Forty Years of Library Innovation
Evans Library celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, marking four decades as a vital center of research and innovation at Florida Tech. Since its opening in 1984, Evans Library has evolved with the times and technology to meet the diverse needs of students, faculty, and the campus community.
Ten Years of the Digital Scholarship Lab
It’s difficult to imagine Evans Library without the Digital Scholarship Lab (or the DSL as many know it today). But just ten years ago, the DSL was transformed from a dark, cramped computer lab into an innovative, comfortable, and collaborative space complete with cutting-edge technologies.
The Origin Story/ A Vision for Innovation: The Story Behind the Digital Scholarship Lab
In 2014, former Dean of Libraries Dr. Sohair Wastawy anticipated the growing need to support Big Data on campus. Having worked for over 17 years at ITT Technical Institute, she knew the importance of senior design projects and the challenges students faced in completing them. “Students needed more than just access to technology,” Dr. Wastawy explained. “They needed help learning complex software, a place to test ideas, and a community where collaboration could happen naturally.”
At the time, students often had to move between different computer labs across campus to find the software they needed. Dr. Wastawy imagined a single, central space equipped with specialized tools and comfortable seating —“a coffeehouse-like environment where students would want to stay, study, and create.” The library could be that “third place” on campus, a home away from home that offered a welcoming, inclusive environment beyond classrooms and dorms.
Cultural Production in the Age of AI
This conversation between the Dean of the Evans Library Jason Martin and Dr. Anna Muenchrath, assistant professor at Florida Tech, covers Dr. Muenchrath's research on world literature, translation studies, and the influence of algorithms on the book industry.
Dr. Muenchrath's work explores the forces that determine which books get translated into English. She highlights that the U.S. is "translation poor," with only about 3% of works published annually being translations. This is in stark contrast to other countries where the percentage can be as high as 40-50%. This low rate makes the selection process of translated works even more significant. Historically, small publishers would take a risk on translating literary fiction, hoping for a return on investment if the book gained prestige, such as a Nobel Prize. Now a system like Amazon Crossing, Amazon's translation imprint, takes a different, data-driven approach. They translate popular genre fiction like Mysteries and Romances, relying on sales data from Amazon marketplaces in other countries. This strategy seems to make the translation process less risky but also raises questions about the homogenization of global culture.
Dr. Muenchrath suggests that all selection processes, whether by a publisher or an individual, can be seen as a form of algorithm. Amazon's system uses data to influence reader preferences, and this new algorithmic system is compared to past cultural influencers like Oprah Winfrey, whose book club had an immense impact on the publishing industry. The discussion also touches on how Amazon's model has helped increase sales of "backlist" books (older titles) that are no longer stocked in physical bookstores.
The conversation concludes by exploring the value of literature and critical thinking. Dr. Muenchrath argues that literature is a "playground for critical thinking," teaching readers how to interpret and articulate their understanding of the world. She differentiates this from AI-generated text, asserting that while AI can produce language, it lacks the human experience necessary to create meaningful art. The discussion emphasizes that the value of literature lies in its ability to connect us to another person's unique experience and perspective.
Listen to the full conversation here: