Stephanie Gerding's blog

I was posting some new library grant opportunities, and reading this award description made me think of the MANY libraries involved in the MaintainIT Project.

The Tech Static, a new collection development resource for technology titles, published its inaugural issue today. Included in this first issue was an announcement regarding the new MaintainIT Cookbook, Joy of Computing - Planning for Success. Hooray!

The new cookbook is full of so much amazingly helpful information, I get really excited just thinking about it. The many librarians who contributed time and knowledge to share with others have created a resource that is an outstanding contribution to the library world! There are so many webinars scheduled, you are sure to find several that you are interested in or want to forward on to someone else.

We're so excited about the new MaintainIT Cookbook, "Planning for Success!" This free online resource brings together the most current ideas and best practices for planning, building, and managing your library’s computer technology. Librarians around the country have contributed their knowledge on topics ranging from security solutions and strategic maintenance practices to community experiences involving Web 2.0 tools and vital partnerships.  And best of all, like all of the other MaintainIT materials, it is FREE. For the next month we are hosting a cornucopia of webinars to showcase the new materials—from 20-minute introductions to one hour topic specific discussions. Join us for these learning experiences: 

At the Internet Librarian Conference earlier this week I was fascinated by a presentation—Ubiquitous Computing and Library Futures—given by Chris Peters, Technical Analyst at MaintainIT, and Michael Porter, Community Project Manager at WebJunction. They defined Ubicomp as “a model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities.” Essentially this would mean computing and information access happening where and when we need it, enabled by calm technology that is everywhere but is effectively invisible. Doesn’t that sound lovely? 

Tasty Tidbits from the New MaintainIT Cookbook: A Free Webinar!  We're so excited about the new MaintainIT Cookbook, "Planning for Success"! This online resource brings together the most current ideas and best practices for planning, building, and managing your library’s computer technology.

It's no trick: if you complete our SHORT survey (3 questions!), you will get a chance to win a tremendous treat! We'll put all your names in our Halloween jack-o'-lantern and give away three of these stylish ALA business card cases, plus a couple MaintainIT surprises!

Brenda Hough led a great train-the-trainer webinar today. There were over 60 library trainers online from all over the country, WOW! Great tips were shared about the power of sharing stories: to provide context, encourage engagement, focus on relevance, and put participants at ease. I wanted to share one of the feedback comments, because it was a great summary of what was especially useful to one participant:

This question was asked on publib about a month ago but there weren’t many answers. Please contribute by posting your tips in the comments! Lots of very practical advice for planning, recruitment, selection and supervision of volunteers can be found in one of the MaintainIT Project's free resources, Chapter 3 of the cookbook for Small and Rural Libraries.

Wow, Robin and Brenda did such a great job in today’s webinar. Robin Hastings from the Missouri River Regional Library provided interesting insider information on how her library has opened up two way communication and sharing with their community using 2.0 tools. As Robin said, “If it is a social media site where our patrons are, that is where we are.” How fantastic!