Emeka Anele (Library Learning Designer) and Kat Cain (Library Partner for NIKERI & Divisions) – Deakin University
Prompt: Close up hands using navigation on mobile smartphone in decaying background. Viewing location map in a network via smartphone during road trip. Vector look.
Our professional landscapes significantly altered at the end of August 2024. Did you notice? Following international movements, the Australian government introduced laws focused on work-life balance and to address digital burnout. Digital burnout is a concern we all share, as boundaries between work and personal life are increasingly blurred. Add to this, deeply immersive technology that uses sophisticated algorithms and user-centric design to hook our attention all the time. Well, it’s a wonder we ever disconnect.
So, as Australia’s workplaces recognise the “right to disconnect” we must reflect on what this means for our work practices as information professionals. Previously, we highlighted “Digital wellbeing and striking a balance” as a complex need in our work worlds. What does properly disconnecting from work even mean for us? And what changes to work habits could impact our wellbeing for the better?
Understanding digital burnout
Digital burnout is when constant connectivity to digital devices leads to mental and physical exhaustion. Workplaces often require employees to juggle multiple digital platforms and communication channels. Recognising symptoms of digital burnout early is crucial.
Creating a culture of digital wellbeing
Australia’s workplace policy shift highlights the importance of separating work from personal time. The right to disconnect allows employees to step away from work-related communications outside of their designated hours, fostering a healthier work-life balance.
Encouraging a culture of respect for this right within libraries can lead to improved mental wellbeing, reduced stress, and a more sustainable work environment. This involves not only adhering to the right to disconnect but also promoting it within the workplace. By supporting employees to recognise the signs of digital burnout workplaces can foster a supportive culture. A culture that protects employees mental health, thus lead to balanced and sustainable work practices.
Recommendations that help with digital disconnect
With so much advice out there, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. To make it easier, we’ve gathered some straightforward digital disconnect tips and resources:
Kat’s personal favourite: minimise meetings in the lunch period. And ditch the lunch and learn model!
Emeka’s personal favourite: turning off notifications for work related apps.
Use guides like how to do a digital detox, which assess your current digital habits and practical tips to reduce screen time.
Set realistic expectations for response times. Perhaps you don’t need to respond to a message you receive at 4pm?
The time to disconnect is right now!
We now have a unique opportunity to prioritise our digital wellbeing in the workplace. For organisations and individuals to foster open communication about digital burnout.
Once your workday is over, seriously consider if it’s necessary to respond to work-related messages. It’s more important to take that time as an opportunity to unwind from work.
Recent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with or without the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
There’s also a newer product category that engages directly with the brain. It’s part of what UNESCO broadly defines as the emerging industry of “neurotechnology”:
devices and procedures that seek to access, assess, emulate and act on neural systems.
Much of neurotechnology is either still in development stage, or confined to research and medical settings. But consumers can already purchase several headsets that use electroencephalography (EEG).
Often marketed as meditation headbands, these devices provide real-time data on a person’s brain activity and feed it into an app.
Such headsets can be useful for people wanting to meditate, monitor their sleep and improve wellness. However, they also raise privacy concerns – a person’s brain activity is intrinsically personal data. This is particularly concerning when it comes to EEG headsets and wearables designed for children.
The subtle creep in neural and cognitive data wearables are capable of collecting is resulting in a data “gold rush”, with companies mining even our brains so they can develop and improve their products.
A serious privacy concern
In a background paper published earlier this year, the Australian Human Rights Commission identified several risks to human rights that neurotechnology may pose, including rights to privacy and non-discrimination. Legal scholars, policymakers, lawmakers and the public need to pay serious attention to the issue.
The extent to which tech companies can harvest cognitive and neural data is particularly concerning when that data comes from children. This is because children fall outside of the protection provided by Australia’s privacy legislation, as it doesn’t specify an age when a person can make their own privacy decisions.
The government and relevant industry associations should conduct a candid inquiry to investigate the extent to which neurotechnology companies collect and retain this data from children in Australia.
The private data collected through such devices is also increasingly fed into AI algorithms, raising additional concerns. These algorithms rely on machine learning, which can manipulate datasets in ways unlikely to align with any consent given by a user.
What does the privacy law say?
Users should have complete transparency over what data their wearables collect, and how it is being used.
Right now, Australians don’t have any legal protections from privacy infringement on their brain and cognitive data. Technology companies can mine the neural data of Australians – including children – and store this information outside Australia.
We urgently need to update the laws to provide more robust privacy protections for when neurotechnology comes into play. This would proactively protect the privacy of Australians of all ages at all times.
One potential solution would be to update our privacy legislation to work in conjunction with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which regulates the supply of medical devices in Australia.
This would ensure wearables compatible with mobile apps and software that currently circumvent the TGA would fall within their stringent oversight. Such devices include fitness trackers and smartwatches, but also EEG headbands.
Doing this would mean these privacy-invasive technologies have to align with the TGA’s regulations, protecting the cognitive and neural data of Australians.
We could also establish additional data collection oversights to monitor neural data collection by companies within and outside Australia. This way, we could ensure compliance with privacy regulations and put into place measures that prevent unauthorised data collection or surveillance through wearables.
Such changes should also provide users with the right to access their neural and cognitive data. For example, users should always have the option to have their data permanently erased. Doing this would ensure that Australians’ data is treated in a transparent, ethical and legally sound manner.
Australia is at a pivotal crossroads. We need to address the risks associated with data harvesting through neurotechnology. The industry of devices that can access our neural and cognitive data is only going to expand.
If we make these reforms now, Australia could become a global leader in privacy protection. And we could all enjoy the benefits of wearable tech while knowing our privacy rights are stringently protected.
By Emeka Anele & Kat Cain, Deakin University Library
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the balancing act of work and wellness? You’re not alone.
You might be getting email prompts from your workplace about wellbeing, that you’re promptly ignoring. Or perhaps you’re outsourcing your digital wellbeing, by following certain accounts on social media?
What does digital wellbeing even mean?
In today’s VUCA work world, ensuring your wellbeing while still excelling at your job can seem like an uphill battle. If your work is largely in the digital ecosystem, striking a balance for wellbeing can be particularly tricky.
Digital wellbeing is all about finding a healthy balance between using technology and your overall health. Engaging with technologies in your day-to-day life in ways that are helpful rather than harmful to your mental and physical health.
Basically, it’s about knowing when to step away from your work computer, when to stop doom scrolling on your phone, or when to turn off Netflix and go to bed before the message “Are you still watching?” appears on your screen.
Image generated using Adobe Express using the prompt: a computer workstation in the foreground in a jungle with the silhouette of a person meditating on a rock towards a setting sun in the background.
Recommendations for Cultivating Digital Wellbeing Habits
There’s a mountain of wellbeing advice available online. It can really feel like being hit with an information avalanche before you’ve even figured out where to begin. To help you cut through the noise, we’ve rounded up some solid, reliable recommendations to get you started on your path to better digital wellbeing.
Whether working from home or on-site, there are useful wellbeing practices you can put into practice. Check out our suggestions below:
Remember you are a physical not digital being (for now 😉)
Eat well, sleep well and exercise well. These are three cornerstones of good health. Coffee is not a meal, try having actual food for lunch. Remember, the video you’re watching can be paused, so don’t compromise on sleep. Keep up physical activities, maybe take your phone on a walk. For more info read this HAYS blog.
Find spaces that promote separation from work and regularly use them! These spaces have been shown to support mental and physical replenishment. Take a break on your couch or find a sunny spot to work in. Check out more suggestions in this Conversation article.
Take breaks. It is important to take breaks to let your brain and body relax. Short breaks give you the ability to refocus on your work tasks. Read more in this short Student Space piece.
You need time away from the digital
Technology keeps us connected 24/7, which makes it difficult for the brain to switch off. Try no technology in the evening, like spending quality time with family and friends. Get outside. Go for a walk, tend to your garden, or read a book in the fresh air and sunshine. This Black Dog Institute article has more suggestions and a downloadable tips sheet.
Step away from the light! The blue light that is. Electronic devices with screens and energy-efficient lighting increase your exposure to blue wavelengths, which can impact on your health, such as disrupting your sleep. Devices typically have a filter, such as “Night Mode”, that can be applied to reduce exposure to blue light. Find out more about blue light impacts from Harvard Health Publishing.
Put mindfulness into your daily practice
The same Conversation article also highlights the importance of establishing end-of-day rituals. It can be hard to switch off your brain around work. Try meditation, journaling, listening to music, starting a hobby, or exercise.
Practice mindfulness techniques to help reduce stress levels and improve focus. Do a deep breathing routine to help you focus before working through one task at a time. Check out this Medium piece for more mindfulness techniques.
Play time! Wordle, newspaper quizzes, sudoku, etc. Playing games can support your wellbeing by bringing some light relief and enjoyment to stressful times. The University of Exeter have curated a collection of digital games for users to explore that support wellbeing.
Take the First Step to Digital Wellbeing Mastery
These picks are designed to guide you towards more productive habits and healthier routines. However, taking on these recommendations all at once would just be overwhelming.
Our challenge to you is to choose one, just one, and put it into practice today! Leave a reply below to tell us what your choice was. Or if you want to challenge us in return, give us a recommendation on what else you would like the DixiDex Blog to explore in the digital wellbeing area.
by the members of the Digital Dexterity Blog Group
Emma Chapman, Auckland University of Technology | Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau:
AI has sure been big on the agenda this year. I’ve gone through all stages of excitement and grief with this topic. I think there was a time mid-year when AI-fatigue set in. But, the latest post on prompt engineering really re-ignites interest for me – as does the development of new, improved AI models. Sadly, as most of these are paid, I think an AI-digital divide could be the next thing we see. Meantime, I’ll keep working on trying to craft killer prompts (and keep trying to make GIFs that do not make me seasick). Merry holidays and a peaceful new year to all.
Kristy Newton, University of Wollongong:
I’m not sure if we can refer to the year that has been 2023 without also saying the phrase “Generative AI”, and libraries (like everyone else) scrambled to understand how we could use these tools, whether we could use them ethically, and what this all meant for critical literacies. It’s been both exciting and fatiguing as others noted, but an absolute game changer. The blog has been a great space to facilitate discussions, share opinions, and learn from each other about this and about all things digital dexterity.
Krista Yuen, University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato:
I only joined the DigiDex community and blog group about halfway through 2023, and I honestly think I’m still finding my feet. That said, getting to know the fellow blog group has no doubt been a highlight for me. Coupled with the upward trend of Generative AI and navigating a new world of literacies in libraries and education, it has certainly made for a very interesting time to be involved with DigiDex. It has been a real honour to partake in and witness all the discussions we’ve had around the use of AI and how to best support and embrace these advancements. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what 2024 will bring!
Sara Davidsson, CAVAL:
The diversity of topics and voices in the blog has been my highlight for 2023. We have been able to deliver posts from our extended DigiDex community, written especially for the blog, as well as showcasing interesting articles from far and near. I am so happy to see that our readers keep returning every month for more posts!
Danielle Degiorgio, Edith Cowan University:
It’s been an absolutely fascinating year diving into the world of AI. I’m genuinely thrilled by how these technologies are revolutionising the way we work in libraries and education as a whole. I’ve particularly enjoyed exploring how generative AI tools can support and foster creativity and innovative learning. It’s an exciting time to be in the field, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds!
Also, a big shoutout to our DigiDex blog group for their amazing work this year. They’ve done a stellar job in capturing these advancements and discussions around AI in libraries. It’s been inspiring to see their dedication and creativity in action. Kudos to the team for their exceptional work.
Marianne Sato, University of Queensland:
I love reading the new Digital Dexterity blog posts each month. And being part of the blog group, I often get a sneak preview! The posts about different aspects of AI, finding and creating inclusive OER, and how websites work have been highlights for me this year. The blog posts always have so many great ideas or innovative solutions that I can apply to my work. AI definitely had a big impact this year and I suspect every year from now on. I look forward to reading more great posts in 2024!
From all of us, we wish our loyal readers a happy and peaceful holiday season and all the best for 2024! We will return with a new blog post on 29 January.
by Kristy Newton (Digital Literacies Coordinator, University of Wollongong Library, knewton@uow.edu.au), and the Library Business Services Team (Aimee Herridge, Cassie Connor, Shaista Poonawalla and Tahlia Kelso) with Ruth Cameron (Coordinator, Digital Library Programs, University of Newcastle Library, ruth.cameron@newcastle.edu.au)
Two members of CAUL’s Digital Dexterity Champions group had a chat about the different project management tools we use in our libraries. You might like to read about what we found:
University of Newcastle Library – the Project Management Toolkit
Screenshot of the Project Management Toolkit in our Library Hub SharePoint site
What is it?
Library staff can use the digital toolkit to learn more about what a project is, how to propose and gain approval for a project, and the library’s project lifecycle (including a current project register). Templates have been created for each phase of the project lifecycle to help staff to manage their projects successfully. There is even a Tools and Training page which links out to further training for staff who want to learn more.
Our Library Business Services team put the toolkit together so that we can standardise the project approval process, ensure that library projects are managed consistently, and follow best practice project management processes. The toolkit aligns with existing University of Newcastle digital resources to ensure a common language and consistent approach.
How long did it take to build?
Approximately one month for the toolkit itself, which will include information and training sessions for library staff in 2023 to build capability and confidence. The toolkit was refreshed in 2022 and flipped into a more interactive SharePoint site with intuitive navigation based on gateways and the project lifecycle. The templates were also updated to align with University of Newcastle brand guidelines, giving them a clean, professional finish.
How did the team decide what to include?
The team benchmarked practices, tools and templates within the University of Newcastle, and researched other universities’ toolkits and project management methodologies (the University of Newcastle is PRINCE2 aligned). They looked at the types of projects usually undertaken by our library staff, and applied what was appropriate for those projects.
Do we track usage? How popular has it been?
The team looks at analytics in SharePoint to measure toolkit and template views. Stakeholder evaluation consultation was undertaken post-implementation, for feedback prior to the toolkit being flipped into the new design. This feedback informed the design and allowed adjustments to be made to the content.
The initial review feedback was positive. Usage was low however due to COVID-19 impacting the number of projects being launched, and we hope to see more engagement following the training sessions in 2023.
Are the documents/templates used in different ways?
Templates are required for project approval and endorsement under the guideline that accompanies the toolkit. Staff are required to use the templates if they have a medium to high level project, to ensure projects are properly scoped and documented for consistency. The documents are designed to be tailored to the size and scope of the project.
Staff can refer to the inbuilt Project Lifecycle page which provides guidance on the different stages (Ideation, Planning, Delivering, Close and Review) of any project, the approval gates, and the relevant templates for each stage. However, the purpose of each template is clear, and they are used mostly for the same purpose in each project, e.g. Project Brief and Closing Report.
University of Wollongong (UOW) Library – Microsoft Planner
What is it?
UOW Library make frequent use of Microsoft Planner. As it integrates so well into Microsoft Teams there are multiple active Planners in our digital environment, with uses ranging from project management, team priorities, strategy, and even resource sharing. Planner can be used to document tasks at a high level, or more granular level. Depending on the preferences of your team/project group you can arrange it by work area, due date, project phase, or topic – the options are virtually endless.
Are the documents/templates used in different ways?
In a team context, Planner can be used to manage team tasks, both strategic and operational. Buckets can be set up for the various focus areas that the team is responsible for, and individual task cards in each bucket document progress against the tasks. A ‘New’ column at the beginning of the board serves as a catchall queue for new items coming to the team, and the task cards are often moved across to a bucket as a team member picks them up. Projects with a separate Planner can be included in the Team Planner as a link, rather than replicating the tasks across multiple Planners.
A resource-based project group uses Planner to arrange resources by topic. This is less a task-based system, and more a categorisation and navigation board.
Project groups use Planner to manage the tasks for the project, with buckets for each of the project phases. There are task cards which function as links to key external reference points such as the vendor knowledge bases, with the rest of the board being populated with a variety of project tasks assigned to relevant staff members, utilising the Checklist function to break each task down into smaller components. The Charts view (which is available in all Planners) is particularly useful in a project as it gives a visual overview of the project milestones that can be extracted for use in reporting.
Tips for getting the most out of Planner
Staff with assigned tasks sprinkled through multiple team and project planners can choose to view a streamlined overview of all the tasks assigned to them by adding the “Tasks by Planner and To-Do” app to their MS Teams sidebar. This app draws in tasks from multiple planners and collates them into a handy task list. From the app view, there are options to filter tasks by options such as ‘Important’ or ‘Assigned to Me’ to drill down to the highest priority tasks.
Prefer to see all the tasks assigned to you across various Planners in a more board-like structure? Use the web view by navigating to displays to see the various project planners you are part of by navigating to the Planner of your choice in the left-hand column. Visually motivated folks will enjoy the ability to add a colourful background to the Planner in web view, too!
Large and complex Planners can get overwhelming and details can be easily missed. Use the Filters on the top right-hand side to drill down and see only those tasks which are high priority, due soon, or assigned to a particular staff member.
Rather than adding multiple cards for smaller steps of a task, use the Checklist within a card to track the more granular aspects like emailing a certain stakeholder, finding an image to use, setting a meeting etc. This allows you and your team to see how the task is progressing and keeps the board a little cleaner.
So … what do I choose?
This will really depend on the nature of your project, and how your team prefers to work. And these two different examples of project management tools are just the tip of the iceberg! Sit down with your project team and talk about what will work best, for the project and for the people involved. Remember, too, that one function of these tools is to keep management updated with what you’re doing, so choose something which is easily shareable or copied for a presentation or meeting.
“The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air.
Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.”
J. R. R. Tolkien. The Fellowship of the Ring. 1954
It’s starting to happen again. Attending events in person and seeing friends and colleagues from other institutions face-to-face.
Kayleen and I both attended the ‘CAUL: Enabling a Modern Curriculum Conference’ in early September 2022, which had both online and in-person days to the program, so it felt like the appropriate time to interrogate and debate our thoughts on ‘in-person versus online professional development’.
Webinar fatigue
Peggy: I. Love. Webinars.
I can see a webinar from anywhere in the world. With webinars, I don’t hurt my neck or back if I’m seated sideways, and *whispers* I can run to the bathroom with my headset on and still listen to the webinar. Plus, the links and attendee chat are often interesting.
Kayleen: I. Love. In-person events.
I enjoy being in the same physical space with others and engaging with them on a very visceral level. I am energised by their enthusiasm and love working together on activities at the event. This can be exhausting, but not as much as ‘webinar fatigue’.
Connections and networking
Peggy: I am an introvert with‘weird hearing’. I strain to filter all the conversations happening around me, plus I feel weird sidling up to a group, inserting myself and then having said difficulty hearing the conversation. Ugh!.
I also forget names, like really quickly. I’m sorry and embarrassed now.
Kayleen: For me, the most amazing part of an in-person event is meeting the people who until that moment had only been faces on a Zoom screen.
And during the breaks, it’s great to engage in ‘face to face’ serendipitous or ‘water cooler’ conversations. Especially when standing in front of the vast array of teas, trying to work out which flavour you want to try, and then finding out that the person standing next to you likes that same tea. A conversation then ensues about the other things that you have in common. Pure gold!
Costs: Money or Time (Travel)
Peggy: I’m about 90 minutes from Melbourne, so not that far. For me, the event should ideally be longer than the time it takes travelling and if it’s on the other side of Melbourne, add another hour. Plus, why are universities not near train lines?
Kayleen: I must admit that there are probably not many positives about the cost of travelling to an event in person. Unless the event is just around the corner or your boss is paying the bill. However, adding other activities to the trip, such as visiting colleagues in other libraries, can make it worthwhile.
Equity
Peggy: This article from Scientific American had some great points to make on equity provided by online events.
Easier access for disabled or people with children.
Environmentally friendlier, if you have a budget for travel.
Lastly, online is great for diversity.
The information that really blew my mind though was research reported by Allseated that at online scientific conferences, female attendance increased by 253% and genderqueer attendance “jumped by 700%”.
Kayleen: Peggy has raised some excellent points around specific elements of equity for attendees at online events.
There is also some great information provided by the Australian Human Rights Commission on hosting in-person meetings and events to improve the experience of attendees.
Wrap-up
There are positives and negatives to in-person and online-only events. Hybrid seems to be the way forward, but the technology may not be ready in terms of pricing, access, and ease of set-up. Still, worse, we might be stuck in a binary where the only perceived options are in-person or online, and we aren’t displaying pandemic adaptability and innovation.
We loved this article from The Conversation, originally published on 14 November 2022
Each year, as the festive season arrives, we must also keep an eye out for potential scammers trying to ruin the fun. This is because scammers become more active during the holidays, targeting us while we have our guard down.
So far in 2022, Australians have lost around half a billion dollars to scams, which is already significantly more than had been lost by this time last year. The majority of these losses – around $300 million – have involved investment or cryptocurrency scams.
I was shocked and could not accept that this happened to me although I was very careful […] I was numb for a couple of minutes as it was a large amount of money. – (26-year-old female office manager from South Australia)
These scams have become highly sophisticated and criminals have become less discriminating about whom they target. This is reflected in recent victim demographics, showing a wide variety of backgrounds, a more even distribution across several age groups, and an almost even split on gender.
So, how can you spot these scams and where can you get help if you have fallen victim?
If it sounds too good to be true, it might just be a scam
I was dumbfounded, to say that ground shattered under my feet would be an understatement, it will take me a very long time to recover from it, financially and mentally. – (36-year-old female, legal practitioner from Victoria)
Most crypto scams involve getting the victim to buy and send cryptocurrency to the perpetrator’s account for what appears to be a legitimate investment opportunity.
Cryptocurrency is the currency of choice for this type of crime, because it’s unregulated, untraceable and transactions cannot be reversed.
Victims of such scams are targeted using a number of different methods, which include:
Investment scams: scammers pretend to be investment managers claiming high returns on crypto investments. They get the victim to transfer over funds and escape with them.
“Pump and dump”: scammers usually hype up a new cryptocurrency or an NFT project and artificially increase its value. Once enough victims invest, the scammers sell their stake, leaving the victims with worthless cryptocurrency or NFT.
Romance scams: involves scammers using dating platforms, social media or direct messaging to engage with you, gain your trust and pitch an amazing investment opportunity promising high returns, or ask for cryptocurrency to cover medical or travel expenses.
Phishing scams: an old but still effective scam involving malicious emails or messages with links to fake websites promising huge returns on investment or just outright stealing credentials to access users’ digital currency wallets.
Ponzi schemes: a type of investment scam where the scammers use cryptocurrency gathered from multiple victims to repay high interest to some of them; when victims invest more funds, the scammers escape with all the investments.
Mining scams: scammers try and convince victims to buy cryptocurrency to use in mining more of it, while in reality there is no mining happening – the scammers just make transfers that look like returns on the investment. Over time, the victim invests more, and the scammers keep taking it all.
Although methods evolve and change, the telltale signs of a potential scam remain relatively similar:
very high returns with promises of little or no risk
proprietary or secretive strategies to gain an advantage
lack of liquidity, requiring a minimum accumulation amount before funds are released.
Where to seek help if you’ve been scammed
I felt helpless, I didn’t know what to do, who to reach out to, I was too embarrassed and just kept blaming myself. – (72-year-old male, accountant from Victoria)
If you think you have fallen victim to one of these scams, here is what you need to do next:
Danielle Degiorgio, Digital and Information Literacy Project Adviser, Edith Cowan University Library Sue Khoo, Librarian (Digital and Information Literacy), Edith Cowan University Library
What is Power BI?
Power BI is a Microsoft data visualisation tool that displays data in an easy-to-read format and allows users to interact and show relationships between different data sets.
Why Power BI?
Our goal was simple, we wanted to connect the mapping of digital and information literacy skills across the course curriculum to the teaching and learning activities we were doing each semester. We just had one problem, we were recording our data and statistics in multiple spreadsheets.
As luck would have it, the 2021 VALA Tech Camp was hosted at Edith Cowan University Library that year and we were introduced to Power BI through a series of workshops. Soon after we decided to use Power BI to help us keep track of student statistics in a more visually appealing way and it let us connect multiple sources of data. This meant we could compare, filter, and visualise relationships between multiple spreadsheets which allowed us, and more importantly our manager, to see our progress across courses.
Power BI: Visualisation of mapped digital and information literacy skills in courses.
Things we got Power BI to do:
Connect information from multiple spreadsheets to show how much digital and information literacy skills coverage we have in each course.
Filter and display subsets of data.
Be hosted in Microsoft Teams for ease of access where the report can be shared and displayed as a tab in Teams.
Automatically update data from SharePoint, so having all our sheets hosted on SharePoint / Microsoft Teams mean we can easily add data into the model. Our Power BI reads directly from SharePoint files and updates at 9am every day.
Skills: What magic do you need?
Spreadsheet and table management – Power BI relies on external data. You must have the data cleaned and stored in a data source such as Excel (or databases such as Salesforce or Access).
Logic and relationship management – Connections can be 1-1 and 1-many but only one model may exist at a time. If there are conflicts Power BI will complain.
Ability to play with formulas and data types – If you need a relationship that isn’t expressed in the Power BI map you will need to learn to write the formula for it.
How to put together a graph – Knowing what graph suits your needs be it a scatter plot, ribbon chart, pie chart, or fish.
Professional Google skills – If something goes wrong, be ready to Google it!
Pitfalls: What to watch out for
A lot of trial and error and Googling – No training will prepare you for what you want to do. There may be things you want to do but Power BI only gives you the basic tools. You will have to build what you want from there.
Broken or dirty data – Power BI relies on relationships between different tables and inputs to build the model. If a piece of information is missing and if that is the connection in the model, it will skip that line. This has resulted in expectations not meeting what was displayed.
Know your data story – Power BI does not do data interpretation. You need to know what you want to tell. This is one of the main issues on the final display of information.
Permissions – Our shared spreadsheets and the dashboard were stored in places where we didn’t have full access to use. Arrange the files so each input has the right permissions to do SharePoint integration.
How do you get started?
Watch the VALA workshop series to get started with Power BI
Watch the Microsoft Power BI training resources for more information
The most important thing to remember is to be creative and have fun with your data!
Power BI: Number of students seen per School using the Enlighten Aquarium visual. Enlighten Aquarium won a people’s choice award for the ‘Power BI Best Visual’ contest in 2016.
Background The University of Waikato Library has been using a live chat service successfully for more than 14 years. This is a very popular service with students – and that was even before the pandemic flipped our lives upside down!
In 2019 library staff numbers were reduced, and we realised we may not always be able to staff the live chat as we have done in the past. This led to the idea of a chatbot.
Meet our chatbot, Libby We chose to build our chatbot using the LibraryH3lp platform as we already use this for our live chat service. So bonus = no extra costs! We named our chatbot Libby.
Libby’s interface is similar to live chat so it creates a consistent experience for users. The only difference is the colour: green for live chat and orange for the chatbot.
We create the responses that Libby sends. The chatbot administration back end has been set up to be simple to use and this means library staff creating responses don’t need to be tech experts. We’ve chosen to focus primarily on library-related topics.
Bumpy beginnings Libby was very basic when we started. We struggled to get her to reply to keywords (the user had to type the EXACT word or phrase we had in our response bank) and she couldn’t return multiple responses to a single question. Because of this, Libby’s most common response was, “Sorry, I could not process your request. Please try a different word or phrase”. Let’s just say it was a bumpy beginning and a frustrating experience for our early users.
Stepping up The road became a lot smoother when we introduced a natural language toolkit. This included: ● Text filtering – keywords can appear anywhere in a user’s question so no need to type an exact phrase anymore. ● Removing stop words (e.g. a, at, the, not, and, etc). ● Tokenizing – isolates words so they are compared separately. ● Stemming – allows for different endings for keywords. ● Synonyms – increase the range of words that trigger a response.
We also improved the way Libby greets users and made it clear how to receive help from a person. Most recently we added a module to assist with spelling errors.
One of our biggest successes has been introducing a prompt to encourage users to type their email address if they want a follow up from a librarian. Prior to Libby’s introduction, if the chat service was offline, users were told to email the library for assistance. This didn’t happen very often. But now users find it easy to add their email address and thus allow us to contact them. This has markedly increased the number of users receiving further help.
What we learned along the way ● Don’t do it alone. Use those around you with the right technical experience. ● Simple fixes can make a big difference. ● Make it clear to your users they are chatting with a bot who won’t be able to answer everything. ● Make it easy for users to request a follow up from a librarian.
Libby is still a work in progress and our journey is ongoing. Who knows where the road will lead. There are other ways to build a chatbot and some are simpler than what we have done. If you are interested in creating something similar, do look around for options to find something that will suit your needs.
