43 of 365: On Supporting Electronic Devices in a Library [handout]

Library Link NJ Tech Speed Dating sessions

nexus 7 32G wi-fi (Photo credit: shizo)

I am very grateful to Library Link NJ, the statewide consortium that provides technology, training, and other support to NJ libraries. I have recently been invited to do their Technology Speed Dating series, in which librarians and staff from various NJ regions come to learn about lots of technology topics from lots of NJ library resource people. I am proud to be regarded as such, and I’ve been asked to talk about library support of consumer electronic devices in the current series of speed dating sessions. I am often asked to offer handouts for my sessions there, and have been reluctant to do so in the past because (in my opinion) 1. links don’t work well on paper, and 2. paper requires the death and downing of trees. Regardless of this, I consistently get good reviews except for my handouts, which I consider electronic, but which participants often see as non-existent. I’m fixing this today by designing (hence part of this 365 series,) writing and publishing the following document, which participants will have in paper form at the tech speed dating sessions. It is freely available for reuse with attribution under a creative commons license (by John LeMasney via lemasney.com) Here’s an excerpt, followed by the link:

On the Support of Electronic Devices in Libraries

“As librarians and library staff, you are increasingly asked by patrons, students and other stakeholders for support of devices that are neither present in the library, nor well-known by staff. If someone walks in with an iPhone, and there has been no formal training or personal experience with the iPhone, for instance, then it can be a case of a disappointed patron, a frustrated staffer, potential for misconfiguration, and so on. This document seeks to give you resources and strategies for meeting the needs of stakeholders who bring their own devices (BYOD) to the library for support. ” Read more at https://docs.google.com/document/d/14LSmZ_oCL6EekWkCGnT7JKVQDqdfU8fWVFEiRiyBP9M/edit?usp=sharing