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Our December newsletter went out last week, full of lots of library tech goodies (the kind with no calories!). If you aren't subscribed, you can still view our newsletter online. If you need to subscribe, just follow this link.

During Tuesday's webinar, "Tech Savvy Staff", Penny Talbert and Stephanie Zimmerman discussed the Ephrata (PA) Public Library's approach to increasing staff technology know-how. One of things that I found especially interesting was Penny's assessment of the outcomes she has witnessed since implementing their staff competencies program.

In this blog series, we are taking a close look at technology training models in public libraries, sharing successful examples and identifying tips and best practices. We recently took a look at mobile lab instruction as a way to reach people in the community outside the library walls. In this post, we examine various ways to utilize volunteer technology instructors, bringing the skills and interests of the community into the library.

Thank you to Penny Talbert and Stephanie Zimmerman for their presentation during today's webinar, "Tech Savvy Staff: Better Service for Library Users." We had a large crowd for the session, asking excellent questions, and many useful resources were shared.

Many libraries are finding new ways to support DIY (do it yourself) culture in their communities. One of the things I'm seeing discussed is the arduino micro-controller, with some libraries providing arduino classes. I've found some resources and references, but would love to hear from you. What are you doing (or thinking about doing) related to arduino?

Virtually every library provides technology training in one form or another. How can we work together to share resources and ideas with one another?

Perhaps you've read all about the new features and improvements in Windows 8? Now it is time to see Microsoft's latest operating system in action!  

Virtually every library provides technology training in one form or another. In my experience, trainers are great at finding ways to share resources and ideas with one another. Here are a few of the spaces and places of which I'm aware. What has been useful for you?

It's not often an opportunity arises to provide the world's largest foundation your thoughts on your work, your field, and the resources your library needs to succeed. The Gates Foundation is asking for your perspective in an anonymous survey that will help them support today's libraries into the future.

Thank you to Irene and Alba for sharing their Tech-a-la-Carte experiences with us during today’s webinar! And thank you to the participants for asking great questions and sharing resources, too.