Technology planning, CONTENTdm, digital community, broadband access, library grants, strategic planning, advice on implementing instant messaging in your library and how to use WordPress as a content management system for your library web site. If you’re interested in any (or all) of these important technology related topics then read further in this edition of “What’s New @ WJIL.”
Contents: Resources | Courses and Learning | Community | What could I do with…? | What’s New RSS Feed 
“What’s New” RSS Feed
Want the latest “What’s New @ WJIL” to come to you? Add the RSS feed to your blog reader.
[http://webjunctionworks.org/il/blog/index.php/category/new-wj-il/feed/]
Early in February WebJunction hosted an online conference called Technology Essentials 2010. Over the course of 2 days participants were treated to 10 workshops presented by experts and nationally known speakers such as Sandra Nelson. Although you may not have been able to attend the live event, all sessions and resources are now available on WJIL. In fact, there are actually some advantages to “attending” this conference after the fact…
- Free and easy access. All recorded sessions are free and do not require any additional download for viewing and listening.
- One stop shopping. Related files, resources and speaker materials have all been archived along with the recorded sessions for convenient access.
- Start, pause and stop. Rather than being tied to the computer for the full presentation, with the archived recording you can start the session, pause when needed, and re-start when convenient.
- Spread it out. Take your time and listen to your choice of sessions at your convenience or when the need arises.
- Participant Notes. Wow! Juan Tomas Lee from the Utah State Library gets the award for the most dedicated and organized conference attendee. Juan attended all sessions of the conference and has shared his comprehensive and well organized notes with everyone.
- What’s New @ WJIL. Use this edition of the WJIL newsletter to quickly link to your archived sessions of choice. Keywords for each session have been provided to help you quickly identify content relevant for you.
Resources
Browse the following materials to give you an overview of the 10 conference workshops.
Conference Schedule and Workshop Descriptions
- Overview of the conference sessions, presenter bios and schedules for each day of the conference.
- Path: [Member Center » Events & Webinars » Conferences]
- Juan Tomas Lee from the Utah State Library attended all conference sessions. He has shared his extensive and well organized notes with everyone. Print these off and use them as you listen to the conference archives. You may not have to take a single note!
Courses and Learning
Workshop descriptions and links to all Technology Essentials 2010 archives and resources.
Building Digital Community: Arizona Memory Project
- Libraries have long served as digital repositories but the Internet has provided an opportunity to reach further out into our communities through shared histories, images, and archives. Since 2005, the Arizona Memory Project has partnered with numerous institutions offering a platform for digital exhibits using CONTENTdm, a digital collection management software, to extend access to collections. Hear about the project’s creation, outreach, management and training and learn how you and your library can sustain digital memories in your community.
- Presenters: Richard Prouty, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records
- Keywords: CONTENTdm, digital community, Arizona Memory Project, digitization
Learning when there is no Time (or Money) to Learn
- It goes without saying that our work in libraries is constantly changing with new technologies and new patron needs. It’s hard to keep up with it all…Stop the whining! You can improve your skills and increase your knowledge without breaking the bank or skewering your schedule. How? By knowing how to be an effective learner, by creating a personal learning toolbox, by taking advantage of free and low-cost learning opportunities and by sharing what you know with others. Listen to this session presented by Pat Carterette and you’ll be taking the first step in making continued learning a part of your everyday routine and your life.
- Presenters: Pat Carterrete, Director of Continuing Education, Georgia Public Library Service
- Keywords: continuing education, budget, personal learning toolbox
The Planning Puzzle: Integrating Your Strategic Plan and Your Technology Plan
- Do you ever think that you have too many plans and not enough implementation? Do you ever wonder how to integrate all your plans into one clear blueprint that will help you and your colleagues continue to provide excellent service to the people you serve? Sandra Nelson will give you the information you need to manage effectively in this time of stagnant or decreasing resources, increasing demand, and rapidly changing public expectations.
- Presenter: Sandra Nelson, Consultant, speaker, trainer, and writer specializing in public library planning and management issues
- Keywords: strategic planning, technology planning, blueprint, integration
Technology Planning with TechAtlas for Libraries
- Explore WebJunction’s free resource, TechAtlas for Libraries and see how putting a technology plan together doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The TechAtlas tools can help a library build a technology plan starting with defining the mission and vision, creating goals and objectives and all the way through budgeting your expenses. You will also see a “live” demonstration of TechAtlas and hear best practices about technology planning and how to help lead your library into the future through effective planning.
- Presenter: Kendra Morgan, WebJunction Project Coordinator for TechAtlas
- Keywords: TechAtlas, technology planning
M&M: Maximum Marketing, Minimum Investment
- Low or no cost and easy marketing ideas for time-challenged librarians
- Presenters: Cindi Hickey, Director of the Library Development Division, State Library of Kansas and WebJunction Kansas coordinator; Janie Rutherford, State Library of Kansas and marketing guru
- Keywords: marketing, budget, media, planning, strategies, partners
WordPress for Library 2.0 and Beyond
- WordPress has become more than just a blogging tool. It can be utilized as a fully functional content management system for library websites. Joshua Dodson and Laura Slavin explain how to use the built-in functionality in WordPress to showcase your library, as well as explore various plugins that will add further functionality to your website. Topics include social bookmarking, blogging, RSS, search engine optimization, and more.
- Presenters: Joshua Dodson, Web Developer for Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN; Laura Slavin, Technical Services Librarian at Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) in Harrogate, Tennessee.
- Keywords: WordPress, content management system, library web site, blogging, RSS, social bookmarkingImplementing Reliable Instant Messaging At Your Library
- In this presentation, Karen McCoy provides some basic guidelines for implementing reliable instant messaging at your library. IM and SMS technologies are compared and explored so that you can customize different options to best fit your library’s needs. Issues covered include staff buy-in, technical glitches and how to avoid them, and possible assessment strategies. Library workers from all technological backgrounds will benefit.
- Presenters: Karen McCoy, Adult Services Librarian at the Farmington Public Library located in northern New Mexico
- Keywords: instant messaging, IM, SMS
Funding for Broadband: Indiana and Beyond
- The Presenters discuss their recent article (September/October 2009 Public Libraries), including their research and findings and give an overview of the landscape of broadband connectivity for public libraries across the country.
- Presenters: Wendy Knapp, Professional Development Office, Indiana State Library; Mary Alice Ball, Chair of the ALA OITP Telecomm subcommittee
- Keywords: broadband, public libraries
- Discover the confidence and knowledge you need to successfully win library grant funding. Find out how to easily locate grant opportunities online, learn the entire process for winning library grants, and hear about real library grant success stories that involve technology projects. Stephanie Gerding provides practical advice and top tips, ideal for librarians who are new to grant work.
- Presenters: Stephanie Gerding, Nationally known library consultant, trainer, and author on grants, training, and technology topics.
- Keywords: grants, funding, grant writing
Helping Washington Libraries in Hard Times
- Learn how Washington State Library staff created an online Hard Times Resource Guide to help Washington libraries deal with increased demand for resources and training while their budgets and hours were being slashed. Librarians now have a handy tool to offer patrons seeking information regarding unemployment, housing, financial services, and much more. Technology resources play a vital role in helping libraries during these Hard Times.
- Presenters: Jennifer Fenton, CE/Training Coordinator at the Washington State Library; Kristen Furl, Digital projects librarian at the Washington State Library; Ahniwa Ferrari, Online Resources Consultant at the Washington State Library
- Keywords: budget, recession, resource guide, unemployment, job seeking
Community
Interested in discussing your conference experience with others in the Library community? Use the following tips to extend your workshop experience.
- Divide the conference workshops between 1 or 2 other learning partners. Listen to the archives at your convenience, then share notes, reactions and ideas with each other.
- Choose a relevant workshop for all library staff to listen to. Have an email discussion about the workshop – what did you learn and how can you use it?
- Use the Discussion boards on WJIL to engage with other librarians around the nation. For instance, listen to ”Implementing Reliable Instant Messaging at Your Library” archive, then visit the “Social Networking & Web Tools” discussion board to see what others are thinking.
What Could I do with the archives of Technology Essentials 2010?
- Plan a month long focus on technology and ask your library staff to listen to at least 1 archive and report back to the rest of the staff.
- Use the workshop archives as a part of your personal learning plan to increase your knowledge and expertise in the area of relevant library technology
- Browse the chat logs for the archived workshops to glean helpful tips and additional relevant information from conference participants
- Listen to an archive and then contact the presenter with follow up questions and ideas