Focus:Public:Infrastructure

From NetworkedLibraries

[edit] Public Libraries - Management of Technology Infrastructure

(What it means to management the library's technology infrastructure)

[edit] Checklist for Public Libraries

• Compare the technology plan with the library’s overall strategic plan and align as necessary.
• Check inventory of software available to library users that allows them access to our digital collections and to standard tools. (Do we have software often requested or needed by students, small business owners, teens and other user groups? What version of operating system and office software do we have installed?)
• Review security software licenses annually to ensure workstations, servers and the network are secure from unwanted outside access and viruses. (Check that these items are part of an ongoing budget line item.)
• Double-check the disaster plan to make sure technology resources are covered.
• Initiate a quarterly spot check on backups to verify that procedures are followed.
• Know the location of departmental electronic files that are critical to library services, programs, collections and operations. (Are we dependent on individual staff members to locate files? If so, set up new file management procedures.)
• Review statistics about network traffic to determine the adequacy of our bandwidth. Pay particular attention to times of heavy library use -- e.g., after school hours, etc. (Can we get this data from our Internet Service Provider or do we need to collect this data within the library?)
• Review our computer hardware configuration to maximize service and minimize space requirements. (How do we balance our space and connectivity needs? Are we still dependent on wired connections?)
• Promote our virtual library through local newspaper, television, and radio outlets. Contact area educational institutions, business groups, and cultural organizations to establish a library web presence on their websites. (Do the physical walls of our library constrain access to the full suite of our resources and services?)
• Re-examine our library environment and services as a gathering place for technology users. (What institutions and commercial establishments in the community offer internet access? What added value does the library offer over commercial establishments with wireless Internet access?)
• Assess the overall speed and functionality of the library’s online catalog and its related components. Test a set of online library functions in the library and remotely at least once a month. (Do library users experience seamless and responsive library transactions when checking library records, placing holds, and searching databases?)
• Review, revise and expand the “To Do Checklist” of technology infrastructure management tasks most critical to the needs of our library.

[edit] Illinois Public Library Models

These public library models have been shared by libraries in Illinois.