WE ARE READY TO BEGIN.
I'D LOVE TO WELCOME DIANA SILVEIRA, WHO I ACTUALLY FORGOT TO ASK YOU HOW TO PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME.
YOU CAN PRONOUNCE IT PROPERLY.
SHE IS A LIBRARIAN AND ALSO PRESIDENT OF NOVARE LIBRARY SERVICES AND AN AUTHOR OF THE NEW BOOK "LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY PLANNING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW."
I'LL MENTION THAT THE PUBLISHER FOR HER BOOK HAS GRACIOUSLY OFFERED A SPECIAL OFFER TO THOSE ATTENDING TODAY FOR 30% OFF OF HER BOOK, AND I'LL POST A LINK TO THE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT SPECIAL OFFER.
WELCOME TO YOU, DIANA, IT'S SO GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.
>> HI, JENNIFER.
THANK YOU, AND WELCOME, SO GLAD EVERYBODY JOINED ME TODAY.
I'M EXCITED THAT SO MANY OF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY PLANNING.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS DIANA SILVEIRA, FROM NOVARE LIBRARY SERVICES.
FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS -- LAST 15 YEARS I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH LIBRARIES, AND THEN AS A CONSULTANT AND TRAINER AND GURU FOR A LOT OF LIBRARIES AND I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM ON TECHNICAL ISSUES.
I SORT OF BROUGHT ALL OF THAT EXPERIENCE TOGETHER TO CREATE THIS BOOK ON LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY PLANNING, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO GIVE YOU GUYS AN OVERVIEW, AND AT THAT LINK FOR THE RESOURCES, THE LEARNER GUIDE WILL GIVE YOU A LOT OF SELF-GUIDING QUESTIONS AS YOU WORK THROUGH YOUR OWN TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
SO I HIGHLY RECOMMEND GOING THROUGH THAT AS A GROUP AT YOUR OWN INSTITUTION.
SO WE HAVE A LOT TO COVER TODAY ABOUT TECHNOLOGY PLANNING, BUT BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU ARE CONSIDERING OR WORKING ON YOUR FIRST PLAN, AND IF YOU TYPE IN THE CHAT BOX A LITTLE, YES, THINKING ABOUT IT, SORT OF THING.
>> JUST A REMINDER, AS WE GET STARTED, THAT FOLKS SHOULD BE CHATTING TO ALL PARTICIPANTS IN THAT LITTLE WINDOW.
YOU CAN SELECT FROM THE TWO OPTIONS, SO THAT DIANA SEES YOUR POSTS.
THANK YOU.
>> EXCELLENT.
I SEE MOST OF YOU ARE WORKING ON YOUR FIRST PLAN.
THINKING ABOUT IT, A COUPLE OF YOU ARE UPDATING PLANS.
YOU'VE DONE SOME, YOU'RE JUST LOOKING FOR A FRESH PERSPECTIVE.
SO YOU HAVE A TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE, YOU HAVEN'T DONE A LOT SO YOU'RE HOPING TO REINVIGORATE IT.
WONDERFUL.
HOPEFULLY ALL OF YOU WILL WALK AWAY WITH A LITTLE BIT.
WE'RE GOING TO WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS OF WHAT IT TAKES TO CREATE A TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET TOO INTO THE DIRT, WE'RE GOING TO STAY ON THE HIGHER LEVEL TODAY.
BUT HOPEFULLY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AS WE DO, WE WILL MAKE SURE TO ADDRESS ALL OF THOSE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO GET STARTED.
SO OFTEN, YOU HEAR, I DON'T NEED A TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
ALL OF YOU ARE PROBABLY ALREADY CONVINCED, BECAUSE YOU'RE HERE, BUT A COUPLE THINGS ABOUT HAVING A TECHNOLOGY PLAN, EVEN IF YOU'RE THINKING WE HAVE NO MONEY SO WHAT'S THE POINT.
HAVING PLANNING WILL HELP YOU -- CAN ACTUALLY HELP YOU GO FURTHER WITH YOUR MONEY.
IT CAN EVEN MAYBE SECURE MORE FUNDING FOR YOU, AND INSTEAD OF BEING THIS REACTIVE, OH, MY GOSH OUR COMPUTER IS BROKEN AGAIN, I HAVE TO REPLACE IT, YOU GET ON TO THE OTHER SIDE WHERE YOU'RE LOOKING AROUND AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY START MAKING IMPROVEMENTS BEFORE THINGS BREAK, YOU CAN START USING -- GET BETTER BANG FOR YOUR BUCK, AND YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD.
AND THIS CAN HELP CREATE A MORE SOLID TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR YOUR LIBRARY.
SO IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF LIBRARIES TO HAVE THIS SORT OF PLAN.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF TECHNOLOGY PLANS.
AND TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENTS.
DEFINING YOUR COMMUNITY INPUT AND YOUR OPTIONS.
THE GOALS AND OUTCOMES THAT YOU WANT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PLAN, THE ACTUAL PLANNING PROCESS CREATING A TIMELINE, WE'RE GOING TO TOUCH A LITTLE BIT ON BUDGETING, THAT'S A WHOLE THING UNTO ITSELF, BUT I WANTED TO MENTION A COUPLE POINTS ON IT.
HOW DO YOU EVALUATE AND IMPLEMENT YOUR TECHNOLOGY, AND THEN HOW DO YOU PLAN FOR THE FUTURE WITH ALL OF THIS.
SO THAT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A SOLID PLAN THAT'S GOING TO LAST INTO THE FUTURE.
WE ARE GOING TO JUMP RIGHT INTO OUR STARTING POINT, WHICH IS THE TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT.
A TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT IS STARTING AT THE VERY BASICS AND FIGURING OUT WHAT YOU HAVE.
I KNOW YOU'RE THINKING, I KIND OF KNOW WHAT I HAVE.
OUR I.T. GUY, I.T. WOMAN KNOWS WHAT WE HAVE.
BUT OFTEN TIMES IF YOU DON'T HAVE -- IF YOU HAVEN'T ACTUALLY DONE AN ASSESSMENT, YOU MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT YOU OWN.
SOMETIMES THINGS ARE BOUGHT BY GROUPS, GRANTS, DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, THINGS ARE DONATED AND THEY JUST END UP IN THE LIBRARY AND WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A GOOD TRACK.
SO THIS IS REALLY A GREAT FOUNDATION TO START WITH.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE, IT'S REALLY HARD TO MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
YOU COULD BE MISSING THINGS THAT ARE REALLY CRITICAL, THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF FIRST.
BECAUSE YOU DON'T REALIZE THAT'S ACTUALLY AN ISSUE.
YOU MIGHT BE PURCHASING STUFF AND WE ONLY HAVE LIMITED FUNDS, SO WE'RE PURCHASING STUFF WE MIGHT ALREADY HAVE.
YOU MIGHT NOT SEE THE TRENDS OR THE BIG PICTURE THROUGHOUT YOUR LIBRARY.
AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KIND OF BE ABLE TO STEP BACK AND GET -- FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
IF YOU DON'T CREATE THIS ASSESSMENT, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE, IT SOMETIMES CAN CREATE BARRIERS IN GETTING A BUY-IN FOR A NEW TECHNOLOGY PLANNING.
YOU HAVE SOMEBODY SITTING IN CHILDREN'S ON AN OLD COMPUTER AND THEY'RE THINKING I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY ADULT SERVICES GETS THE NEW STUFF AND WE'RE STUCK OVER HERE.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE MAYBE YOU WEREN'T -- YOU DIDN'T SEE THERE WAS ANY THERE.
BUT HAVE YOU -- THERE WAS A NEED THERE.
BUT IF YOU HAVE A PLAN YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE A REASONING BEHIND YOUR METHODOLOGY, WHICH IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT.
SO WHAT DO YOU WANT TO INCLUDE IN THIS KIND OF PLAN?
THE FIRST IS INTERNET ACCESS.
WHAT I MEAN BY THIS IS LOOKING AT YOUR BANDWIDTH.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE ADDING TECHNOLOGY, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE MODERNIZING TECHNOLOGY YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR CURRENT BANDWIDTH IS AND ANTICIPATE THE NEEDS.
IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR BANDWIDTH AT YOUR LIBRARY, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT YOU COULD -- AND THERE'S A LOT OF ONLINE TOOLS TO HELP YOU EVALUATE THIS -- LOOK AT YOUR ROUTERS AND FIRE WALLS.
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE WHAT YOUR SETTINGS ARE, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE HOW OLD THESE THINGS ARE.
YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE YOUR WIRELESS IS WORKING.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT, BUT THE LIBRARY THAT I SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN I VOLUNTEER THERE AND I DO OTHER THINGS, WE HAVE THIS JUST DEAD SPOT IN THE LIBRARY.
WE COULD NOT HOOK UP ANY TECHNOLOGY, NOBODY COULD USE THEIR CELL PHONE.
SO WHEN WE DID SOME REMODELING AND REVAMPING THAT WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES WE MADE SURE WE ADDRESSED.
THESE TECHNOLOGY DEAD SPOTS.
YOU WANT TO LOOK AT YOUR HARDWARE, THE STAFF SIDE AND THE USER SIDE.
AND YOUR SOFTWARE.
MAKE SURE WHAT VERSIONS OF THESE ARE WHAT YOU'RE USING, HOW OLD ARE THEY, AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF GOOD STUFF THAT GOES WITH THAT.
AND THEN LOOK AT CURRENT USAGE.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO GET A GRASP ON WHAT IS BEING USED, AND WHAT IS NOT BEING USED.
BECAUSE THEN YOU CAN START TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL PLAN TO FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU WANT TO DO THIS.
SO YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE STATISTICS YOU'RE ALREADY COLLECTING, YOUR SOFTWARE, YOUR HARDWARE, BE A LOT OF THINGS CAN BE AUTOMATICALLY COLLECTING STATISTICS FOR YOU, SO YOU NEED TO LOOK TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE, AGGREGATE IT TOGETHER, AND LOOK AT WHERE THE HOLES ARE.
SAY, WE HAVE NO IDEA IF THAT'S BEING USED.
WE HAVE THIS EXTENSIVE SOFTWARE THAT WE BOUGHT, AND WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BEING USED WITHIN THE LIBRARY OR NOT.
SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS YOU LOOK UP.
WANT TO LOOK INTO.
AND WE'RE GOING TO MENTION THIS A COUPLE DIFFERENT TIMES TODAY FROM -- THE AVAILABILITY OF THE ITEM, AND DOES IT AFFECT USAGE.
WHAT I MEANT BY THIS IS SOMETIMES WE HAVE MAKER AREAS, WE HAVE SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT WE KEEP THEM UNDER LOCK AND KEY.
FOR VARIOUS STAFFING ISSUES, TECHNOLOGY ISSUES, AND WE ONLY MAYBE BRING THEM OUT IN CERTAIN TIMES WHEN DEPARTMENTS CAN BE STAFFED, AND YOU NEED TO WEIGH THAT IN THOSE CONSIDERATION OF STATISTICS, BECAUSE THEY WILL BE LOWER BECAUSE OF THAT.
IS YOU WANT TO ALSO LOOK AT WHAT TECHNOLOGY -- IF IT'S BEING UNDERUTILIZED, BEYOND JUST THE AVAILABILITY, YOU KWAN TO LOOK -- YOU WANT TO LOOK AT OTHER ISSUES IT COULD BE BECAUSE OF.
IS IT JUST NOT MEETING THE NEEDS OF YOUR USERS?
AND THAT COULD BE THE ANSWER.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT HIT THE MARK WITH YOUR USERS.
THERE'S TECHNOLOGY FAILS, THERE'S TECHNOLOGY SUCCESSES WITH EVERYTHING.
BUT ALSO COULD IT BE WHERE IT'S LOCATED IN THE LIBRARY, THAT NOBODY KNOWS YOU EVEN HAVE IT, IS IT JUST MAXED OUT?
IF YOU THINK ABOUT SOME DEVICES AND SOME TECHNOLOGIES, IF SOMEBODY IS USING SOMETHING, SAY YOU HAVE A PODCASTING STATION, AND YOU HAVE SOMEBODY WHO COMES IN AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY CREATING A WHOLE PODCAST, WHICH IS AMAZING, THAT CAN TAKE SEVERAL HOURS.
SO YOU CAN ONLY HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE PER DAY USE THAT STATION.
SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT STATISTICS AND IT DOESN'T LOOK THAT IMPRESSIVE, YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGE OF USAGE THAT IS BEING OCCUPIED AS AN -- AS OPPOSED TO JUST A STRAIGHT NUMBER.
SO HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
YOU'RE THINKING OH, MY DWOSH, THIS SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF WORK RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING.
THIS IS A LOT OF WORK.
THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST LABOR INTENSIVE PARTS OF THIS KIND OF STUFF.
YOU WANT TO HAVE A PLAN, AND POINT PEOPLE, AND THIS IS REALLY WHERE I WOULD BRING IN A LOT OF MY STAFF.
HAVE SOME SORT OF FORM, STANDARDIZED LANGUAGE WHERE THEY JUST KIND OF MARK WHAT THEY HAVE AND THERE'S A DROP-DOWN MENU SO YOU CAN KEEP IT STRAIGHT.
DO SOME CHECKS AND BALANCES, HAVE DEADLINES FOR THEM TO CREATE THIS INFORMATION, AND PLAN TO HAVE THIS DOCUMENT BECOME A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT YOU CAN BUILD UPON AND KEEP ACCURATE AS YOU MOVE THROUGH YOUR TECHNOLOGY PLANNING.
AND AMANDA ADDS, CURRENTLY THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING A MAKER SPACE IN THEIR LIBRARY.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP IT CLOSED EXCEPT FOR APPOINTMENT TIMES BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PERMANENT STAFF.
AND YOU SEE THAT A LOT WITH LIBRARIES, BECAUSE WE WANT TO OFFER MORE AND MORE, BUT OUR STAFF DOESN'T GET THE CHANCE TO BE INCREASED.
SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT -- TOUCH ON STAFFING IN A LITTLE BIT AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
I JUST WANTED TO PAUSE FOR A SECOND, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENTS BEFORE WE MOVE ON?
>> I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY QUESTIONS COME THROUGH SPECIFIC TO ASSESSMENT.
THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW OTHER COMMENTS ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON.
HERE'S A GOOD QUESTION, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH LIBRARY EDGE 2.0, AND HOW DOES IT RELATE TO THE ASSESSMENT?
>> I'M NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT I THINK IT DOES TIE WHO THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS.
I THINK IT'S A SOFTWARE PACKAGE THAT HELPS YOU DO THAT KIND OF STUFF.
I'M NOT SURE, AND I CAN GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT.
I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO THE -- STEPHANIE IS ASKING SHOULD YOU MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
I NECESSARILY WOULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE PUBLIC, BUT I WOULD MAKE IT INTERNALLY AVAILABLE TO MY COWORKERS.
>> EXCELLENT.
>> JEFF, WE'RE GOING TO TOUCH ON REPLACING EQUIPMENT IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, I'M JUST GOING TO PAUSE YOUR QUESTION FOR NOW.
WE'LL COME BACK TO IT.
THERE'S M-LAB, IS A GREAT TOOL TO EVALUATE YOUR CONNECTIVITY SPEEDS, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK INTO THAT.
>> YOU SAID M-LAB?
>> YES.
>> OKAY.
>> AT THE END I CAN PULL UP A LINK TO IT IF YOU CAN'T FIND ONE WHILE I'M TALKING.
STEPHANIE SAID THAT'S A GREAT SITE.
>> KEEP YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS COMING.
WE WILL BE PAUSING AS WE MOVE THROUGH, AND AGAIN, OTHER FOLKS OFTEN HAVE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS.
AND A REMINDER TO POST TO ALL PARTICIPANTS, SOME OF YOU ARE POSTING PRIVATELY TO ME AND I CAN'T ALWAYS PUSH THOSE BACK OUT AGAIN.
SO JUST REMEMBER, ALL PARTICIPANTS.
>> SO HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR OPTIONS?
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE CAN LOOK THROUGH, AND I WANT TO JUST POINT OUT SOME OF THE MAIN THINGS YOU WANT TO DO.
THE FIRST IS THROUGH YOUR ASSESSMENT, AND THAT ASSESSMENT WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO OVER AND OVER THROUGHOUT TODAY, IT'S IMPORTANT TO START TO IDENTIFY YOUR CRITICAL ISSUES.
WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS LIST AND YOU START TO SEE THINGS LIKE OH, MY GOSH, HOOK, THERE'S A COMPUTER THAT'S WINDOWS 7, STUCK IN THE BACK OFFICE.
IN THE DONATION AREA OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
MAKING SURE THE VERSION CONTROL OF ALL SOFTWARE IS THERE.
THAT MEANS THAT EVERYBODY IS ON THE SAME MODERN UP-TO-DATE SYSTEM THAT YOU DON'T HAVE CERTAIN COMPUTERS LAGGING BEHIND THAT THEY MISSED UPDATES AND UPGRADES.
THAT'S A VERY CRITICAL ISSUE.
BECAUSE OF SECURITY, AND JUST BECAUSE -- AND FUNCTIONALITY AS WELL.
THE COMPATIBILITY OF YOUR DEVICES, AS NEW DEVICES COME OUT, YOU'LL SEE A DIFFERENCE.
IF YOU BUY A NEW LAPTOP THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE A VGA PLUG FOR YOUR PROJECTOR, IS THIS IMPORTANT TO YOU?
THESE ARE THINGS YOU NEED TO LOOK AT.
COMPUTERS WITH CD-ROMs AND DISK DRIVES, AS NEW TECHNOLOGY COMES OUT ALL OF THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE ON A COMPUTER CAN.
SO YOU NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND MAKE SURE THAT'S INCLUDED AND THINGS THAT WILL TALK TO EACH OTHER, WILL YOUR PRINT I AND COMPUTER SPEAK TO EACH OTHER, YOU HAVE COMPUTERS THAT ARE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO HANDLE ANY KIND OF VIRTUAL OR AUGMENTED REALITIES OR GAMING THAT YOU'RE BRINGING TO YOUR LIBRARY, SO YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOUR EQUIPMENT CAN SUPPORT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH IT.
AND HARDWARE THAT'S APPROACHING ITS END TO LIFE.
I'M GOING TO QUOTE TECH SOUP HERE, BECAUSE I SAW IT WAS -- THAT'S WHERE I GOT THIS INFORMATION AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT QUOTE, BUT DESK TOP SYSTEMS AND SERVERS SHOULD BE REPLACED EVERY THREE TO FOUR YEARS.
WHILE LAPTOPS, PHONES, AND OTHER MOBILE DEVICES ARE SWAPPED EVERY TWO TO THREE YEARS, PRINTERS AND NETWORKING EQUIPMENT MAY LAST FIVE YEARS.
SO I THINK JEFF YOU WERE ASKING THAT.
SO REALLY, YOU WANT TO KIND OF -- IF YOUR DESK TOP COMPUTERS, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT ASSESSMENT YOU START TO SEE THEY'RE THREE, FOUR, FIVE YEARS OLD, THAT'S GOING TO BECOME A CRITICAL ISSUE AND THAT'S WHEN THINGS START TO BREAK, YOU START TO HAVE ISSUES, SOFTWARE IS NOT RUNNING ON THEM PROPERLY, SO YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THAT.
IT'S NOT SAYING YOU HAVE TO, BUT I WOULD PRIORITIZE THOSE THINGS AS THEY START TO GET OLD, BECAUSE YOU START TO RUN INTO MORE AND MORE MAINTENANCE ISSUES.
TRISHA IS ADDING WITH THAT, ADELE ONLY GIVES YOU A DISPLAY PORT NOW.
EXACTLY.
THEY'RE STARTING TO REALLY KIND OF CUT DOWN ON THAT.
CHRISTINE IS ASKING IF I CAN REPEAT THAT ONE MORE TIME FROM TECH SOUP.
I WILL SHARE THE LINK TO THAT AFTERWARDS.
BUT DESK TOP SYSTEMS AND SERVERS NEED TO BE REPLACED EVERY THREE TO FOUR YEARS.
LAPTOPS, PHONES, AND OTHER MOBILE DEVICES EVERY TWO TO THREE YEARS, AND PRINTERS AND NETWORKING EQUIPMENT MAYBE FIVE YEARS OR MORE.
BUT I WOULD START TO BE CAUTIOUS AT ABOUT FIVE YEARS.
DID YOU GUYS GET THOSE?
I'M GOING TO MOVE ON, BUT IT'S NOT AT THE END -- IF NOT AT THE END I CAN SHARE THOSE AGAIN FOR YOU.
THE NEXT THING YOU WANT TO DO, AND I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF THIS, IS LOOKING AROUND AND FIGURING OUT ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY.
SO THAT YOUR TECHNOLOGY PLAN ACTUALLY MEETS THE NEEDS OF YOUR USERS.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER, I LIVE IN A COUNTY WITH MUNICIPAL LIBRARIES, AND WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HOW I HAVE TWO LIBRARIES WITHIN FIVE MILES OF MY LIBRARY AND ALL THREE OF US HAVE TRULY DISTINCT NEEDS AND PATRONS.
AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT I DON'T LOOK AT -- OF COURSE I LOOK AT WHAT THEY DO, BUT I DON'T SAY, THEY'RE DOING THAT SO I NEED TO DO THAT.
OR, IT'S -- MY USERS ARE UNIQUE AND I NEED TO LOOK AT THAT.
SO YOU NEED TO LOOK AT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND HOW YOU'RE COMMUNITY IS CHANGING.
THE FIRST THING I WOULD LOOK AT IS -- WE'RE ALL LIBRARIES, SO DIG INTO THAT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION.
LOOK INTO THE RESEARCH, TALK TO LOCAL EXPERTS, YOUR REALTORS, YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, YOUR INSTITUTIONS, YOUR ADMISSIONS OFFICE, ON HOW -- WHAT THE CHANGING FACE OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS.
ARE YOU STARTING TO GET OLDER PEOPLE, YOUNGER PEOPLE, ARE YOU GENTRY IDENTIFYING, IS THERE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IN YOUR COMMUNITY, ALL OF THESE THINGS COME TOGETHER TO ANTICIPATE AS OPPOSED TO BEING REACTIVE TOO.
SO OVERALL, HOW IS YOUR AREA CHANGING AND HOW IS THAT REFLECTED IN YOUR PLAN?
DETERMINING YOUR STAFF NEEDS.
I WENT RIGHT PAST ONE SLIDE, SORRY.
THERE'S A SLIDE MISSING.
OKAY.
GETTING YOUR INPUT FROM YOUR COMMUNITY HOLDERS, YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR STAKEHOLDERS, AND YOUR STAFF.
WHAT DO YOUR USERS WANT?
THIS IS WHEN YOU SURVEY, THIS IS WHEN YOU DO FOCUS GROUPS, THIS IS WHEN YOU EVEN DO SOME INTERVIEWS.
WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND IS SETTING UP SURVEYS AND I WOULDN'T JUST ASK GENERAL QUESTIONS, I WOULD FOCUS IN ON WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE, WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR FROM THE LIBRARY IN THE SAKE OF TECHNOLOGY.
IF YOU GIVE THEM TOO MANY CHOICES YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TOO MANY THINGS TO CHOOSE FROM.
AND I WOULD WATCH HOW MANY FREE ANSWERS YOU GIVE THEM BECAUSE IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK TO PUT THOSE TOGETHER.
SURVEY YOUR USERS, HAVE AN OPTIONAL QUESTION AT THE VERY END SAYING, IF THEY WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PLANNING PROCESS TO LET YOU KNOW.
AND HAVE A NAME AND EMAIL OR PHONE NUMBER, AND THEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE WILLING TO BE IN YOUR FOCUS GROUPS AS YOU MOVE DOWN THE LINE.
AND THESE CAN BE REALLY IMPORTANT VOICES, I WOULD TRY AND GET BEYOND YOUR TYPICAL USERS, WE'RE REALLY GOOD AT CONNECTING WITH THE PEOPLE THAT COME IN AND TALK TO US AT THE DESK, BUT THERE IS A WHOLE WORLD OUT THERE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT USING OUR LIBRARY, OUR VIRTUAL USERS OF OUR LIBRARY, OUR JUST OCCASIONAL USERS OF OUR LIBRARY, I CALL THEM THE HIT AND RUN PEOPLE, THEY PICK UP THEIR HOLDS AND THEY'RE OUT OF THERE.
HOW DO WE CONNECT WITH THOSE PEOPLE AS WELL AS OUR SUPER USERS.
PLAN ON AT THE CUSS GROUPS, PLAN ON INTERVIEWS, REALLY GET INTO THE MEAT OF WHAT YOUR USERS NEED AND WHAT IS ANTICIPATED IN THE LENGTH OF YOUR PLAN.
IF YOUR PLAN IS PROBABLY A THREE-YEAR, IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA, SO WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS AND BEYOND THAT.
BEYOND JUST TALKING TO YOUR USERS, YOU ALSO NEED TO TALK TO YOUR STAFF.
AGAIN, THIS IS PART OF THAT STAFF, BUY-IN OF YOUR STAFF, THEY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, THEY'RE THE ONES IN THE THICK OF IT WITH USERS, DO THEY VARY THEIR NEEDS FROM THE USERS?
ARE THEY SEEING TRENDS?
ARE THEY SEEING NEEDS THAT ARE NOT BEING ADDRESSED?
DO THEY DIFFER BY LOCATION OR DEPARTMENT WITHIN YOUR LIBRARY?
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SITTING AT TWO DIFFERENT DESKS OR TWO DIFFERENT BRANCHES OR TWO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WITHIN YOUR LIBRARY, YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT PICTURE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO HEAR THOSE DIFFERENT VOICES.
IT COULD BE SURVEYS, FOCUS GROUPS, IT COULD BE JUST GETTING INPUT FROM YOUR STAFF AS YOU WALK THROUGH.
SO DETERMINING -- DETERMINING YOUR GOALS.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS TO TAKE YOUR TECHNOLOGY NEEDS AND CHANGE THEM TO GOALS.
TO HAVE A GOAL AND AN OUTCOME THAT THE TECHNOLOGY FITS.
A GOAL IS THE DESTINATION.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ALL OF THIS?
WHY DO YOU NEED A MAKER SPACE, OR WHY DO YOU NEED A GENEALOGY AREA, OR WHY DO YOU NEED A SMALL BUSINESS CENTER?
ALL OF THAT STUFF, YOUR FUNDERS HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE ASKING THEM FOR MONEY, SO YOU NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND SAY, WHY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THIS.
AND A GOAL IS UNDERNEATH -- AN OUTCOME IS UNDER THAT GOAL AND IT'S A SPECIFIC AND MEASURABLE STEP YOU'RE GOING TO DO TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL.
WE'RE GOING TO EXPLORE THIS JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE.
THE ISSUE WITH HAVING THIS IS, IF I JUST SAY, IF I GO TO MY COUNTY COMMISSION WITH MY BUDGET AND SAY I WANT A PRINTER, THEY'RE GOING TO SAY WHY AND -- A 3D PRINTER, THEY'RE GOING TO SAY WHY, AND IT'S NEAT IS NOT A JUSTIFICATION.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO JUMP OVER IT.
BUT IF I CAN EXPLAIN HOW THAT BENEFITS THE PEOPLE THAT COME INTO MY LIBRARY, ENTREPRENEURS, STUDENTS, MY SMALL BUSINESS SEGMENT, ALL OF THAT STUFF, I CAN GET THEM EXCITED ABOUT THE IDEA OF A 3D PRINTER.
THAT'S GOING TO DEMONSTRATE THE VALUE.
SO CREATING THESE GOALS CAN HELP YOU THROUGH THAT.
I JUST WANTED TO BRING A REAL WORLD EXAMPLE IN AT THIS POINT, BECAUSE GOALS AND OUTCOMES ARE IS A BIG CONCEPT TO TAKE IN IN A LITTLE FIVE-MINUTE SNIPPET HERE.
THIS IS FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, THE STRATEGIC PLAN, THIS IS THEIR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
YOU CAN SEE EXPAND ACCESS, THAT IS THEIR GOAL.
AND THEY EXPLAIN IT A LITTLE BIT WHY IT'S IMPORTANT, AND THEN THEY GET INTO THEIR OBJECTIVES OF HOW THEY'RE GOING TO DO THIS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO -- YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE YOURS LAID OUT EXACTLY LIKE THIS, BUT THIS GENERAL IDEA IS IMPORTANT.
ANY OF YOU HAVE WORKED ON PLANNING BEFORE KNOW THIS IS REALLY THE FUNDAMENTAL PART OF YOUR TECHNOLOGY OF ANY KIND OF PLAN, YOUR STRATEGIC, LONG-TERM, YOUR TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
ALL OF THESE GOALS SHOULD ALSO TIE INTO THESE OTHER PLANS YOUR LIBRARY HAS AND BEYOND THAT, INTO YOUR COMMUNITY.
IF YOU KNOW YOUR TOWN IS REALLY FOCUSED ON JOB DEVELOPMENT RIGHT NOW, HAVING A GOAL THAT TIES BACK TO JOB DEVELOPMENT CAN OFTEN HELP YOU EXPAND YOUR FUNDING IN THAT WAY, BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING HERE'S HOW THE LIBRARY IS GOING TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR BIGGER GOAL, AND THEY CAN COUNT THE SUCCESS OF THE LIBRARY, AND IT SHOWS THAT PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN YOU.
SO I WANT TO SHOW YOU JUST A REAL WORLD EXAMPLE OF THIS.
MAYBE ONE OF YOUR GOALS IS STANDARDIZED AND BOOST USER SUPPORT FOR TECHNOLOGIES WITHIN THE LIBRARY.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO -- YOU TAKE THAT KIND OF BIG GENERAL SENSE AND THEN YOU HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH THAT.
HERE ARE THREE EXAMPLES THAT I CAME UP WITH.
INCREASED PATRON COMPUTER USAGE, INCREASE DATABASE USAGE, STANDARDSIZED VERSIONS OF SOFTWARE, I'M EXPLAINING WHY ALL OF THAT IS IMPORTANT AND I'M PUTTING THAT UNDER THERE.
I WOULD PROBABLY FLESH THESE OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN JUST A POWER POINT SLIDE, BUT IT GIVES YOU THAT OVERALL PICTURE OF TECHNOLOGY.
I'M GOING TO PAUSE, BECAUSE THAT WAS A BIG CONCEPT, AND I WENT OVER A LOT OF INFORMATION REALLY FAST.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS BEFORE WE CONTINUE?
>> I'LL WAIT A SECOND HERE AND SEE.
WE'VE GOT FOLKS SHARING RESOURCES WHICH IS AWESOME.
>> I LOVE IT.
I LOVE IT.
I CAN'T WAIT TO GET INTO IT MYSELF AFTERWARDS.
ANDREW HAS SHARED A LINK FOR A GOAL OUTCOME MEASUREMENT CLASS HE TOOK.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF OTHER LOCATIONS AS WELL.
BUT THERE'S SOME STUFF.
>> I'M JUST GOING TO POST TOO A LINK THAT YOU SHARED WITH ME FOR THE SAMPLE TEMPLATE FOR TECHNOLOGY AUDIT.
SO I FORGOT TO SHARE THAT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
>> AMANDA, I THINK SHE ASKED ME THIS PRIVATELY, SHE SAID DO YOU RECOMMEND A SHORTER OR LONG-RANGE PLAN SINCE TECHNOLOGY NEEDS TO BE UPDATED FREQUENTLY?
I WOULD KEEP IT IN THE -- I WOULD NOT GO ANY LONGER THAN THREE YEARS.
ONE YEAR IS ALMOST TOO SHORT TO GET THINGS IMPLEMENTED.
SO I WOULD PROBABLY LOOK AT A TWO TO THREE-YEAR FRAME, JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DO STUFF.
BUT I WOULD GET AWAY -- THE FARTHER OUT -- THE FARTHER AWAY, I'M GOING TO BUY THIS DESK TOP COMPUTER, BECAUSE THAT KIND OF STUFF IS GOING TO CHANGE.
BUT THE OVERALL TRENDS ARE GOING TO -- AREN'T GOING TO CHANGE TOO MUCH WITH THAT.
ELIZABETH ADDING THAT SHE -- SOMETHING OUR BOARD WANTED TO SEE IS A DESCRIPTION OF WHAT A PROPOSED TECHNOLOGY WOULD DO AND HOW WE WOULD IMPLEMENT AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE DIDN'T IMPLEMENT.
IT HELPED US FRAME OUR THINKING AND JUSTIFY WHAT WE WERE ASKING FOR.
THAT'S THE FOUNDATION OF A TECHNOLOGY PLAN, HERE IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO AND WHY WE'RE GOING TO DO IT.
AND THAT GOES SO FAR WITH YOUR FUNDERS AND YOUR BOARD AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
IF YOU JUST START THROWING OUT TECHNOLOGY AND SAY, WE NEED NEW DESK TOP COMPUTERS!
IT DOESN'T HAVE THAT BITE BEHIND IT.
JEFF IS ASKING IF THERE'S A FORMULA TO USE TO CALCULATE ESTIMATED COSTS ARE TO A COMPUTER FIVE YEARS FROM NOW AND HOW MUCH TO BUDGET.
I DON'T KNOW A FORMULA LIKE THAT, BUT WHAT I WOULD DO IS LOOK AT THE HIGH-END COMPUTERS AVAILABLE NOW IF YOU PLAN TO BUY MID-RANGE COMPUTERS THEN.
FIVE YEARS IS A HARD TIME OUT TO FIGURE OUT THE ACTUAL COST OF A COMPUTER.
A 20% INCREASE, THAT COULD BE A GOOD ESTIMATE.
I THINK WITH FIVE YEARS YOU'RE JUST ESTIMATING, BECAUSE NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE COMING OUT AS WELL, AND CHANGES ARE COMING SORT OF.
COMING DOWN THE END.
BUT YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE HIGHEST END THAT IS NOW, THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO BE THE LOWER END IN A COUPLE YEARS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU JUMP IN?
>> NO, I THINK WE'RE GOOD.
>> ALL RIGHT.
EXCELLENT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT EVALUATING OUR TECHNOLOGY AND FIGURING OUT WHAT ACTUALLY FITS OUR PLAN A LITTLE BIT.
SO THE FIRST THING IS, WHAT GAPS DID YOU SEE?
AS YOU LOOKED OVER THAT TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT, WE'RE GOING RIGHT BACK TO THAT TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT, WHAT GAPS DID YOU SEE THAT NEEDED TO BE PRIORITIZED?
WHAT IS OUT THERE THAT NEEDS TO BE -- THAT YOU NOTICED?
DID YOU SEE THAT YOUR CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT HAS STUFF, YOUR ADULT SERVICES HAS?
STUFF AND YOUR TEENS, THEY GOT NOTHING?
OR THAT YOUR TEENS HAVE THESE REALLY POWERFUL GAMING COMPUTERS AND YOUR ADULTS ARE OVER THERE STRUGGLING WITH OLDER COMPUTERS.
WE WERE WORKING ON A CREDIT CARD MACHINE.
SO LOOK -- NOW THAT YOU CAN SEE THE BIG PICTURE, AND IT'S REALLY HARD TO PICK UP, STEP BACK, START TO SEE WHAT HOLES YOU HAVE, JUST IN YOUR GENERAL TECHNOLOGY, BEFORE YOU GET INTO ANYTHING FANCY, LOOK AT THAT AND FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU NEED TO FOCUS YOUR EFFORT.
AND DID YOU SEE SIGNIFICANT TRENDS WITH YOUR STATISTICS?
ARE YOU SEEING THAT CERTAIN TYPES OF RESOURCES ARE USED MORE, CERTAIN GROUPS, USERS UTILIZING THINGS A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN OTHERS?
THESE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS TO KIND OF HIT AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE REALLY LOOKING AT THE STATISTICS AND LOOKING NOT JUST AT THIS NUMBER COMPARING 52 AND A HUNDRED, BUT LOOKING AND FIGURING OUT WHY THOSE NUMBERS ARE SO DIFFERENT, AND WHAT THE OVERALL TRENDS ARE IN YOUR STATISTICS.
ARE YOU SEEING, YES, CIRCULATION IS DOWN, BUT YOU'RE SEEING MORE USE IN DIGITAL STUFF, THAT KIND OF STUFF, AND LOOKING AT THOSE OVERALL TRENDS AND MAKING A STORY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR LIBRARY.
AND TO ME, THE SECRET IS FIGURING OUT HOW I CAN EXPLAIN THIS TO SOMEONE LIKE MY MOTHER.
BLESS HER, I LOVE HER.
BUT I ALWAYS THINK, I NEED TO BE ABLE TO TAKE IT OUT AND -- OF THE LIBRARY LINGO AND EXPLAIN IT TO A PERSON ON THE STREET.
THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE LIBRARY.
THIS IS THE BIG PICTURE WITH OUR STATISTICS, OUR TECHNOLOGY, AND THEN THAT YOU CAN EXPLAIN, YOU CAN TAKE THAT ELEVATOR SPEECH TO YOUR FUNDERS, YOUR BOARD, ANY PLACE YOU NEED TO.
AND IT HELPS TELL THE STORY OF THE LIBRARY.
THE NEXT THING TO DO IS LOOK AT THE LARGER TRENDS.
AND THESE ARE NOT THE TRENDS WITHIN YOUR LIBRARY.
BUT IN THE WORLD.
IN YOUR COMMUNITY, AND SEE WHAT FITS YOUR LIBRARY.
AGAIN, YOUR LIBRARY IS DIFFERENT THAN MY LIBRARY AND WE CANNOT SAY THAT EVERY LIBRARY NEEDS THIS.
PROBABLY EVERY LIBRARY NEEDS A COMPUTER.
BUT BEYOND THAT, MAYBE A PRINTER, WE ALL HAVE OUR DIFFERENT NEEDS.
SO YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THAT.
SOME -- I IDENTIFIED A COUPLE TRENDS HERE, WE HAVE MIXED REALITY, LIKE AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY.
DOES THAT HAVE A PLACE IN YOUR LIBRARY?
CYBERSECURITY, MAKERSPACES, THE IDEA OF LESS AND LESS OF OUR USERS HAVING DEVICES BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING MOBILE.
HOW DOES THAT AFFECT YOUR COMPUTERS?
ANYTHING STEAM I KNOW IN OUR AREA THAT IS THE HOTTEST TOPIC THERE IS RIGHT NOW.
JUST WHY OTHER INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, ROBOTICS, SMART ASSISTANCE, HOME USERS ARE USING SMART ASSISTANCE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO USE THOSE AT THE LIBRARY, ARE WE GOING TO BRING THEM INTO THE LIBRARY?
AND THEN BEYOND JUST A TREND FOR TECHNOLOGY, THE RESOURCES FOR OTHER TRENDS, LIKE SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL TOOLS, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, HOMEWORK HELP, DIGITAL LITERACY, ESL, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND WHAT RESOURCES ARE NEEDED TO FILL THAT -- HELP FILL THAT?
THAT GOES BACK TO THAT DEMOGRAPHIC STUFF AND THE USER SURVEYS WE WERE LOOKING AT.
TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO SOLVE THE NEEDS OF THOSE USERS.
AND YOU NEED TO KIND OF LOOK AT IT IN THAT, WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, WHAT ARE PEOPLE NEEDING IMMEDIATELY, WHAT ARE THEY USING, WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO NEED, BUT MAYBE NOT RIGHT NOW, BUT NEXT YEAR, AND WHAT IN THE LONG-TERM DO I REALLY NEED TO BE LOOKING AT MOVING TOWARDS?
AND FINALLY, ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY IS A REALLY BIG GROWING, GROWING AREA.
THIS IS BEYOND JUST OF COURSE SCREEN READERS FOR BLIND PEOPLE, AND THINGS LIKE THAT FOR TECHNOLOGY, BUT WE HAVE -- MY COMMUNITY, THE SENIORS ARE JUST GROWING AND GROWING, I LIVE IN FLORIDA, MIND YOU, BUT HOW AM I MEETING THE NEEDS OF THOSE SENIORS?
DO I HAVE ERGONOMIC MICE THAT ARE BIGGER AND USIER FOR THEM TO USE, DO I HAVE POINTERS, DO I HAVE HEADSETS IF THEY'RE USING CLOSED CAPTIONING ON MY COMPUTERS?
ARE THERE FURNITURE CONSIDERATIONS YOU NEED TO LOOK AT FOR YOUR TECHNOLOGY?
MY SENIORS HAVE TROUBLE WITH ROLLING CHAIRS.
SO HAVING SOLID CHAIRS INSTEAD OF ROLLING CHAIRS.
FOR THE CHARGING STATIONS, CABLES DISAPPEAR.
THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE ALL TOGETHER.
AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT PHYSICAL SECURITY AS WELL TODAY.
SO ARE THERE SPECIALIZED HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE THAT YOU NEED?
THERE'S A LOT OF FREEWARE FOR ADA COMPLIANCE, BUT YOU MIGHT NEED TO LOOK AT PAID SOLUTIONS.
THIS IS A GREAT POINT TO LOOK AT THIS AND IT MIGHT BE CONTACTING SOME LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP THEM -- HELP YOU AUDIT YOUR LIBRARY AND YOUR TECHNOLOGY TO SEE WHAT WOULD WORK WITH THEM.
CHRISTINE JUST SHARED A WEBJUNCTION ARTICLE, EXPLORING THIS TOPIC A LITTLE -- EVEN MORE.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU ARE NOT LOOKING AT IT, THAT YOU LOOK AT IT.
OVERALL, AS YOU START TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU NEED, YOU NEED TO EVALUATE TECHNOLOGY.
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT BRANDS, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMPANIES OUT THERE OFFERING THE SAME THING.
SO HOW DO YOU FIT -- PICK WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOUR LIBRARY?
OF COURSE THIS LIST IS A LITTLE NOT IN ORDER BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT PRICE IS PROBABLY THE TOP NUMBER THING WE CAN LOOK AT.
WE CAN'T GET THE CADILLAC OFTEN.
SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IN THE SORT OF IN THE SCALE WORKS FOR US.
THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS TO LOOK AT.
ESPECIALLY WITH SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE, THE USABILITY.
ARE YOUR USERS GOING TO BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN AND START DOING IT OR DO THEY NEED A MASTER'S DEGREE BEFORE THEY DO IT?
THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONSIDER BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE SO MUCH STAFF.
SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO GET -- BUY SOMETHING NEW AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A DEDICATED STAFFING PERSON TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO USE IT, THAT COMES WITH A COST.
SO MAYBE IT'S WORTH IT, BUT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO BE IN THE BEGINNING.
THE PERFORMANCE, HOW DOES IT ACTUALLY WORK, IS IT BULKY, IS IT CLUNKY, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
THE QUALITY OF THE TECHNOLOGY ITSELF, WE ARE HARD ON STUFF AT THE LIBRARY.
SO IS IT GOING TO HOLD UP?
YOU DON'T WANT TO BUY A BUNCH OF SMALL ROBOTIC PIECES  THAT ARE GOING TO FALL APART AFTER THE FIRST USE OR TWO.
YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY LAST.
GOING WITH THAT IS THE WARRANTY.
WHAT DOES IT COVER, WHAT DOES IT NOT COVER?
CAN YOU GET AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT WILL COVER MORE?
BECAUSE WE ARE HARD ON STUFF, OUR USERS ARE HARD ON STUFF, SO THAT'S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER.
AND SUPPORT.
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WHEN YOU HAVE PROBLEMS IS THERE?
IS IT AN ONLINE FORUM I'M GOING TO POST MY QUESTION AND HOPE FOR AN ANSWER?
THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT, BUT KNOW WHAT IT IS AHEAD OF TIMES.
A LOT OF TIMES, OPEN SOURCE, WHILE FREE, THAT'S THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT YOU GET.
SO YOU HAVE TO WEIGH THAT TOGETHER.
ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR DEDICATED SUPPORT?
AGAIN, THERE'S NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER, IT'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.
FINALLY THE QUALITY OF THE FINAL PRODUCT.
IF YOU'RE BUYING PODCASTING SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE, IS THE RECORDING GOOD AT OUTPUT?
IF YOU'RE BUYING 3D PRINTERS IS THE QUALITY OF THAT PRINT JOB STAND UP OR IS IT LIKE, MEH, IT'S ALL RIGHT.
THAT'S IMPORTANT WHEN YOU WEIGH ALL OF THOSE ISSUES, BECAUSE IF THAT FINAL QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT IS NOT THERE, YOUR USERS AREN'T GOING TO COME BACK TO USE IT AGAIN.
I LOVE MONIQUE ANSWERED THAT QUESTION RIGHT THERE.
YES, CHRISTINE, THERE WILL BE RECORDING, THAT'S GOING TO BE SENT OUT.
BEFORE WE MOVE ON, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT SORT OF EVALUATING TECHNOLOGY?
I'M GOING TO JUMP INTO BUDGETING OTHERWISE.
INCREASING -- I WILL ADD AS WELL, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU MY EMAIL ADDRESS, SO IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS I'M HAPPY TO HELP ANYONE WHO ATTENDED THIS WORKSHOP, WORK THROUGH ANY OF THE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.
BUDGETING IS PROBABLY OF COURSE MONEY RULES IT ALL, RIGHT?
SO YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO KNOW A COUPLE THINGS BEFORE YOU GET STARTED.
THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE DONE PLANNING BEFORE KNOW IF YOU ARE NEW TO PLANNING, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO GRASP THESE FIRST.
PARTS OF YOUR PURCHASING WORK AT THE LIBRARY.
FIRST OF ALL, WHAT ARE THE OVERALL PROCEDURES AND DEADLINES?
IS THERE A SPECIFIC FORM YOU NEED TO USE, DOES IT HAVE TO BE AT A CERTAIN DATE, IF YOUR BOARD OR YOUR COMMISSION NEEDS SOMETHING OR YOUR DEPARTMENT HEAD, WHO HAS TO SIGN OFF ON IT, WHEN DOES IT NEED TO BE DONE, AND WHEN DOES IT NEED TO BE FORMALLY PROPOSED?
THESE ARE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW IF THE BEGINNING OF YOUR PLANNING PROCESS SO YOU CAN WORK BACKWARDS.
DO YOU NEED TO HAVE BIDS?
OR IS IT A STATE CONTRACT SORT OF THING?
IS THERE A CONTRACTING COMPANY YOU BUY ALL OF YOUR TECHNOLOGY FROM?
THIS VARIES BY LIBRARY BY LIBRARY, DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT, SO I CANNOT ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
BUT THESE ARE THINGS YOU NEED TO INTERVIEW PEOPLE, FIND OUT, CALL AROUND, GET THE PROCEDURES.
IF PURCHASES GO THROUGH A DITCH DEPARTMENT, SOMETIMES -- A DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SEND THINGS TO THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT OR THROUGH A COLLEGE YOU HAVE TO SPEND IT TO A SPECIFIC -- HOW DOES THAT WORK?
IF I SEND IN MY PURCHASE ORDER, HOW LONG FROM WHEN I SEND IT DOES THAT ORDER GET PURCHASED?
DOES IT TAKE IT A COUPLE WEEKS, SOMETIMES THERE'S A DELAY IN THESE KIND OF THINGS.
THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS.
ONE OF THE THINGS TO UNDERSTAND IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT PROCESS IS SO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE ORDERING THINGS IN YOUR PLAN, HOW FAR -- HOW FAR IN ADVANCE YOU NEED TO GET THAT PURCHASE ORDER IN.
THIS WILL ALL HELP WITH YOUR PLANNING AND ELIMINATE THE WRENCHES THAT CAN BE THROWN IN LATER.
IDENTIFYING YOUR EXPENSES.
KNOWING WHAT THE COSTS ARE GOING TO BE AHEAD OF TIME IS IMPORTANT.
YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS A ONE-TIME COST, WHAT IS AN ONGOING COST.
SOFTWARE AS MOST OF YOU KNOW IS MOVING TO SOFTWARE AS THE SERVICE.
THIS IS THAT -- WE USED TO, I'M GOING TO DATE MYSELF, BUY A CD-ROM, I'D GET MY NEW MICROSOFT ON A CD-ROM AND INSTALL IT ON MY COMPUTER, AND AS MY LIBRARY JOB I WOULD INSTALL IT ON ALL MY COMPUTERS.
THAT WAS THAT FOR A GOOD YEAR OR TWO WE WERE OKAY.
NOW MICROSOFT IS MOVING TO 365, WHICH IS GOOD AND BAD, IT HAS A LOT OF UPDATES, AND A LOT OF CONNECTIVITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT IT'S A MONTHLY, ANNUAL COST.
SO YOU HAVE TO PLAN FOR THAT WHEN YOU DO YOUR BUDGET.
DOES THE HARD WARE, IS IT A ONE-TIME COST OR DOES IT HAVE STUFF, LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO -- IS IT GOING TO HAVE YOU'RE BUYING YOUR PRINTER, DO YOU NEED TO BUY INK AND PAPER?
ALL OF THAT STUFF, FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ONE-TIME COST AND WHAT'S GOING TO BE ONGOING.
DO YOU NEED TO LOOK AT ADDITIONAL STAFF?
IN THIS PROPOSAL IS A GOOD PLACE TO PUT STAFF IF YOU NEED IT.
MAINTENANCE, HOW IS MAINTENANCE GOING TO BE ADDRESSED, ARE YOU OUTSOURCING IT, IS IT INTERNAL?
EVEN IF IT'S INTERNAL IS IT COST, BECAUSE IT'S STAFF TIME?
AND CONNECTIVITY AND BANDWIDTH.
ARE YOU GOING TO NEED TO UP THAT BANDWIDTH, ARE YOU GOING TO NEED TO MOVE -- UPDATE YOUR FIRE WALL OR THAT KIND OF STUFF?
LOOK THROUGH ALL OF THOSE THINGS AS YOU CREATE YOUR BUDGET.
YOU ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT ASSOCIATED COSTS.
THESE ARE FURNITURE, YOU'RE BUYING A WHOLE NEW AREA OF COMPUTERS, YOU PROBABLY ARE GOING TO NEED NEW COMPUTER.
YOU'RE BUYING PODCAST SPACES OR MAKERSPACES YOU NEED DIFFERENT TYPES OF FURNITURE.
ARE YOU GOING TO NEED BUILDING MODIFICATIONS IN ITSELF?
WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR THAT AT YOUR LIBRARY?
ARE YOU GOING TO DO CONSTRUCTION, ARE YOU GOING TO PUT UP WALLS OR TAKE OUT SOME WALLS?
DO YOU NEED TO UPGRADE YOUR WIRELESS NETWORKS, DO YOU NEED TO DO OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT, ACTUALLY DROP WIRES?
IF YOU ARE BUILDING A MAKERSPACE, DO YOU NEED TO HAVE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT COME N. DO YOU NEED EXTRA VENTILATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT?
GREG, SaaS IS SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE.
NEW ELECTRICAL NEEDS, EVERYTHING NEEDS A CHARGER, EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE PLUGGED IN.
WHAT IS THAT GOING TO LOOK LIKE?
AND HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN AT YOUR LIBRARY, HOW DO YOU GET THAT DONE?
REALLY LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE NEEDS BEFORE YOU JUMP RIGHT INTO THINGS.
AND LAUNCHING COSTS.
ARE YOU GOING TO NEED ADDITIONAL MARKETING COSTS, ARE YOU GOING TO HELP WITH INSTALLATION?
ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.
ARE YOU MOVING THINGS AROUND, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED BIGAMOUSLE OR MOVING MEN TO COME IN AND HELP MOVE SOME SHELVES AND THINGS LIKE THAT?
THAT'S IMPORTANT TO KIND OF CONSIDER.
AS YOU'RE MOVING INTO THIS.
AND I JUST WANTED TO MENTION, WE HAVE OUR FUNDING LINES AND WE DO THAT, BUT SOMETIMES WE NEED TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.
I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THREE POSSIBLE WAYS TO LOOK OUTSIDE THE BOX.
THE FIRST IS GRANTS.
WITH GRANTS YOU HAVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS, HERE IN FLORIDA THAT IS THE HOT TOPIC AND THERE'S LOTS OF STATEWIDE GRANTS THAT HIT THAT AREA.
SO IF YOU COULD FIND A TECHNOLOGY NEED WITHIN THAT.
LSDA IS OFTEN AN OPTION, AND THE FOUNDATION CENTER.ORG, I CAN TYPE THAT INTO THE BOX.
HAS SOME GREAT RESOURCES FOR ADDITIONAL GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.
OF COURSE GRANTS HAVE WORK, YOU HAVE PAPERS AND YOU HAVE -- WEBJUNCTION HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THAT TOO.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN OUR OUTSIDE YOUR LIBRARY, OR YOUR COLLEGE OR YOUR INSTITUTION, DEFINE YOUR PARTNERSHIP REALLY WELL, HAVE WRITTEN CONTRACTS, REALLY LOOK AT WHAT EACH PARTNER BRINGS TO THE TABLE, EXPB MAKE SURE IT'S REALLY LAID OUT AS BEST AS POSSIBLE.
AND THEN CROWD SOURCING IS SORT OF WHERE YOU PUT UP AND SAY WE CAN GET THIS MUCH MONEY, GO TO GO FUND ME OR PLACES LIKE THAT WE CAN BUY STUFF.
I WANT TO ALLUDE TO STUFF IN THE CHATROOM.
PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT OPEN SOURCE, I HUGELY AM AN OPEN SOURCE FAN.
YOU NEED TO EVALUATE IF IT FITS YOUR LIBRARY.
OFTEN THERE'S NOT -- THERE'S -- THERE ARE GREAT ALTERNATIVES, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE MORE TRAINING BECAUSE PEOPLE AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH WHAT IT IS.
EVEN THOUGH IT WORKS THE SAME WAY OFTEN TIMES.
AND ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DON'T INTO SOME OF THE HIGHER LEVEL STUFF LIKE 3D PRINTING, ANIMATION, VIRTUAL REALITY, THERE'S THE OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE IS ALMOST BETTER THAN SOME OF THE PAID STUFF.
SO IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO EVALUATE IN THAT EVALUATION PLAN.
I THINK I SAW ANOTHER QUESTION.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS A QUESTION OR AN ADDITIONAL THING TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU WERE CONSIDERING BUDGET.
SOMEBODY SAID IF YOUR LIBRARY WAS GIVEN NEW TECHNOLOGY BY AN OUTSIDE ENTITY, YOU WOULD WANT TO CONSIDER HOW DO YOU GET TECH SUPPORT FOR THAT ITEM.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT -- I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS A QUESTION TO CONSIDER OR A QUESTION THEY HAVE.
>> IF YOU -- I'LL BRIEFLY SAY, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
IF THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU LICENSES FOR IT, OTHERWISE MAYBE LOOKING AT OPEN FORUMS AND STUFF LIKE THAT FOR THE TECH SUPPORT.
AND SOMETIMES YOU CAN CALL UP A COMPANY AND SAY THIS WAS DONATED TO ME, WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET SUPPORT?
SO I WOULD INVESTIGATE THOSE THREE DIFFERENT AVENUES WITH IT.
HOW DO YOU PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER IN A PLAN?
LOGISTICS TO INCLUDE.
WHEN YOU ARE LAYING OUT YOUR PLAN, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO THINK THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE, ANY HARDWARE, CONSTRUCTION HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, IMPLEMENTATION, ALL OF THAT AND HOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS.
BECAUSE FROM THE MOMENT YOU START DOING THINGS AND YOU UPGRADE YOUR WI-FI UNTIL YOU'RE READY, TO A YEAR FROM NOW WHEN THE TECHNOLOGY IS GOING, GOING, GOING, YOU NEED A PLAN FOR HOW THAT'S GOING TO WORK.
SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE LOGISTICS THAT ARE NEEDED, AND WE TOUCHED ON THOSE A LITTLE BIT WITH BUDGETING.
BUT REALLY, THINK THROUGH EACH STEP AND LOGICALLY PUT IT INTO AN ORDER.
AND USE A CALENDAR IF YOU NEED TO, OR THERE'S PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE, THE KEY -- KEEP TRACK OF THINGS AND HAVE THINGS WITH MILESTONES, SO YOU KNOW THAT IN ORDER TO HAVE THE LAUNCH ON APP 22nd, BY JANUARY FIRST YOU NEED TO HAVE THE SOFTWARE, THE HARDWARE ORDERED, BY SEPTEMBER, BY MARCH 1st YOU NEED TO HAVE THE SOFTWARE LOADED ON THE COMPUTERS, WORK YOURSELF THROUGH THE PROCESS AND WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE DONE BY CERTAIN DATES TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
THIS WILL HELP YOU KEEP THINGS IN MIND AND KNOW IF YOU'RE HITTING TROUBLE.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE DEADLINES OFTEN YOU CAN RUN INTO ISSUES WHERE YOU DIDN'T REALIZE HOW FAR BEHIND YOU ARE.
IN YOUR TIMELINE YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO HAVE DIFFERENT THINGS TO KEEP LAUNCHING IN DIFFERENT POINTS.
YOU DON'T WANT EVERYTHING LAUNCHING THE SAME MONTH OF YOUR TWO-2 MAN.
TO LOOK AT EASY-TO-IMPLEMENT ITEMS FOR THE EARLY PART OF YOUR PLAN, THE MORE COMPLICATED STUFF THAT HAS PLANNING, HAVE THAT PLANNING PROCESS START AND WORK THROUGH YOUR PLAN.
YOU NEED ELECTRICAL AND THINGS LIKE THAT DONE EARLY ON, AND THE MORE LOADING OF SOFTWARE LATER ON, BUT HAVE A PLAN FOR LAUNCHING.
AS USUAL LOOKING AT THIS, YOU MIGHT NEED TO LOOK AT HOW IT'S GOING TO FIT INTO YOUR LIBRARY, BEFORE YOU ORDER ANYTHING.
FIGURE OUT WHERE IT'S GOING TO BE IN YOUR LIBRARY AND HOW IT'S GOING TO WORK.
IF THERE'S ANY REQUIREMENTS, I'VE SEEN LIBRARIES THAT THEY ORDERED SOMETHING AWESOME AND THEN THEY FOUND OUT THAT THEIR FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULDN'T LET THEM PASS INSPECTION WITH IT.
YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING IN A ROW BEFORE HAND.
WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT WHERE TO PLACE IT IN THE LIBRARY, THINK ABOUT WHO YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE IS, IS IT GOING TO BE COLLABORATIVE, IS IT GOING TO BE LOUD?
YOU DON'T WANT TO PUT THE LOUD STUFF NEXT TO YOUR STUDY ROOMS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE ONLY GOING TO COMPLAIN.
MAKE SURE PEOPLE CAN FIND IT.
IF YOU NEED TO HAVE, THERE'S A LOT OF DESIGN SOFTWARE AND STUFF LIKE THAT IF YOU REALLY -- BUT GETTING INTO BIGGER STUFF YOU NEED TO LOOK AROUND AND MOVE THINGS AROUND.
AS YOU LOOK AT IMPLEMENTING STUFF, YOU NEED TO ASSIGN TASKS.
EVERYTHING ON YOUR PLAN NEEDS TO BE GIVEN TO A SPECIFIC PERSON.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A GIVEN TO A SPECIFIC PERSON, OFTEN TIMES IT CAN GET LOST BEHIND.
I KNOW IN THE LIBRARY I'M JUGGLING 17 DIFFERENT THINGS.
YOU DON'T TELL ME IT'S A PRIORITY, AND IT NEEDS TO BE DONE BY A CERTAIN DATE IT'S LIKELY NOT GOING TO GET DONE.
SO I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS.
I NEED TO MAKE SURE THIS IS DONE BY A SPECIFIC DATE.
AND PROVIDE THOSE DEADLINES SO THE PLAN CAN MOVE FORWARD.
AND I -- THIS IS REALLY JUST -- YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PROJECT MANAGEMENT PART IS THERE.
COMMUNICATION IS REALLY A VITAL PART OF THIS.
I -- EVERYBODY NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING -- MANY TIMES THE LIBRARY, COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY.
IF YOU ARE NOT COMMUNICATING WHAT IS GOING ON, THEN EVERYBODY IS GOING TO MAKE UP THEIR OWN STORY.
A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS IS YOU ORDERED ALL THE NEW COMPUTERS FOR THE CHILDREN'S LAB.
IT'S AMAZING, THEY SHOWED UP A WEEK -- THEY SHOWED UP TWO WEEKS EARLY, WHICH IS JUST THE BEST NEWS EVER.
HOWEVER, IT'S THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER READING, YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T TAKE OUT ALL OF THE COMPUTERS IN THE KIDS' ROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT, YOU ALSO KNOW THAT YOU NEED TO HAVE THE ELECTRICIAN SCHEDULED ON TUESDAY, YOU NEED TO HAVE THE NEW DESKS INSTALLED BEFORE YOU CAN DO THIS, ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF.
SO YOU KNOW THAT THEY CAN'T REALLY BE INSTALLED TWO WEEKS EARLIER.
IF YOU DON'T COMMUNICATE WHAT IS HAPPENING, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IS PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WALK PAST THOSE COMPUTERS IN THE BACK ROOM AND THINK, THESE WON'T DO ANYTHING, IT'S JUST SITTING THERE, WHY DON'T THEY PUT THEM OUT?
BECAUSE PEOPLE DO THAT, THAT'S THE NATURE OF PEOPLE.
TRANSPARENCY IS IMPORTANT, AND FROM THE BEGINNING TO WILL THE IMPLEMENTATION, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR SUCCESS.
ALONG WITH THAT IS TRAINING.
I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT SOFTWARE IN THE CHATROOM, I'M GOING TO LET YOU KEEP SHARING THERE, AND IT'S ALL GOING TO BE CAPTURED IN THE ARCHIVES.
YOUR STAFF ALL NEEDS TO BE TRAINED ON NEW TECHNOLOGY.
YOU NEED TO HAVE EXPERT LEVEL PEOPLE WHO CAN DO THE MORE SOPHISTICATED TRAINING AND TROUBLE-SHOOTING IN HELPING, TRAINING SHOULD BE ONGOING, I SHOULDN'T JUST BE A TECHNOLOGY ONE TIME.
EVERYBODY IN THE LIBRARY SHOULD AT LEAST KNOW THEY -- EVERYTHING TECHNOLOGY, BECAUSE HOW ELSE WOULD THEY RECOMMEND SOME -- SOMETHING IS RIGHT FOR SOMEBODY'S NEEDS IF THEY DON'T KNOW IT EXISTS OR NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
YOU ALSO WANT TO TRAIN YOUR STAFF ON THIS AS WELL.
NOT YOUR STAFF, YOUR USERS.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, IT'S THE FIRST TIME THEY'RE SEEING SOMETHING MAYBEIS SOFTWARE, MAYBE IT'S A 3D PRINTER, MAYBE IT'S ROBOTICS, MAYBE IT'S A PODCASTING STATION.
THERE'S A HUGE VARIETY OF STUFF.
HOW ARE THEY GOING TO KNOW HOW TO USE IT, WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS, REALLY LOOK AT ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF.
MAINTENANCE, YOU NEED TO HAVE A PLAN FOR MAINTENANCE IN YOUR LIBRARY.
EVERY PIECE OF EQUIPMENT NEEDS UPDATING.
IT MIGHT BE THROUGH A CENTRALIZED PORTAL WHERE YOU HIT A BUTTON AND ALL THE COMPUTERS DO UPDATES.
YOU MIGHT HAVE AUTO UPDATES SET UP FOR SOME THINGS, BUT SOME THINGS ARE GOING TO NEED FIRMWARE UPDATES.
CREATING A CHECKLIST OF HOW THIS MAINTENANCE IS GOING TO WORK.
AGAIN, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE SPECIFIC PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON THE CHECKLIST.
ON MAINTENANCE.
IT CAN'T JUST BE LIKE THE 3D PRINTERS OVER THERE, SOMEONE NEEDS TO MAKE SURE IT'S WORKING OKAY.
IT NEEDS TO BE LIKE ONCE A WEEK SOMEONE NEEDS TO CLEAN THIS PART, THIS NEEDS TO BE CLEANED ONCE A MONTH, THE WHOLE THING NEEDS TO BE DONE THIS WAY.
SO LOOK AT CREATING A CHECKLIST AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EACH AND SHARING THAT WITH EVERYBODY.
AND FINALLY, MARKETING YOUR SERVICES.
YOU CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT MARKETING YOUR SERVICES.
AND LETTING THE WORLD KNOW WHAT AMAZING THINGS YOU HAVE AT YOUR LIBRARY.
IN WILL BE WRENCHES IN YOUR PLAN.
IT JUST -- THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WITH PLANS.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE WILL HELP YOU KIND OF KEEP TRACK OF THAT STUFF AND HELP YOU REBALANCE THINGS.
BUT THE IMPORTANT THING IS DEFINED TO FIX WHATEVER HAPPENS.
AND THEN FIGURE OUT WHAT CAUSED THAT ISSUE AND THEN WORK AROUND SO IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
HOPEFULLY YOU CATCH THINGS EARLIER, THE MORE DETAILS THAT ARE IN YOUR PLANNING THE EASIER IT IS TO MITIGATE WRENCHES AND TO LOOK AT THEM.
IF THE WRENCH IS YOUR BUDGET WAS FLASHED, STOP AND REEVALUATE AND FIGURE OUT YOUR PRIORITIES.
IF YOU NEEDED TO STEP BACK ON A WHOLE NEW PLAN BECAUSE IT WAS CUT SO SEVERELY, YOU HAVE TO WORK ON YOUR CORE, TECHNOLOGY, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT BEFORE YOU'RE HALFWAY THROUGH WITH DOING SOMETHING.
HOWEVER, I DID WANT TO ADD, IF YOU ARE USING GRANT FUNDS, IT'S NOT EASY TO SWITCH MONEY AROUND.
ROBERT YOU'RE CRACKING ME UP, I'M NOT GOING TO LOOK.
BUDGET -- GRANTS ARE VERY SPECIFIC AND IF THERE IS A CHANGE TO YOUR FUNDING, IF THEY GIVE YOU SOMETIMES THE GRANT WILL COME BACK AND SAY WE'LL GIVE YOU 80% OF WHAT YOU ASK FOR, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU SUBMIT A REVISION, YOU WORK THROUGH THAT ALL BEFORE HAND.
ONGOING EVALUATION AS YOU WERE DOING THIS, YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT YOUR STATISTICS.
WE TALKED ABOUT GATHERING STATISTICS IN YOUR ASSESSMENT.
BUT AS YOU WERE INSTALLING EVERY PIECE OF THING THAT YOU ARE MOVING FORWARD, SOMEBODY MENTIONED RASPBERRY PI, THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS TO COLLECT STATISTICS.
YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE COLLECTING THE STATISTICS, YOU ARE GOING TO NEED TO ANSWER DID YOU MEET YOUR GOALS.
AND IF YOU LOOK -- IF YOU START TO DO THAT RIGHT WHEN YOU'RE IMPLEMENTING YOU'LL HAVE ALL OF THE DATA.
AND COLLECT IT REGULARLY, ANALYZE IT REGULARLY, AND FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING.
BECAUSE THAT IS THE QUESTION YOU CONSTANTLY HAVE TO GO BACK TO YOURSELF WITH, AM I MEETING MY GOALS.
AND IF I'M NOT, WHY NOT.
AND LOOK AT THAT AND ANALYZE IT AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THAT ISSUE IF YOU'RE NOT MEETING YOUR GOALS.
AND THEN LASTLY PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.
IN YOUR TECHNOLOGY PLAN, HAVE YOUR -- HOW YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP YOUR TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT AS A LIVING DOCUMENT, WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR NEXT TIME, WHO WORKED ON THE PLAN, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO PUT PEOPLE'S NAMES ON IT, LET PEOPLE TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THIS AMAZING DOCUMENT THAT YOU CREATED, BUT ALSO IN THREE YEARS WHEN I START TO DO THE NEW PLAN, AND I THINK, WHO WORKED ON THIS ANYWAY?
I CAN GO BACK AND FIGURE OUT WHO WAS THERE.
BECAUSE WE CHANGE JOBS, WE CHANGE EVEN WITHIN THE SAME LIBRARY WE CHANGE ROLES, SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THAT.
AND HAVE AN IDEA OF WHEN THEY SHOULD START THE NEXT TIMELINE.
SO THIS PLAN IS FROM 2020-2022, SO IN 2021 I RECOMMEND THAT YOU START WORKING ON THE NEXT PLAN.
SO THAT YOU HAVE THAT TIME.
SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO BUILD THAT IN SO THE NEXT GROUP OF PEOPLE KNOWS HOW TO DO THAT.
AND THAT'S ADDING -- HOW DO WE INCORPORATE A DISASTER PLAN AND BACKUPS INTO ALL OF THAT.
AS YOU ARE EACH PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY BACKUPS ARE OH, MY GOSH, I LIVE IN FLORIDA, SO WE'RE ALL ABOUT THE MASTER PLANS AND BACKUPS.
MAKE SURE YOU'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THAT, MAKE SURE YOUR INSURANCE IS COVERING WHAT YOU'RE BUYING, ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF.
SO I SEE SOME QUESTIONS, WE'RE TOWARDS THE END, SO I'M GOING TO PUT UP MY SLIDES BECAUSE I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE TO GET PLACES, BUT I CAN STAY BEHIND AND MAKE SURE WE ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS COMING IN.
AND MAKE SURE THINGS ARE ADDRESSED BEFORE WE LEAVE.
BUT FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME, USE THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE ON THE WEBJUNCTION WEBSITE AS WELL.
THE LEARNER'S GUIDE CAN WALK YOU THROUGH THESE STEPS WITH QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ANSWER, AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO THAT AS PART OF YOUR PLANNING PROCESS.
SO DEENA IS ASKING IN OUR LIBRARY WE'RE ESTABLISHING AN ACCESSIBILITY HUB FOR DIFFERENT ABLED USERS.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS THAT WOULD HELP IN THE IMPLEMENTATION?
WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND IS BRINGING IN DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND DIFFERENT VOICES TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE NOT MISSING -- THERE'S A LOT OF INVISIBLE DISABILITIES, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT DISABILITIES, SO REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE BRINGING IN, WHO YOU'RE TRYING TO HELP, AND MAKING SURE THAT THOSE PEOPLE ARE PART OF THE PLANNING PROCESS, OR AT LEAST AN ADVOCATE FOR THEM.
A DISASTER PLAN IS REALLY IMPORTANT WITH YOUR TECHNOLOGY.
BACKUPS, I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH.
AND THAT PART -- IS PART OF THAT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THAT STUFF IS THOUGHT OF AND YOU HAVE -- MAKE SURE THAT YOUR INSURANCE COVERS AND IS UP TO DATE WITH ALL OF YOUR NEW TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY IS EXPENSIVE, SO YOU WANT THAT REFLECTED PROPERLY IN YOUR INSURANCE.
YOU WANT TO HAVE SOME SORT OF PLAN FOR WHATEVER DISASTERS ARE LIKELY TO -- HERE IN FLORIDA WE ARE A HURRICANE -- HURRICANES ARE A BIG THING, SO HOW ARE WE READY TO ARE A HURRICANE?
WHAT'S THE PLAN, DO WE PUT PLASTIC OVER OUR COMPUTERS AS WE LEAVE, TURN OFF THE SERVERS, MAKE SURE ALL -- ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE BACKED UP IS BACKED UP OFF SITE AND AWAY FROM YOUR LIBRARY.
ROBERT IS ADDING, DON'T KNEECAP YOURSELF BY TRYING TO BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE.
IT'S BETTER TO CREATE A SIMPLE SYSTEM THAT DOES A FEW THINGS REALLY WELL THAN TRY TO DO ANYTHING AND END UP WITH A COMPLICATED SYSTEM THAT NOBODY WANTS TO TOUCH THINGS.
I THINK THAT GOES BACK TO DEENA'S COMMENT ABOUT ABLED -- DIFFERENTLY ABLED PEOPLE.
I THINK THAT'S TRUE, YOU WANT TO -- SUSAN IS ASKING A RECOMMENDED TIMELINE TO REPLACE WI-FI HARDWARE AND EQUIPMENT.
YOU COULD PROBABLY GO ABOUT FIVE YEARS, BUT IF IT'S -- I WOULD RECOMMEND ON A REGULAR BASIS HAVING SOMEONE CHECK YOUR FIRMWARE, THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST POINTS OF CYBERSECURITY RISK IS THAT ROUTER.
BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T UPDATE IT.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FIRE WALL IS UPDATED AND IT'S EVALUATED ON A REGULAR BASIS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S DOING WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
>> WELL, WE ARE AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR.
SO MUCH INFORMATION, I KNOW DIANA DID A LOT OF WORK TO PACK IT ALL IN FOR YOU, AND, YES, THE RECORDING WILL BE AVAILABLE SO YOU CAN REFRESH YOUR MEMORY, BUT DEFINITELY THE GUIDE SHE'S CREATED IS AN EXCELLENT TOOL TO WALK YOU THROUGH IT.
AND WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF WHAT WE DO IN LIBRARIES IS IN A CYCLE, SO HOPEFULLY THIS WILL HELP YOU GET STARTED ON YOUR TECHNOLOGY PLANNING CYCLE.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, DIANA, FOR BEING HERE, REALLY EXCELLENT WORK.
AND WE'RE SO EXCITED TO HAVE FOLKS EXPLORE YOUR BOOK FURTHER, AND THANK YOU TO ROMAN & LITTLEFIELD FOR THE FANTASTIC DISCOUNT.
I WILL SEND YOU ALL AN EMAIL LATER ON TODAY ONCE EVERYTHING IS POSTED, AND I'LL SEND YOU ALL A CERTIFICATE FOR ATTENDING ONCE -- LATER ON NEXT WEEK.
AND SO I'LL BE IN CUSP WITH YOU ALL.
AND FEEL FREE TO SPREAD THE WORD, THE RECORDINGS ARE ALL AVAILABLE FOR FOLKS TO ACCESS FREE ON WEBJUNCTION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU, THIS WAS REALLY FUN.
THANK YOU ALL FOR ATTENDING.
>> FANTASTIC.