Technology Essentials 2010: WebJunction Online Conference

February 9–10, 2010 

Thank you to all who attended! 

Session Descriptions

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. Come hear about the project’s creation, outreach, management and training and learn how you and your library can sustain digital memories in your community.

Funding for Broadband: Indiana and Beyond
The Presenters will discuss their recent article (September/October 2009 Public Libraries), including their research and findings and will give an overview of the landscape of broadband connectivity for public libraries across the country.

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.

Implementing Reliable Instant Messaging at Your Library  
In this presentation, Karen McCoy will provide some basic guidelines for implementing reliable instant messaging at your library. IM and SMS technologies will be compared and explored so that you can customize different options to best fit your library's needs. Issues covered will include staff buy-in, technical glitches and how to avoid them, and possible assessment strategies. Library workers from all technological backgrounds are encouraged to attend.

Learning When There’s 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. Attend 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.

Library Grants 101    
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 will provide practical advice and top tips, ideal for librarians who are new to grant work.

M&M: Maximum Marketing/Minimum Investment 
Low or no cost and easy marketing ideas for time-challenged librarians. We'll share our ideas and want to hear yours. Come prepared to share.

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? Join Sandra Nelson to get the information you need to manage effectively in this time of stagnant or decreasing resources, increasing demand, and rapidly changing public expectations.

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. Participants 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.

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 will 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 will include social bookmarking, blogging, RSS, search engine optimization, and more.

Presenter Bios

 Mary Alice Ball is the Chair of the ALA OITP Telecomm subcommittee and spent 5 years as an assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Library & Information Science in Indianapolis, where she taught library systems, online searching, intellectual freedom, and information policy. Her research interests include broadband deployment, the impact of emerging technologies on student learning, and service learning. She has worked with information technology at Loyola University Chicago, NOTIS Systems (Northwestern University), the University of Michigan, and the Research Libraries Group, as well as in the dotcom and publishing worlds. Ball obtained her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration with a minor in M.I.S. from the University of Arizona.

 Pat Carterette is the Director of Continuing Education with the Georgia Public Library Service. In this position she helps find solutions to training and staff development needs/challenges in Georgia’s public libraries. Pat is the current president of ALA’s Learning Round Table, whose mission is to promote quality continuing education and staff development for all library staff. Pat is also active in the Georgia Library Association, the WebJunction Partner group and the National CE Forum. Pat's general philosophy in life is to keep learning, keep engaged, and stay open to possibilities. Take advantage of what comes your way today as you never know what tomorrow will bring.

 Joshua Dodson is a Web Developer for Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN. He specializes in developing Web sites with the WordPress framework. He has developed a system for creating library subject guides through WordPress that is currently implemented at Carnegie-Vincent Library. An article on this topic has been published through the Code4Lib Journal. He has presented on topics including information literacy, open source software, Web 2.0/Library 2.0 technologies, and using WordPress for library Web sites.

 Jennifer Fenton is the CE/Training Coordinator at the Washington State Library and has worked in libraries for over 20 years. Jennifer enjoys helping library staff in Washington find free and inexpensive training opportunities during these economic down times. In addition, Jennifer plans and coordinates various trainings for library staff to enhance services to library customers.

 Ahniwa Ferrari is the Online Resources Consultant at the Washington State Library and has worked in libraries since 2002. Ahniwa coordinates Ask-WA, Washington’s statewide virtual reference cooperative, organizes statewide database trials, and is the primary architect and curator of Washington’s Hard Times Resource Guide. Ahniwa was an ALA Emerging Leader in 2009 and is excited about the future of the library profession.

 Kirsten Furl is a digital projects librarian at the Washington State Library. She works on Washington Rural Heritage, a state-wide initiative that allows small and rural libraries to build online collections of their historic materials. She started at the state library scanning and cataloging the scrapbooks of Emma Smith DeVoe, one of the state’s first champions of women’s suffrage. Kirsten graduated in 2008 with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas.

Stephanie Gerding is a nationally known library consultant, trainer, and author on grants, training, and technology topics. Stephanie has written over 20 published articles and co-authored two books on library grants, and has been on all sides of the grant process as a grant writer, reviewer, and coordinator. She is co-author of the Library Grants Blog (http://librarygrants.blogspot.com).

Cindi Hickey is director of the Library Development Division, State Library of Kansas and WebJunction Kansas coordinator. A major focus of her work with the State Library is continuing education for librarians and trustees. Cindi has worked with librarians in Kansas for over 16 years as a private library consultant, coordinator for the former Institute for Continuous Education and as a consultant to and employee of the State Library of Kansas. Her primary areas of interest include library technology, planning and leadership.

Wendy Knapp oversees the Professional Development Office at the Indiana State Library, the office which is dedicated to the advancement of librarianship in the state of Indiana. She also teaches Computer Based Information Tools at the Indiana University School of Library & Information Science in Indianapolis. She worked in both academic and public libraries before coming to the Indiana State Library. Knapp received her Master’s in Library Science in 2002 from the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science, Indianapolis.

Karen McCoy is an Adult Services Librarian at the Farmington Public Library located in northern New Mexico. She specializes in instant messaging initiatives, program planning, and promoting library services. She also conducts information literacy consultations to local business and education classes. One of her presentations on promoting virtual reference is published in Creating a Reference Renaissance: Current and Future Trends.

Kendra Morgan is on the staff of WebJunction as the project coordinator for TechAtlas. She is a frequent presenter both online and at conferences on the topic of technology planning. Kendra also contributes articles to WebJunction about planning in libraries and her background includes technology consulting and training for public libraries.

Mala Muralidharan  manages the WebJunction-AZ portal and has presented on several WebJunction webinars. Mala currently works at the AZ State library, where she has been for the last 8 years. Among her responsibilities are E-rate and Technology Planning, providing state-wide access to databases and technology training. She has been on several National committees and Projects – MaintainIT project, Tech Atlas, Planning for Results and has been instrumental in getting grant funding from various sources for Arizona libraries. Mala has been in the library profession for the last 32 years and has worked in Special, University and Public Libraries. Mala was also a consultant for a multi-million dollar British Govt. Aid project for libraries in India.

Sandra Nelson is a consultant, speaker, trainer, and writer specializing in public library planning and management issues. She is a leader in the development of planning and management tools for public librarians. She is the author or co-author of six of the books in PLA Results series, including Strategic Planning for Results, the foundation of the series, and the recently published Implementing for Results.

Richard Prouty has been working with the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records for 5 years. He has been working on the Arizona Memory Project since its inception in 2005. He currently manages the project and does outreach, software training and project management. Richard has done outreach to homeless and prison populations in Arizona. He works part time at Phoenix Community College.

Janie Rutherford has more than 30 years marketing and communications experience working with clients and businesses of all sizes and with all ranges of budget, and in both the public and private sectors. Her portfolio of work includes award winning public relations campaigns, thousands of pages of copy for newsletters, news releases, annual reports and brochures, and numerous special events. Right now, she calls the State Library of Kansas home and handles the marketing, public relations, media relations, and everything in-between for this state agency.

Laura Slavin is a graduate of the University of South Florida School of Library and Information Science with a concentration in Cataloging.  After working at Troy University Library in Troy, Alabama, she moved to her current position as Technical Services Librarian at Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) in Harrogate, Tennessee.  She is responsible for maintaining the library's OPAC and Website.  She will be graduating from LMU in May with a Masters in Business Administration.

Certificate of Attendance: In order to receive a certificate of attendance (for CEU or LEU credits), complete the post-conference survey that will be sent to all registered attendees via email. Certificates will be emailed within 4 weeks after the conference.

Other questions? Please contact info@webjunction.org.