Goal 3:  The library is a leader in providing Durham's residents with information technology resources needed for academic and business success and for social networking and leisure activities.

3.2:  By 6/30/09, 80% of those library customers needing/desiring training receive it.

What are some strategies we have for this?

A.      LCD projectors in all large meeting rooms

B.       Conduct needs assessment for public computer training and provide needed classes

C.    Ensure that internet safety classes are offered regularly

What are we working on?

• The Emerging Technologies Committee is starting with training of staff.  The goal is to have every staff member able to help people with basic computer functions like Microsoft Office.  Once the basic abilities are built in all staffing levels, we will be better able to offer customer training.
• Classes in internet safety are being offered at Main for parents.  There is also a MySpace for Parents class being offered in September and November.
• Emerging Technologies is working on training for staff on databases.  Hopefully, this will help us provide better reference service to our customers.
• The wonderful Friends of the Library have granted the money for LCD projectors in large meeting rooms.  The equipment just arrived.
• Emergining Technologies is working on getting short videos of how to use the databases online.  How-to handouts are already available, but we would also like to video guides.  Right now the ETA is March, 2009.

 What has been working great for us?

• For the past year we have been participating in the Community Workshop Series through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  This series of computer classes has worked great for us.
• Computer classes for staff have started!  We've had a MS Word class and two MS Excel classes.  Reviews so far have been great and this can only help our staff assist the public with their computer needs.  *update*  Basic staff computer classes are on hold.  The County will be switching from Office 03 to Office 07.  We will start training again when the County has switched to help library employees with their new software.
• The Library has just finished its "Web 2.0 Speed Dating" training for staff.  All library staff got a brief introduction to seven different Web 2.0 technologies.  Staff enjoyed the fast paced nature of the training and getting introduced to social bookmarking, social networking, wikis, etc.  The handouts are posted to this wiki page and we will offer more indepth training to staff later in the year.
• Computer classes for the public are starting at more than one branch!  Main will continue to offer their computer classes on Saturday and East and North Regional are starting classes at their libraries with the laptops given to the library by a technology grant.  The classes will be similar and can also be found on the Library's calendar.  Those classes are filling up!
• Something that has not been working great--internet safety classes have not been popular.  Attendence has been zero for most of the classes and 1 person for one class.  We will reevluate how to provide that information to the public.

emtech_wikis.doc   Social Bookmarking 101.rtf   social networking.doc 

speed_dating_podcasting.doc  speeddatingFlickr.pub 

youtube_emtech.pub 

Questions?  Comments?  Please contact one of the Goal Champions for Goal 3:  Aftab Ahmed and Jennifer Lohmann.