Download - Il2008 Fostering Innovation Presentation
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
Frank BlairThomas Kozak
Tom ColePaul DeVillo
Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
Tech ScholarsFrank Blair
Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
• The PLCMC Technology Scholars Program provides employees with a six-month scholarship opportunity to take innovative ideas that they have for new or expanded library services and make them a reality.
• The program supports two scholars at a time and is open to any full-time employee who has at least one year of service.
• Expanded in 2008 to include a Community Tech Scholar
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
We are just completing our second set of projects and planning for our 2009 recruitment
Barry Newman-2007Technology Tools for Homeschool and After School
Tom Cole-2007Live Online Learning
Mark Engelbrecht-2008Gaming Creation, Programming and Promotion
Thomas Kozak-2008Learn and Share Wiki
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
•Technology Scholars are the library’s own mini Fulbright scholars.
•The program is designed to encourage staff to stretch their wings and provide leadership opportunities for ideas that can benefit our customers and the library.
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
Selecting Candidates
Look for individuals who:
• Question the status quo• Tolerate risk gladly• Exhibit patience• Trust the process• Are open to unexpected outcomes• Demonstrate an ability to ‘leverage resources’
Innovation Cycle
• Idea generation
• Incubation
• Experimentation
• Implementation/Analysis
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
It is not enough to budget dollars for innovation.
You must also budget time for innovation!
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
Technology Scholar Hands-On Experience
Learn & Share Wiki
Thomas KozakPublic Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County
Project Snapshot
Sharing information with a wiki
• Share knowledge between departments • Encourage collaboration• Quick access to commonly-needed info
Recruiting Applicants
Ideas are out thereEveryday problems are the seeds for proposals Broaden your applicant baseReach beyond your normal movers and shakers
Mentoring
Provide guidance for working with your organizational structure
• Project-building experience• Strategies for innovation• Resource availability
Planning & Design
Project as a test-bed for learning and explorationBuilding knowledge and testing options
Free & Open-Source optionsFlexibility and low-cost experimentation
Construction
Developing and prototyping the project
• Collaboration with existing services and departments
• Continued learning• Decision-making• Gathering input
Ongoing Development
Implementation & Evaluation
Tool-BuildingContinuing requests for extra features or applications
Connecting with usersFinding a place for new tools in everyday work-flow
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
Technology Scholar Hands-On ExperienceLive Online Learning
Tom ColePublic Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County
Define your deliverable.
Don’t be a hermit!
Understand Costs
• Know your material
• Listen to your testers
Repeat the test
Implementation
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
Implementation of Tech Scholar Projects
Paul DeVillo
Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County
Digital Times
The Gaming Zone
Live Online Learning
PLCMC Learn & Share
Fostering Innovation and Creativity
You may review these slides online at
http://tinyurl.com/FosteringInnovation
or
http://www.slideshare.net/thomaskozak/il2008-fostering-innovation-presentation
Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County