TechEssence.info

When I look at the really innovative things that some libraries are doing with technology (Casey Bisson’s WPOPAC, what the Hennepin County PL has done with its catalog, and the Ann Arbor District Library’s amazing Web site being just a few notable examples) I am thrilled to see that these libraries had the vision and forethought to hire individuals with serious coding skills. Sadly, not every library can afford to do so. With budgets stretched thin, some libraries have enough trouble trying to provide the same basic services they always have. Libraries often hire young librarians for blended librarian positions expecting that a librarian can somehow do nearly full-time public service work as well as the tech projects they feel will take them where they want to go. At my library, there are many things I would like to accomplish that I just don’t yet have the skills to do. However there is no one else at my library that can help me accomplish those things. I think this is a very common problem at libraries. We all want a usable and dynamic Web presence. We want to improve the usability of our OPAC. We want to make our Web site more “social.” But we don’t have staff with the tech knowledge to take us all the way there.

Over the past couple of years, a number of Web sites and initiatives have sprung up that can help bridge the tech gap. These offer the ability to ask questions and get help from people who are willing to share their expertise with others. Most of these “expert locator” sites are designed for all sorts of questions, but one of the following sites is designed specifically for librarians with IT issues:

• Qunu – Qunu bills itself as an “expertise matching service.” It allows people to chat with experts on certain tech subjects in real time via instant messaging. The experts voluntarily register with the site, entering what level of expertise they have with a variety of tools and programming languages. An individual needing help can then type in what they need help with – be it “PHP”, “JavaScript”, or “Firefox” – and they will be connected to a list of experts in that area who are available at that time.
• Otavo – this service is really social search meets expert locator. An individual needing help will create a “quest” which is what they are looking to learn. For example, one individual in Otavo wanted to “aggregate all of my Web activity.” People can then go into that individual’s quest and suggest Web sites that would be helpful in attaining that goal. So rather than giving the individual the answer, the experts in this situation are giving her links to Web sites that will lead her to the answer.
• FAQQLY – this service has many of the characteristics of a social networking site, including a profile, the ability to upload photos and lists of friends. Unlike many of the most popular social networking sites, people here are coming together to ask and answer questions (and also, of course, to get to know each other). People post their areas of expertise on their profile (by keyword) or can search for other members by their areas of expertise. Looking around the site, I haven’t seen too many tech questions being asked or answered though many people have listed tech skills as the things they’re willing to be asked about (the site allows people to ask questions on any subject). The site is still quite new, so only time will tell if the idea will take off or not.
• Three sites where you can simply ask questions and get answers from other folks in cyberspace are Yedda, Yahoo! Answers, and Ask Metafilter. These sites allow you to submit a query and then benefit from the “collective intelligence”. For example, if you’re wondering how you can display an RSS feed on your Web site, your wiki and in WebCT, you can ask this question and get advice from people all over the world. Of course, the quality of this advice may vary, but it at least gives the person asking the question some sense of where to go from there.
• Pay IT Forward – this is a space where library techies can share their tech skills with others. Folks who are willing to help others can post their contact info and areas of expertise that they’re willing to help people with. I don’t know if I’m techie enough for the list, but I wanted to do my part so I posted my contact info and said I’d answer questions about wikis, RSS, screencasting and blogs. You can search the database for people by area of expertise. For example, you can type in “Perl” and find the individuals who are willing to help with questions about Perl.

In addition to these newer places to get tech help and advice, there are many online communities and forums that have existed for many years and allow people to get their tech questions answered. Such forums include Codewalkers (for PHP and MySQL), Java Ranch (for Java), and WebDevForums (for Web design). If you just type in the name of the programming language, software or topic your question is about and the word “forum” into any search engine, you’ll likely find communities that can help you. Many types of software (blogs, wikis, CMS, etc.) have their own user forums as well.

Finally, if you work at a library with a lackluster Web site and no one to improve it, you may want to look into the services of EngagedPatrons.org. In April 2006, Glenn Peterson of the Hennepin County Public Library started EngagedPatrons.org, which offers low-cost and no-cost services to make library Web sites more engaging and dynamic:

We provide website services connecting public libraries and their patrons. We handle the programming; you reap the benefits of being able to offer your users a more engaging and interactive web presence. The following services are currently available.

Library Events
Offer your patrons a list of your library's upcoming events, searchable by branch or keyword. Add online registration when you're ready!

Library Blogs
Create interactive blogs integrated into your site's look and feel.

Contact Your Library
Gather valuable feedback from your patrons right on your website with an easy-to-complete form.

RSS Feeds
Offer your patrons the option of getting library news updates via RSS.

Custom Web-enabled Databases
Have a card file or database you would like to make available to your staff or patrons?

The services are free to public libraries making less than $1 million per year in total income and are quite affordable for those that are making more than that. This is an amazing opportunity for small public libraries that do not have the opportunity to hire staff. For more on EngagedPatrons, visit Sarah Houghton’s excellent Library Journal article.

As you can see, even if you don’t necessarily have a John Blyberg, Glenn Peterson or Casey Bisson on your payroll, you still may be able to get the help, advice, and even the services of experts.