MARILYN PONTIUSBRANCH MANAGER

H A N C O C K WA R M E M O R I A L L I B R A R Y

A B R A N C H O F WA S H I N G T O N C O U N T Y

F R E E L I B R A R Y

Training a New Breed of Rural Librarians

http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/Mythical_Creatures__Club

Agenda

•Overview of the ITRL Grant Program•Curriculum and Outcomes•Development of Fast Facts for your Library•Questions and Answers

Rural Libraries – Rural Librarians

Information Technology for Rural Librarians (ITRL) Scholarship Program

UTK SIS : 16 full scholarships to paraprofessionals working in rural libraries

Part-time DE program June 2010-August 2012

MS in Information Science

Information Technology for Rural Librarians (ITRL)

Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian

Region

IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program

To address lagging IT literacy in rural libraries

ITRL Grant Phases

Phase 1: RecruitmentPhase 2: Needs AssessmentPhase 3: Educational and Training

ActivitiesPhase 4: MentoringPhase 5: Evaluation of Program

Outcomes and Dissemination of Results

Phase 1: Recruitment of Students

Quantitative web-based survey Available during Nov 12-19, 2008 Research questions

What are the key information needs of rural communities in the region? What are the library services provided by rural information professionals in the region?

ALISE 2010: Mehra, Black, Singh, & Lee

Phase 2: Needs Assessment of Rural Library Services

Most important resources or services in region

% of Responses

Technology access (internet access; computer access)

87%

Recreational material (books, magazines, films, etc.)

62%

Youth services/programming (homework help, story hour, etc.)

49%

ALISE 2010: Mehra, Black, Singh, & Lee

Phase 2: Needs Assessment of Rural Library Services

Phase 3: Educational and Training Activities

Distance Education Program – 42 credit hours

Library Science ClassesIT ClassesLibrary Management

Classes

Phase 4: Mentoring

Phase 5: Evaluation of Program Outcomes and Dissemination of Results

What is the Value of LIS Education? A Qualitative Analysis of the Perspectives of Rural Librarians in the Southern and Central Appalachia

Bharat Mehra, Kimberly Black, Vandana Singh, Jenna NoltSchool of Information Sciences, University of Tennessee

Lake City Public Library, TN

Johnson City Public Library, TN

Sevier County Public Library, Sevierville, TN

Hancock County Public Library, Sneedville, TN

ITRL Curriculum

Core Information Science Classes Information Environment

Information Access and Retrieval

Information Representation and Organization

ITRL Curriculum

InformationTechnology

•Hardware and Software Configurations

•Technology planning, assessment, and analysis

•Library 2.0

Information Technology

Information Technology

Information Network Applications Screencasts, podcasts, website development tools

ITRL Curriculum

Rural Library Management

Service evaluation/assessment Youth and adult services

Grant writing and partnership development

Rural Library Management

User-centered library services

Grant Development

Rural Library Management

Developing Fast Facts for Your Library

1. Understand your library’s Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis

2. Understand your community and your competition

3. Define your image and place in the community

4. Map your services to community needs

5. Create your Fast Facts

SWOT Analysis

Face to Face Interviews Internal and External Perspective

Organize in a Spreadsheet

Update regularly

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities in the future

Threats

Define Your Library Image

Think of three words to describe how you want your library to make people feel.

Traditional vs. Social Learning Space

Challenging vs. Engaging

Communicating the Unique Value of Your Library

What does your library do better than your competition?

How does your library add value to the lives of your customers?

Communicating the Unique Value of Your Library

1. List the broad values of your library community

2. List your market segments

3. How do the values tie to all your market segments?

4. Where do the values cross over to your library “products”?

5. Connect them to a statistic or timeframe people can easily understand.

Communicating the Unique Value of Your Library

Develop six key talking points for your library

Choose talking points that addressmeeting your User’s Needs/Values

Include one point about funding sources

Hancock War Memorial LibraryFast Facts

 The library provides current materials to

entertain, inform, and educate.  The library is primarily funded through the

State of Maryland and Washington County, augmented by city, town, foundations, grants and our community partnerships.

 Visiting the library helps prepare your

children for success.

Hancock War Memorial LibraryFast Facts

 The library provides individual service.  The library provides internet access to

everyone.  The library provides users a full service

website- with access to the catalog, book recommendations, informational databases, encyclopedias, and more.

Becoming one of the New Breed

Information Technology in Rural Libraries

Understand what you have, its limitations, and how it can be improved

Use technology to help you reach your community Facebook, Blogs, Library’s website, YouTube

Make every attempt to stay current Speak up if something isn’t working for your library

ITRL Looking Forward

ITRL 2

Voices of Rural Librarians in Appalachia:  

Current Realities and Future Possibilities of Information Technology in the 21st Century

Hancock War Memorial Library

MARILYN PONTIUSBRANCH MANAGER

H A N C O C K WA R M E M O R I A L L I B R A R Y

A B R A N C H O F WA S H I N G T O N C O U N T Y

F R E E L I B R A R Y

Training a New Breed of Rural Librarians

http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/Mythical_Creatures__Club