TechSoup for Libraries blogs

Collecting Patron Technology Training Resources

Stephanie Gerding — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:01:05 +0000

WebJunction is taking a giant leap forward for library trainers across the country, by developing a truly valuable collection of library technology training resources and assets. These materials will be free to download and reuse, which will help reduce your library’s burden of developing and finding training materials. I'm so excited to be working with WebJunction on this project. It is actually a dream come true for me.

Last year I brainstormed about what I could do to really make a difference and contribute to the important work of library technology trainers, and I came up with this project idea. Often when leading workshops for new technology trainers, I hear that they need good quality lesson plans and handouts, so they don't have to reinvent the wheel. I'm really happy to be helping to identify and collect these resources. But we also need your help. Please take this quick survey to select the specific patron training topics of greatest interest to you, to guide our work. The survey will close on September 15, so don’t delay!

Library Cards: there's an app for that!

Stephanie Gerding — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:49:01 +0000

Library cards can be digitized on an iPhone or iPod touch, Android, or BlackBerry using the mobile app, CardStar. This handy video created by Hinsdale Public Library in Illinois shows how to install the app and how easy it is to use in the library. Boulder Public Library, in Colorado, includes instructions on their website. Hmm, I have to try this out. I wouldn't mind not having to keep up with my library card.

Libraries are Ecologically Virtuous and Make Dreams Come True

Stephanie Gerding — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:45:48 +0000

Isn't that a lovely description for a library? A New York Times article, How Green is My Ipad?, discussed the ecological impact of e-readers. Their conclusion made me smile, "All in all, the most ecologically virtuous way to read a book starts by walking to your local library." The Seattle Times also had a supportive article in a recent issue, which described libraries as "enablers of generations of Americans' dreams." In these days of so many articles regarding library budget cuts and closed branches, it's good to see libraries recognized as an essential resource and as community centers for all ages and types of community members.

Community Organizers Handbook

Stephanie Gerding — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:34:38 +0000

Check out NetSquared's new Community Organizers Handbook that covers all aspects of local community organizing. This wiki is a great resource for your library in connecting with community groups, whether through meetings and programs you sponsor, or by sharing this resource with your local groups.

NetSquared (a project of TechSoup Global) is focused on the intersection of technology and social impact, building connections between all those involved in community development and change, including: nonprofits, foundations, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs. The NetSquared Local network has grown from just a few groups to more than 70 groups in over 21 countries! Those local groups are organized by volunteers passionate about building community. They support organizers with resources, assistance, and other connections, but believe the most valuable resource comes from organizers having access to each other and sharing between themselves.

ARSL-ABOS 2010 Conference

Stephanie Gerding — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:14:52 +0000

The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) and the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) will have their 2010 ARSL-ABOS Joint Conference in Denver, Colorado, on October 14-16. The theme is "Magic in the Mile High City." Designed for directors, staff and trustees of small libraries, bookmobiles and outreach staff, attendees will find information that is helpful, practical and relevant. Sarah Washburn will be sharing about TechSoup in her session, "No Need to Reinvent the Wheel: Learn from the Experiences of Others." Early Bird registration ends on August 29, so register today!

WebJunction's Digitization & Preservation Symposium

Stephanie Gerding — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:55:08 +0000

Tomorrow, August 25, 2010, WebJunction is hosting a two-hour symposium that will feature presentations on current trends and practical approaches to library digitization and preservation projects.

Designing a digital preservation system.
The difference between access and preservation tools.
Harvesting social networking websites for preservation.
The organizational "long-view" of preservation resources, technology, costs and policies.

This event will be archived too. Thanks WebJunction!

Great Advocacy Tool: OCLC's How Libraries Stack Up Report

Stephanie Gerding — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:39:03 +0000

This report has been out a few months, but I finally got a chance to look at it. I was surprised that it is only 2 pages (could have read it sooner!). But it is full of great stats about the varied roles libraries play in our communities (economic, social and cultural). This report is great for distribution at community meetings, and it could also be emailed to appropriate leaders and shared with all library staff. The technology training statistics caught my eye:

"More libraries—5,400—offer technology training classes than there are computer training businesses in the U.S. Every day, 14,700 people attend free library computer classes—a retail value of $2.2 million. That’s $629 million worth of computer classes annually (based on 286 business days per year). "

Lots of great data for giving speeches or defending public library budgets as well, since it includes information on:

Americans receiving job-seeking help and career assistance at public libraries
Libraries as a resource for small businesses
The prevalence and scope of library activity in the United States
Libraries as providers of free services to the community such as Wi-Fi access, technology training and meeting rooms
Comparisons of library activities to various retail and entertainment businesses

I REALLY love the fact that they provide two PowerPoint versions of the report; one with all the information from the printed report, and one that has many of the graphics from the report along with blank spaces for you to customize for your library. Wow, how user-friendly is that?! An advocacy tool that you can implement immediately.

Upcoming Webinar: Online Collaboration Tools

Stephanie Gerding — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:54:26 +0000

It doesn’t matter if your library is large or small, or if you have a complex network or have no server at all. Knowing about online collaboration tools can help organizations and individuals be more effective, for less money, especially when your staff is not located in one central place.

In this free webinar, Kami Griffiths will interview Jon Warnow from 350.org to learn about the tools that they use to accomplish their mission specifically Google Apps, Skype and Salsa Labs-Democracy in Action. We’ll also hear from Jay Boren, from Google, who will provide more information about Google Apps and the ways that nonprofits and libraries can take advantage of this suite of free tools.

This webinar is ideal for decision makers, board members, accidental techies, or anyone interested in learning how to successfully use online tools for collaboration.

What have you learned in our webinars?

Stephanie Gerding — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:32:17 +0000

We want our free library technology webinars to be true learning experiences. Each month we have a 3-4 question survey to gather your thoughts and ideas to make sure we're offering products and services useful to you and your library. Please take this brief survey to share with us what you have learned in our webinars and we'll enter your name in a monthly prize drawing.

TechSoup for Libraries collects your success stories and solutions and shares your experiences with other libraries, through our blog, articles, and webinars. Get in touch with us to share your story!

NTIA Announcing Round One BTOP Grants

Chris Peters — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:57:31 +0000

In March of this year, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) began the ongoing, rolling announcement of the first round of grantees under the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

BTOP is a $4.7 billion program intended to expand access to broadband services in the U.S. It was authorized in the 2009 stimulus bill (a.k.a. the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or ARRA). NTIA has announced that it will distribute BTOP funds in three rounds. As reflected in the first round of approved grants, NTIA is awarding BTOP monies to grants in four broad categories: infrastructure, sustainable adoption, public computing centers and broadband mapping.

Libraries could theoretically apply for and receive direct funding through the BTOP program. However, in practice, most of the successful grants thus far were written by intermediary organizations. These large and mid-sized organizations have the staff hours, expertise, and experience needed to manage complex, multi-faceted grants encompassing many partners and numerous beneficiaries. In skimming the grant fact sheets on the BTOP site, I saw grants awarded to government agencies (including several state libraries), large nonprofits (e.g. One Economy), and large telecommunications companies (e.g. Level 3). Smaller libraries and nonprofits will receive services and equipment as beneficiaries of large umbrella grants administered by these intermediaries.

Infrastructure Grants

As far as I can tell, infrastructure and broadband mapping grants will be implemented mostly by the large government agencies and corporations that wrote the grants, along with their equally large and well-connected partners. The BTOP Infrastructure grants are often focused on "middle mile" infrastructure, which makes it easier for ISPs to sell broadband services in areas where startup costs were previously too high to make the venture profitable. Judging from this article on Connected Planet, last mile infrastructure grants providing service directly to homes and businesses in underserved rural areas are receiving significant funding from the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) administered by Rural Utilities Services (RUS) (also authorized and funded by ARRA).

However, in accordance with the BTOP guidelines, some of the infrastructure grants include stipulations that the grant recipients Fiber Optic Cableswill provide broadband service to "anchor institutions" in underserved communities. Some of the institutions mentioned explicitly are schools, colleges, libraries, and hospitals. Therefore, some of these grant funds may eventually benefit libraries directly.

Sustainable Adoption Grants

On the other hand, the "sustainable adoption" and "public computing center" grants are more likely to directly benefit smaller libraries and nonprofits. The sustainable adoption grants often focus on closing the digital divide with training and outreach, and the writers of these grants often included numerous local, grassroots nonprofits as named partners. In some cases, these partners will be directly responsible for the recruiting, training and coordination of "digital connectors" (defined as tech-savvy, web-savvy members of underserved communities who will train and mentor their peers and neighbors).

Public Computing Center Grants

As described in the grant fact sheets, the Round One public computing center grants will benefit a mix of library systems, public housing authorities (PHAs), nonprofits and other organizations responsible for managing public computing centers. The grants that explicitly benefit libraries were usually sponsored by state libraries (e.g. Oklahoma, New York, Montana and Nevada) or large city governments (e.g. Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles). If you're curious about your state, Grantmakers in Film and Media has posted links to all the approved grants on a single page, which makes them easier to scan.

Hurry Up and Wait

The documents about specific grant applications and awards posted on the BTOP web site say very little about timelines and plans for distributing the funds. There are NTIA-mandated rules and reporting timelines, but they don't help if you want to know when new computers and faster Internet will arrive at your library. NTIA and some grantees have written press releases trumpeting their award and offering clues about administration and distribution. However, the only detailed instructions I've seen were posted to various listservs by Kurt Maagd, an assistant professor at Michigan State University (MSU) who wrote a successful grant application to expand public computing facilities in Michigan public libraries serving populations with high unemployment.

I worked for a few years at the department of the Washington State Library responsible for distributing and managing federal grant funding intended to benefit libraries in the state. The frustrations I heard expressed by my colleagues often centered on the difficulty of administering grant projects while complying with an endless stream of regulations, requests and "suggestions" from officials at the both the state and federal level. Reporting requirements, accounting regulations, and other due diligence tasks meant that complete implementation of grant projects often took longer than we might have hoped.

In other words, if you and your colleagues are impatient to receive your share of stimulus goodies, you'll probably have to wait a while longer. In the mean time, if you're hungry for more information, I suggest that you and Google "your state + BTOP" or pull some search keywords from the BTOP fact sheets for Round One grantees. You may have to get in contact with the state library or other grant administrator to get answers to the really relevant and interesting questions such as:

Does my library qualify for funding under the parameters of this grant?
If so, what are the application, invoicing and reporting requirements?
What's your timeline for distributing funds and equipment to libraries?

Two stipulations in the stimulus statute itself put some boundaries on how long you'll need to wait before seeing the effects of BTOP grants. All grant projects must be "substantially complete" within two years of the award date, and "fully complete" within three years.

Round Two Grants

And it's not just that Round One that keeps on going. Round Two of the BTOP has just begun. The window for submitting Round Two grant applications closed on March 16, 2010, and NTIA application review is currently underway. Again, the statute imposes a limit on how long we'll have to wait. All BTOP funds must be awarded by September 20, 2010, so we'll presumably hear news on Round Two grantees on or before that date.

I'm not surprised that a government program of this size and scope involves paperwork and other bureaucratic delays. Regardless, I'm still grateful that Congress, the White House, NTIA, and all those at organizations seeking and managing grants are making this effort. When all these grants pass into the implementation phase, I'm confident that they'll ago a long way towards bridging the digital divide and jolting our sleepy economy. I also want to give a shout out to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As part of its Opportunity Online grant program, the Foundation helped several state libraries write their grant applications and will provide matching funds for several of the successful Round One grants.