Professor Joy Pierce will discuss how underrepresented populations come to new information technologies, and the challenges faced when using public spaces as a means to close the digital divide.
A public reception will follow the lecture.
Moderated by Lara Jones, Community Content Manager, KRCL Radio.
About Joy Pierce
Joy Pierce is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Humanities and the University of Utah. She is also Associate Professor in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric Studies, and an affiliate in the Center for Latin American Studies. Her research foci are digital divides and digital literacy. She employs cultural studies and contemporary social theory through a critical pedagogy lens to study underrepresented populations coming to information communication technologies (ICTs). Dr. Pierce has presented research papers at regional, national and international conferences; published in communication, sociology and qualitative research method journals; and published a book titled Digital Fusion: A Society Beyond Blind Inclusion (Peter Lang, 2015). Her second book, titled Autoethnography: Beyond the Self is due out in 2019.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Local Issues |
The Salt Lake City Public Library's Marmalade Branch is the anchor of a mixed-use project developed as a key part of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) of Salt Lake City's master plan for the Marmalade/West Capitol Hill area of the city. The neighborhood serves as a gateway to Salt Lake City from the north, and the Marmalade Branch is both a hub for neighborhood gatherings and an important welcome for visitors, highlighting a focus on development in the area. On-street parking is available on 500 North and 300 West, and UTA routes offer service with stops immediately in front of the Library on 300 West.
The two-story Marmalade Branch, designed by Blalock & Partners Architectural Design Studio and completed in early 2016, provides 18,600 square feet of new construction to support a thriving and growing community. The first floor includes the Moka Cafe, featuring local coffee and chocolate; a Creative Lab with the latest maker technologies like 3D printing and music-making software as well as "old school" tech such as sewing machines and a turntable; a flexible Children's area; and the very popular Music and Movies collection. The second floor includes the Adult collection, study rooms for a range of group sizes, and a large, flexible multi-purpose room with tiered seating to allow for a wide variety of events. The multi-purpose room has already been very popular with the community, hosting community feedback sessions, film screenings, TEDx events, music recitals, and the highly-popular Coffee and Chocolate Society. The second floor also features a wrap-around terrace offering views of the Capitol Building to the east, Salt Lake City's picturesque skyline and landscape to the south and, to the north, views to a public plaza and open green space as part of a new mixed-use development.
The project utilizes an exterior shading device along the west-facing glass to minimize solar heat gain yet still promote a dynamic interaction with the street and passersby. Its compact footprint reduces land use and allows for a high-performance building envelope. The use of LED lights, lighting control systems, occupancy sensors, and daylight harvesting reduce the amount of electrical energy consumption while the flood of natural light creates an inviting interior environment for patrons and an efficient, balanced workplace for staff. In honor of these sustainability features, the Marmalade Branch was awarded the LEED Silver certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).