New toolkit: Design thinking for libraries

January 22, 2015

TASCHA is always thinking about the future of libraries, as many of our projects either involve libraries in some capacity or will result in contributions to the library field and research on libraries. We also embrace design thinking (also known as human-centered design), so we’re excited to see and share a new toolkit, Design Thinking for Libraries.

Innovation Spaces: Supporting individual action

February 6, 2014

In June 2013, I joined TASCHA’s Chris Coward to help launch a project on Innovation Spaces. This work builds on earlier conversations Chris has had with Christine Prefontaine and Beth Kolko, among others. Using a giant whiteboard, we shared, discussed, debated, synced, and altered our understanding over a period of weeks. The office got used to the hijacking of most of the common wall space. We had many questions: What are these spaces and what do we call them? What types of innovation do they foster? Why do people go to them?

What is innovation?

January 28, 2014

In our research on innovation spaces, we needed to arrive at a definition of innovation that fit the spaces we were observing. It was not entrepreneurship, as that would be too narrow and not explain many of the uses. Rather, it was about problem solving, and making use of these spaces to find answers to individual questions in ways that were superior than trying to do it alone, on the internet, or otherwise. The works of three authors in particular resonated – Matt Kingdon, Ken Robinson, and Steven Johnson. Here are some snippets…

Innovation Spaces: From access to information to access to each other

October 22, 2013

Innovation Spaces: From Access to Information to Access to Each Other was the topic of a presentation delivered by TASCHA Director Chris Coward at Cotexto Digital in Bogota Colombia, October 17, 2013. Contexto Digital is a series of events organized by the National Library of Colombia and the Luis Angel Arango Library of Colombia aimed at addressing various topics at the intersection of digital media, culture, and development.

March 17: AnthroDesign: Cultural practices as design guides

February 15, 2011

TASCHA Talk: Drawing on his experiences in the academy, industry, and the philanthropic sector, Mohammed traces the trajectory of AnthroDesign from the intellectual adventure of a fledgling community of industry practitioners towards a key product-cycle domain as well as its re-absorption back into the academy as an area of study.