The Liminal Librarian

Session 2 of Innovation in Smaller Libraries is Tiny Libraries, Tiny Tech, Innovative Services. Part 1: Jessamyn West, Part 2: Heather Braum, Brenda Hough

Jessamyn West: Smart Tiny Tech — Solving Problems with Simple Technology

Slides online at librarian.net/talks/cil2009

Her little library photo, very cute. Population 900 — 1 FTE — librarian, and her (systems lady). Also runs MetaFilter, lifeguard, teach basic computer classes, help me buy a laptop, speaks.

Rural is different — ALA talking to rural libraries usually means ppl from bigger libraries talking about what rural libs can do. Ppl at big confs talk about people in slums in Brazil having cells. People in rural areas don’t — can’t get service! Lib. only place to get internet where she is.

Apologies for the numbers — Pew reports — not reality you see on TV — not same service there. 55% adult americans have broadband at home — lots of libns where she works don’t have internet or even computers at home, because they think of computers as “work machines” whereas Jessamyn thinks of a computer as “my best friend.” 10% have dialup. Internet now doesn’t work on dialup. 25% low income ppl don’t have broadband at home, older ppl, etc. Home broadband adoption by poor going down — they can’t afford or are losing jobs. People who don’t have broadband — 19% don’t want, 14% (24%) in rural america say NOT AVAILABLE where they live. 27% adult americans not internet users.

Who cares if you’re offline. Obama — deliver more services printing less paper. 45% dialup users never look state local info online.

First things first — clicking a challenge. Screenshared with her dad to show right click. Can’t ebay til you have email. Staff — no broadband or computers at home, hotmail.com addresses, limited time to troubleshoot, no playtime to learn things. Get what gates foundation gives them and happy for it, upgrade when vendors say, MP3 players when switched to overdrive. Patrons just want stuff to work.

Jessamyn — she rules — can be in charge because she just wants to do it. Run state library association web site because it needs fixing and she just asked. Figure out who leads/follows. Pull along who is in charge.

Money problems — Save a stamp, let us email you. People get that — $.42! Get online, help us save money. Things that are free — web space, video hosting, photo hosting, blog software, some tech support, free vs. “free.”

What her libraries think are worth it: Sharon library — wireless draws new ppl in, no one else has. Randolph — wireless, computers — people can’t afford them. Troubleshooting/guides/maintaining tech. Patron privacy. Royalton — wireless, taxes, apply for jobs. Website up-to-date, interactive. Roxbury — just got a bathroom. And wireless, started a website, did 23 things, grant for computers. Tunbridge — getting catalog online. One-on-one advice, the library that says “yes.”

Heather Braum, Brenda Hough –Tiny Libraries, Tiny Tech

Brenda: MaintainIT — Tech Soup — Brenda used to work at NEKLS, Heather is there now.

1) Thinking outside the box — literally — thinking outside the library walls, creating a virtual library in a community of 157 when you’re open 14 hours a week, because that presence is up 24/7.

2) Connected to community — Williamsburg KS has a population of 300 and worked together to move books to new building. No paid staff at time, did it all themselves.

3) No fear of new things. No layers of bureaucracy, getting admin/staff buyin, committees.

4) Collaboration. KS has 7 regional systems — even if in small town, can be connected to/collaborate w/ other local libs.

My Kansas Libraries on the Web (MKLOW)

Sharon Moreland article, CIL magazine. Uses WordPress — had sites couldn’t update, that someone set up for them once upon a time, outdated — now can use to keep it up to date. Slides showing videos from library staff who support the project and in dinky libraries talking about how useful the project has been.

KOHA in Kansas

70-80 current/future KOHA libraries in KS — communities of 500-1000 ppl — pooled resources, now can get awesome ILS system, easy to use. Created video using jing (free) on how to use catalog, stick on library homepage. Comments from patrons — like using a well-funded large city library but more convenient/less expensive. Before only had winnebago, etc., standalone — no online presence — now can easily do ILL.

Morrill PL — tech training — lifelong learning. Hiawatha KS. Video about the tech classes — office, ebay, gps. Ppl like, advertise paper/radio/website. Just go for it. Start w/ what you have, what ppl in community ask for. Listen to patrons. Laptop lab, hope to replace w/ grant.

PC time management. code.google.com/p/powerline — had a 16 year old geek on staff who saw challenge of sign in sheets, wrote time management software, free online, MaintainIT did a webinar on it.

Question: software for video tutorials?

Answer: Jing is available online — jingproject.com. Used to build training for KOHA and cloud project. Mac/PC — install and just hit a key and capture motion video and mike input or just screenshots and write on them — can download to PC and upload somewhere else, or register for a free screencast.com account and upload from there. Easy, cross-platform.

Question: Questioner can only get internet at home on satellite — why are you having animated images on your tiny library sites — this is contrary to what you are saying about people not having broadband.

Answer: Libraries themselves designing the pages — they don’t design the pages for them — when people start creating web pages, get allure of moving images etc. Feedback will probably resolve. Jessamyn says: Ceiling — hundredk or 75k or 150k or less site — fit whatever can do w/in limit — WordPress, header etc. can all be text so can be a tradeoff between visual appeal and load time. Satellite is jerky — anything more than a couple k goes later, they have a lot of satellite users, they worry about.

Question: Questioner is from Thailand, they have similar system. Who is main target — who uses the website? Did Community ask for it? Who decides what content to put on it?

Answer (Heather): Often just librarian — announcing programs, respond to community needs, ask patrons what want on site, community news in general, old newspapers 100 years ago — depends on community. KLOW project — one platform, but each lib can put in own theme, widgets, content.