via BlogJunction by Jen on 1/6/09
WebJunction is pleased to host the third cookbook from TechSoup’s MaintainIT Project: Planning for Success. This free online resource brings together the most current ideas and best practices for planning, building, and managing your library’s computer technology. Kudos are in order to the more than 200 librarians from around the country (check out the acknowledgment pages in the Cookbook’s downloadable version) who have contributed their experience and knowledge on over 50 topics ranging from security solutions and strategic maintenance practices to community building experiences involving Web 2.0 tools and vital partnerships.
The cookbook covers six sections and includes a related set of tools for each chapter (collected as the “toolkit” also available in downloadable version):
- Planning and Decision Making covers the ins and outs of creating a technology plan tied to strategic priorities and goals.
- Communication and Partnerships delves in the fundamentals of day-to-day technology communication from a “techie” and “non-techie” perspective. It also includes some important guidelines for working and collaborating with key stakeholders.
- Buying and Deploying Technology goes through some of the core actions and decisions you need to consider when planning deployments, installations, and upgrades.
- Maintaining and Sustaining Technology offers important insight into the daily management of public computers.
- Networking and Security covers some of the basic standards and practices for ensuring your library’s network security.
- Innovation highlights the true value of today’s libraries and the role in serving as the center of new community conversations via a much higher level of user interactivity and experiences.
Please use the comments field available at the bottom of each cookbook article to add other links or suggestions for enhancing the cookbook. Your valued input will keep this outstanding resource up-to-date and relevant to maintaining technology all libraries. The Planning for Success Overview provides links to each article as well as the downloadable PDF versions of both the Cookbook and Toolkit.
Thank you again to all the MaintainIT contributors!
