benchmark | TechSoup for Libraries

Working a framework: benchmarks are a process.

Larra Clark 26 August 2011 - 12:20pm

Along with TechSoup, the ALA Office for Technology Information Policy (OITP) is one of the thirteen organizations working to develop a beta set of national public access technology benchmarks for public libraries. We’d like to thank Sarah for the opportunity to introduce ourselves and share some of our thoughts and experiences from working on this project.

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Urban Libraries Council

OITP

Those dreaded benchmarks: a rural librarian's perspective

Janet Chase-Williams 23 August 2011 - 9:05am

Benchmarks. These are words of foreboding for this rural librarian. Great. On top of non-existent funding now the library is going to have to live up to some Queens Library-quality technological advancements.

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Who's Responsible for the Digital Divide? The Answer May Surprise You!

Ariel Gilbert-Knight 11 August 2011 - 10:43am

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Utopian Benchmarks are not the Goal

Josie Parker 9 August 2011 - 9:30am

When I was first invited to be a representative of public library directors in the Public Access Technology Benchmarks Initiative (joining the consortium of 13 organizations including TechSoup Global, ALA, PLA and the Urban Libraries Council), I was reluctant.

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You can learn a lot from a chicken

Sarah Washburn 3 August 2011 - 2:17pm

When new projects first start, often teams feel a little unsure or unclear about what they're being asked to accomplish, conjuring up Gertrude Stein's, "there's no there, there," or maybe leaning more toward Bill Clinton's "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is." At any rate, let's just say in the parlance of our time that you may have been a little fuzzy, like Gertrude and Bill once were.

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public access technology

pat

Better together: benchmarks and advocacy

Ariel Gilbert-Knight 28 July 2011 - 9:30am

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

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public access technology

Creating meaningful and useful Public Access Technology benchmarks

Sarah Washburn 6 July 2011 - 2:00pm

What do you think of when you hear the word, "benchmark"? From my experience, it evokes a range of emotional and intellectual responses. For many, it can sound a bit scary, like "job security for some of us (or the ditch we die in)."

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