Jason Casden, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh
 Digital Artisan Jason Casden combines a background in archives, a talent for writing software, and a drive to meet the needs of North Carolina State University (NCSU) students into creating award-winning mobile and other tech services.
Beginning at NCSU only five years ago, Casden provided technical leadership for the creation of two award-winning projects. One is Library Course Views, an online service that automatically produces a library subject guide for every course on the North Carolina State campus. The other is NC Architects & Builders, a groundbreaking digital publication.
Casden was lead developer on the NCSU Libraries mobile website, making it friendly to mobile phones and iPad-like devices. "It is often cited as a model for mobile library services," says Steve Morris, who heads Digital Library Initiatives.
Casden also was lead developer on the WolfWalk project, a mobile app that, says Morris, "enables users to explore the history of NC State using a location-aware interface to university archive[s]." The self-guided tour serves up historical photos, documents, and more as the walker passes by each building. Not one to "let inexperience with a technology hold him back," says Morris, Casden taught himself a new programming language to develop WolfWalk, which then had no precedents.
Other librarians at NCSU Libraries often turn to Casden to get their ideas off the ground, says Kristin Antelman, associate director for the Digital Library Initiatives.
"His reputation as the go-to person to make your 'dream' project a reality is widely known," Antelman says. "He is unintimidating and a good listener—both qualities that enable him to excel as a member of a wide range of types of teams."
Casden says that his work in making library services smartphone-accessible has led to more opportunities to meet real-world library challenges and "help users discover our collections in new ways."
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