y mal failures, others raging successes—can inform nascent Behind every application and platform are practical affor-
ar
br Web voice and video projects as well as innovation in dances that translate to library implementations. Skype is
Li other areas. the tip of the VoIP iceberg, and in the first two chapters
6
Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth
You Asked for It
I have written this LTR for many reasons,
but primarily in response to persistent
curiosity about VoIP tools in library con-
texts: people find my blog (info-mational)
several times a day by searching for
“Skype in libraries” or “video reference”
(figure 3). I also wanted to evaluate the
assumptions I once made about Web voice
and video, and carry my experience with
this specific platform through produc-
tivity instead of ditching out at inflated
expectations. This amounts to a personal
Figure 3
Blog search terms. exercise in technology literacy, an oppor-
tunity to learn deeply about the commu-
nication tools I not only take for granted
I run the gamut of Web calling and conferencing options, in my working and personal life, but that I once held in
functionality, and costs: irrationally high regard.
Think of this report as a long-range view on how to
• Chapter 1: VoIP Demystified
brace for impact in a culture of perpetual beta. Examining
• Chapter 2: IP Phones, Software VoIP, and Integrated a platform that has for years paradoxically promised, deliv-
and Mobile VoIP ered, and disappointed is an excellent way to identify stra-
tegic, reality-based, and resource-conscious local decisions.
I look critically and creatively at technology “success” and
Layer 2: Application “failure” in order to develop lasting local best practices
for pilots and proof-of-concept projects. In VoIP’s library
Those using Web voice and video in public services, edu-
lifespan there is evidence of how we anticipate change and
cation, and professional communication become familiar
adapt to the complex information landscape. By the end
with the capabilities and quirks of the technology. This
of chapter 7 end you may still not find web calling particu-
familiarity translates to best practices for the rest of us.
larly sexy, but you should be able to determine whether
The next two chapters examine how Web voice and video
or not one of its applications (or something else entirely,
have been put to work throughout the field:
for that matter) can be used to achieve cost reduction,
• Chapter 3: VoIP in Professional Communication, Col- productivity, service, or collaboration goals. Now, down
laboration, and Development to business.
L
• Chapter 4: VoIP in Reference, User Services, and ib
ra
Instruction Unequal Access: Phone and ry
T
e
Broadband c
h
n
Layer 3: Insight Personal telephones are almost ubiquitous in the United olog
y
It is equally (if not more) instructive to look at where Web States. A 2010 FCC report estimated that 95 percent or R
e
calling has proven itself not useful along the library hype more of U.S. residents have some type of subscription p
o
r
cycle. Chapters 5 and 6 critically examine the OU kiosk phone service, a number that is unlikely to decline in ts

pilot and the video reference experience. In an era of con- coming years.4 How people use their phones is changing w
w
stant innovation, VoIP’s adaptable longevity also merits dramatically, however. The demographics of analog, VoIP, w
closer examination. Chapter 7 considers shifting user and cellular phone use are complex: a growing number of .ala
communication and connectivity paradigms, and closes younger, mobile-only consumers are causing a decline in tec
h
with an analysis of the implications of knowledge sharing fixed-location service, while many legacy home subscrib- so
u
for emerging technology development. ers are switching to subscription IP phones. Age is by no rc
e
• Chapter 5: Video Kiosk as Hype Cycle means the only factor: there are many areas in the United .org

States where analog service is the only option or where
J
• Chapter 6: Lessons for Library Innovation u
other access barriers exist.5 I encountered this myself ly
• Chapter 7: Knowledge Sharing and the Next-Genera- while living in rural Ohio—My house had no cellular 20
1
tion Network reception and exorbitant broadband satellite fees. Having 0
7
Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth
ditched landline for cell half a decade before, this forced VoIP Defined
me to forego home Web access and grudgingly subscribe
to an analog phone service for the first time in years. Internet protocols are standardized sets of rules that gov-
This experience is still quite common. Due to Web- ern the transfer of information across networks. Voice
based voice and video telephony’s reliance on high-speed over Internet Protocol specifies how real-time audio trav-
Internet, it is limited largely to those with access to els between Web-enabled devices: by breaking data into
developed and relatively affordable broadband networks.6 pieces called “packets” that are queued, routed, and reas-
Broadband (or high-speed) Internet is a DSL, fiber-optic, sembled at a destination. When network traffic is high
cable, power line, satellite, or wireless connection that or connections are slow, packets can be held up or lost,
transmits data at greater than 200 Kilobits per second, causing the slight to severe delay, echo, or “jitter” one
with speeds reaching to 100 Mbps or more in many Asian sometimes experiences in Web calls.
and European nations, where network speed and coverage VoIP’s extensibility, or its capacity for ongoing adap-
often far exceeds the U.S.7 While increasingly deployed to tation, is one of its core features. According to one author,
urban businesses and institutions, individual high-speed “contrary to the traditional telephone system (where the
subscriptions in rural and urban areas are far less ubiqui- end devices are dumb), VoIP architecture pushes intel-
tous within the United States than phone subscriptions. ligence towards the end devices (i.e., PCs, IP phones,
As of 2009, fully one third of the U.S. population (not to etc.) giving the opportunity to create many new services
mention billions internationally) still did not have home that could not be envisaged using traditional phone sys-
broadband. While smartphone use is spreading and initia- tems.”10 Web calling services have continually conformed
tives like Google Fiber and the National Broadband Plan to changing technology, moving from dial-up to broad-
seek to give 100 million American homes 100 Mbps access band to third-generation (3G) cellular networks, and onto
by 2020, VoIP use mirrors the current access divide.8 new devices and delivery methods.
Laying the Groundwork Three Types of VoIP
When I started my research, I sent messages to several Many of the products I describe are feature-rich and interop-
e-mail lists asking for examples of VoIP use in libraries. erable, meaning that they can call not only each other but
Among the first comments I received was this observation also landlines and cellular phones. Most also incorporate
from OhioLINK’s Peter Murray: video and other data functions like text messaging and
chat to the extent that almost none are actually limited
One of the things that comes to mind is the need to
to voice communications. Multimedia VoIP tools are often
distinguish between various kinds of VoIP. By way
described as enabling “unified” or “rich” communications,
of example, I’m currently using two “VoIP” systems
which can also exacerbate the format confusion that Peter
in my office. One is my desk phone—a Cisco-supplied
described above. Three main categories of VoIP help distin-
10 “IP Phone” that is in effect indistinguishable from my guish its many applications.
20 previous “hard line” phone. The other is a “software
y
Jul phone”—Skype on my laptop. Both have a “phone IP Phones
number” reachable by any phone, and the person
g
or calling probably does not know they are getting to me IP phones most closely resemble traditional phones.
ce. by VoIP. One is fairly fixed in location (it is only usable Although carrier VoIP services like Vonage are often
ur
so on my desk) while the other is portable (where ever presented as an alternative to landlines, the two are not
h
ec my laptop has a network connection). One has chat mutually exclusive. VoIP was first used over dial-up, and
alat and file sharing while the other does not.9 IP phones frequently rely on broadband wires or cables,
w.
w effectively creating a newer generation of landline. The
w Much obliged, Peter, for describing the goal of what
difference is in the type of line—whereas the public-
ts I previously described as “Layer 1: Utility.” VoIP is the switched telephone network (hereafter referred to as the
or foundation of an ever-expanding array of communication
p PSTN—think switchboards as in figure 4) used copper
e tools. Chances are excellent that you are already a VoIP
R wire, IP phones use broadband lines via fiber optic or
ogy user, whether you realize it or not—if you attend webinars, DSL. IP phones can also operate via satellite, WiMax, or
ol talk overseas, or basically ever use any phone for any rea-
n other high-speed connection.
h son, this technology is already a part of your life. In the
c
e
T remainder of this chapter I provide an overview of how
y Software VoIP
ar VoIP works and outline its main three types (IP phones,
br
Li software VoIP, and integrated and mobile VoIP), and in The best-known type of VoIP services are software
the next chapter I examine each in detail. VoIP. This category describes online free calling and
8
Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth
conferencing tools like Skype. In
addition to voice calling, many pro-
vide video, multiparty conferencing,
and text chat as well as screen shar-
ing and other features. While Skype
is the dominant service, competitors
like VoxOx, Jajah, and Google Voice
have growing subscriber bases and are
poised to gain a larger marketshare
in coming years. VoIP also supports
Web conferencing tools like Dimdim
and ooVoo on the free or open source
side, and Adobe Connect, Elluminate,
and WebEx on the subscription side.
Integrated and Mobile VoIP
Voice and video are already built-
in features of many platforms and
gadgets, including massively multi-
player online games (MMOGs) like Figure 4
World of Warcraft, virtual worlds like switchboard operators, circa 1943.
Second Life, and social networks like
LinkedIn and Facebook. Such features also fuel conven- equipped with integrated webcams, microphones, and
tional and unconventional Internet dating and communi- speakers. This makes their application as rich communica-
cation services like ChatRoulette and are being integrated tion and content-creation devices more viable and virtual
into media products like HDTVs. Mobile VoIP is also on collaboration, participation, and learning more accessible.
the rise, affording free or inexpensive calling and texting
over smartphones and handheld wireless devices.11
Quality, Stability, and Security
Traditional phones, despite their lack of multimedia fea-
Rates of Adoption
tures, have long provided clear sound, reliable service,
It is challenging to quantify the true scale of VoIP adop- and relative security. Common concerns among VoIP
tion. It is safe to say that it is widely viewed as the ascen- users are quality of service (QoS), security, and the under-
dant landline or fixed-location option, in tandem with lying stability of a communication system that is depen- Lib
cellular telephony for mobile communication and con- dent on both a power grid and data network. Among VoIP rar
y
nectivity—only traditional telephony is in decline.12 Global types these differ greatly: IP phones are considered less T
e
subscriptions to IP phone services like Vonage reached susceptible to hacking and spamming because they can ch
n
100 million in 2009—22 million in the United States be centrally protected like other types of Web services. olo
alone—with VoIP subscriptions capturing up to 38 percent Furthermore, IP phones don’t follow the individual user gy
R
of the fixed-line market in Web-advanced countries such account archetype that makes software and mobile VoIP e
p
as France and South Korea.13 According to a 2009 ECAR providers like Skype widely viewed as privacy and secu- or
study, VoIP phones are currently in active use or planned rity risks and bandwidth monopolizers. ts
w
for implementation by 90 percent of American college and While it lags behind quality standards set decades w
university campuses.14 ago by analog phones, overall VoIP voice quality contin- w.a
These figures do not even take into account Skype, ues to improve.17 QoS issues affecting VoIP result from late
c
which, by 2009, boasted a staggering 443 million regis- the underlying instability of networked versus dedicated, h
s
o
tered users and accounted for 8 percent of all interna- one-to-one communication: urc
e
tional calls.15 Skype’s popularity has raised awareness of .o
Web calling and video communication, as media figures • delay—also known as latency, or time gaps caused by rg
like Oprah strike high-profile deals to host guests via slow networks Ju
ly
video call and media outlets like CNN use it for in-field • echo—users hearing their words repeated back to 2
0
reporting.16 The multimedia capability of computers is them, often caused by microphones picking up 1
0
also improving, as laptops, notebooks, and desktops come speaker noise
9
Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth