Technically speaking

This week was pretty productive, technically speaking. I did a Cyber 6 Pack workshop with some school library media specialists, and made lots of notes about how I need to adjust the presentation as I forge ahead. But in other news, we discovered that we might have problems giving wireless access to a local school participating in a 1:1 laptop program (Macs!).

Our crack IT teams are exploring the issue and will try to isolate the problem. Even though this school isn't in our service area, the kids with the laptops use our libraries. I think it's vital to provide all users with a great experience to the best extent possible, so the outcome of this situation is important to me. Plus, when we have users bringing in their own laptops it greatly eases the demand for our desktops - resulting in more access for all patrons. It's a win - win.

Another awesome thing I saw this week was a recording studio in a NZ library. I have agreed with colleagues for some time that what we need is a sort of library "gadget lab," where users can come in and explore new technology and find out what it's all about. If it doubled as a recording studio for video and audio, all the better! We are doing more and more podcasting and vidcasting so a room like this would help us as well as patrons. It's called Beatbooth, and lots of users are flocking to its affordable hourly rates and cool library location. You couldn't wedge a 5 piece band in there, but it's got a keyboard, mic, and Mac. Awesome :)