This week, the American Association of Law Libraries is holding its annual meeting in Austin. Librarians across the nation (along with some international guests) will gather to connect with their peers from government law libraries, academic institutions, and private law firms. Information professionals with expert knowledge in the following areas will provide content, inspiration, and plenty of food for thought:
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Advocacy
- Research
- Teaching
- Content management
- Legal technology
One of the highly anticipated sessions each year is the Cool Tools Cafe. Presented by the Computer Science Special Interest Section, this gathering is an opportunity for all interested parties -- from the novice to the pro -- to learn about emerging or existing technologies from experienced tech users. Tech tools for legal research, collaboration, productivity, presentation, and instruction are some of the most popular. Today's blog post will take a look back at two applications that were featured in years past. Microsoft Sway was presented at the AALL Cool Tools Cafe in 2015, and Slack was presented in 2016.
Microsoft Sway is a cloud-based publishing and presentation platform that was launched in 2014. (New and updated features were added in 2017.) One year later, it was rolled out to all eligible Office 365 customers worldwide and quickly became a strong competitor to Prezi, another cloud-based presentation platform. Sway allows you to create and share interactive reports, presentations, assignments, lessons, projects and more. It gives you all the tools you need to design and deliver your content in an unconventional way. Say goodbye to the traditional slide deck and hello to a newer, more dynamic storytelling tool. Drag and drop photos, videos, or files from your computer, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter to build impressive, polished, professional presentations.
Slack is a team communication and collaboration platform that helps you organize your digital interactions and effectively eliminates the need for email. Teams create communication channels which allow for the exchange of information and documents. To make collaboration spaces even more dynamic and interactive, Slack also allows for the integration of apps and bots, such as Skype or Trello, a user-friendly project management tool.
Following this year's AALL Annual Meeting, we'll have new tools to share with you. Stay tuned for updates in future Tech Tuesday installments on Ex Libris Juris.
