Ariel Gilbert-Knight's blog

Your organization is doing great work, but you may not always be telling that story in a way that resonates with potential donors and other supporters.

In It's Not You, It's Your Stories at the 2012 Nonprofit Technology Conference, Steve Daigneault (VP of eCampaigns at M&R Strategic Services) and Sue Citro (Director of Digital Strategy, Global Programs at The Nature Conservancy) shared their tips for telling better and more effective stories.

This Cool App Roundup from App It Up highlights how apps can help libraries connect with patrons and provide services in new ways.

Many libraries accomplish this by creating standalone apps or a mobile-friendly website and library catalog. But these aren’t the only ways apps can help organizations share resources or get their message out. We hope the ideas below will inspire libraries (and nonprofits!) to think about innovative ways to use apps and mobile technology.

We're happy to announce the launch of our new App It Up page for nonprofits and libraries. This page is where we'll be sharing what we're learning through the App It Up project.

I was lucky enough to attend a Digital Inclusion Forum event in Los Angeles last month. The Forum was designed to gather community feedback on the proposed Framework for Digital Inclusion developed by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the University of Washington, and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

Pretty much every time I read something written by a librarian, I am charmed anew that librarians are just so helpful. Stephanie Gerding's recently published article, "Transforming Public Library Patron Technology Training" in the most recent ALA Techsource Library Technology Reports, is no exception.

Did you know that defining the digital divide in different ways can actually change public perception of who's responsible for addressing the issue? An article I read recently, Who's Responsible for the Digital Divide? suggests just that, which has intriguing implications for how libraries talk about the digital divide and how they advocate for public access technology.

What would you think about a tool that:

• Creates a common language for discussing public libraries' and public access technology's role in supporting community goals
• Sets clear, achievable and measurable standards for public access technology for libraries of all sizes
• Supports strategic planning, budgeting and advocacy processes
• Provides an extra layer of legitimacy and authority to library technology discussions
• Helps you find new and clearer ways to tell your library's story