Transformational changeThe Evolving Role of Library IT

Departments

Missouri River Regional Library• Serves Cole & Osage counties – pop. 82,242• 53,000+ card holders• 60,000+ patrons log into PCC each year• Branch in Linn, MO• 40-foot Bookmobile, 40 stops each month• 350+ programs a year

Network• 7 servers• 150+ computers• 20 printers• 3 websites• 2 wireless networks• 1 full time tech (besides me)

What We Do Now• Manage websites – integrate outside web

properties– MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr…

• Provide computer-related programming– Public training classes (2 per month)– Staff training classes (as needed)

• Provide infrastructure for expanding social activities

Social Sites = mrrl.org 2.0• MySpace

– MySpace app on blog• Facebook

– Catalog app on Facebook• Twitter

– Twitter stream on home page• Flickr

– Slideshow on home page

Blogs• Wordpress

– PHP & MySQL– Updates and plugins

• Reuse!– On home page– On MySpace page

• Other blogs– Reference page – Britannica today– Genealogy page – EbscoHost articles

What’s Changing?• Staff empowerment

– They blog, tweet and upload photos/videos– Translates to informational behavior at the desk– Provision tech for themselves (online office software,

etc.)• Less work for IT Dept.

– Fewer updates to website– More training (LL 2.0 & 2.1)

Infrastructure• Servers

– PHP & MySQL• Firewall

– Holes!– Rethink security policies

• Staff access– Drupal Intranet – staff as authors– Blog – staff as authors– Computers – staff as Power Users – Radical Trust!!

Radical Trust• Blog comments

– Minimal moderation (in theory, if not in practice)– Open, free conversation

• Staff Access– Allow them tools to do their jobs

• Maintain security & privacy– Balancing act!

Privacy in a 2.0 world• What do our patrons want?

– Opt in reading history – very popular– Ask them, don’t assume

• What does our staff want?– Offer anonymous comments to LL 2.1 blog

• Millennials & Privacy– Totally different perspective!

What’s Next?• Mobile Web

– Text from the catalog– Mobile versions of sites– Text reference?– Learn how Facebook does it!

• Patrons as content creators– Open our servers, network, etc. to patron content

(reviews, tags, etc.)