Plumas County Library

Louise Alcorn, librarian, author, and wireless expert extraordinare, recently responded to a blog comment worth talking about.

I’ve met so many superstars on this trip, and look forward to meeting more. At each library, I sometimes feel like a walking Cookbook: I share stories, I offer solutions I’ve heard from libraries, and I capture the triumphs and challenges each step of the way. Here’s a brief synopsis of just a few shining moments:

Well, maybe pink, or even salmon-colored.

When I popped my trunk this morning, ash floated around me, sliding off my car. A fire was moving in our direction, but there was no real sign of it... yet.

Making books in the Internet Archive bookmobile not only draws a lot of curious patrons, staff, and passersby, it's also a lot of fun. So when I had a chance to bind our very own Cookbook, I jumped at the opportunity. Today, I invited Margaret Miles of the Plumas County Library to learn how the binding machine works using her personal copy of the Cookbook. Here she is, a veritable pro!

Today I spoke with librarians from the four branches of the Plumas County Library. Margaret Miles, the director of the library, invited me to speak at their all-staff meeting, and we shared a provocative conversation covering many topics, from lockdown software, to tracking public computer use, to low-fi PC reservation processes, to patron training.

In true grassroots fashion, the MaintainIT Project is taking to the road to visit rural libraries in northern California, gathering stories about maintaining public computers, spreading the word about Cookbooks, and learning about the triumphs and challenges libraries face.