Notes from the back room :
The back room crew (Jesse and I) left the back room today and went about 10 feet east into the director’s office. Practically a field trip. We needed the speaker phone for an interview with the MaintainIT Project. (And next week we are doing a 30 minute presentation via the Internet) The MaintainIT Project is a three-year project of TechSoup, a nonprofit with extensive experience helping libraries use technology effectively, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They gather stories from public libraries on how they support public computers and publish their tips and techniques in Cookbooks and articles, so librarians can learn from each other and not reinvent the wheel over and over again. “So what would such an organization want with the back room crew?”, you ask. Well, they want more from Jesse than me, but basically they think the computer reservation system he built is neat-o. They think, as a whole library, the decisions we have made with the open source ILS and such, can be a model to other small libraries trying to provide high quality for a small price. Yeah, they think our library is cool. I think our library is pretty darn cool too. What they didn’t ask – and what I think is paramount to any good library – is what the community thinks, how you think we are doing in meeting the needs of information and technological dissemination to the community. Last year more than half of all Americans visited a library at least once, according to a new report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. So, theoretically half of you have been here (ok what is up with the other half of you!), some of you probably have something to say. Come by the back room and let us know what you think.
