Aaron Schmidt, Thomas Ford Memorial Libary
Bernadine Goldman, Los Alamos County Public Library
Hardware Solutions (Bernadine)
- Problems
- Stolen memory
- fights over who’s turn it is on the Net
- reams of left over printout paper
- staff: is this what i went to school for?
- Researching a solution
- vendors at conferences
- library lit
- WebJunction
- LITA Listserv
- Site visits
- vendor websites
- online demos
- Features Wanted
- Internet access
- application software
- print cost recovery
- workstation reservations
- time management
- patron authentication
- Three environments
- PCs
- Thin clients
- USerful / Open Source
- Why we Chose Thin Clients
- not vulnerable to tampering
- updated from central server
- less physical space
- familiar software applications
- fit into technology plan
- (problems with USB drives not being supported)
- Technology planning
- take care in constructing it
- people take it very seriously once it’s in black and white
- Getting your selection through the system
- local government procurement
- had to justify a sole source
- must be authorized to sign a contract
- allow plenty of time for attorneys
- be prepared to pinpoint many details
- Rules for installation
- no such thing as a turnkey solution
- it’s never as simple as they claim
- installation takes longer than expected
- be a problem-solver
- be prepared to learn a lot
- Time line
- net access – day 1
- apps – gradually
- print cost recovery – 2 months
- workstation res – 5 months
- timer software – 5 months
- Patron reactions
- delight
- outrage
- privacy issues
- age-related
- alow for games
- screen flickering
- want more features
- Staff reactions
- stress!
- need time to learn the new technology
- wish system came with a manual
- wish it were more stable
- happy to stop waste of paper
- happy to have more workstations
- Lessons learned
- new tech is time consuming
- do your research
- can’t be over prepared
- pay attention to infrastructure
Smart Computing at Your Library (Aaron)
My fingers are tired, find it here.
