[Web4lib] Infopeople's "Managing Your Public Access Computers" Workshop

[Lori Bowen Ayre]

Since some people who may be interested in attending might not receive this 
notice directly, we would appreciate it if you would print and post or 
route this announcement to staff and colleagues. Thanks!

Title:  Managing Public Access Computers: Best Practices

Dates and locations:

Monday, May 22, San Francisco Public Library
Thursday, June 15, Cerritos Public Library

To register for this workshop:  Use the online registration form at
http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Workshop/270

Fee:  This course is offered free of charge to California public libraries 
with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.


Adding public access computers to the public library environment has been a 
major service enhancement AND a major support headache. Luckily there are 
proven Best Practices that can guide you in managing these important 
assets. This course covers what you need to know to provide an excellent 
computing environment for your users while reducing the burden on staff and 
increasing your return on investment in public access computing. You will 
learn efficient strategies for:

--Maintaining a standard hardware and software platform, --Having technical
staff configure, rollout, and restore all of your 
library desktops,
--Deciding when and how you should replace your public access computers,
--Integrating support of your public access computers into the library's 
operations and budget, and
--Protecting each user's privacy.

While this course offers information that will be useful in any public 
library setting, special attention has been given to the needs of libraries 
that are eligible for the Gates Public Access Computer Hardware Upgrade 
Grant (PAC HUG). If your library will be receiving funds to replace your 
public access computers, this course can help guarantee that those funds 
will be well spent and that your public access computers will be managed as 
efficiently as they can be.

Workshop Description: This all-day workshop is designed for public library 
staff that must make decisions about how to handle public access computing. 
It is not a highly technical course; the focus will be on understanding how 
to make best use of your Gates or other public access computers. Through 
lecture, demonstration, group exercises, and individual exercises you will 
be introduced to proven Best Practices that will contribute to your 
success. Attendees will also have an opportunity to evaluate their own 
libraries' public access computing environments. Participants will leave 
the class with practical ideas for improving the services they offer to 
their users and for making the management of their public access computers 
more efficient, cost-effective, and secure.

Pre-workshop assignment: Each student should bring a list of the public 
access computers in their library or branch, including the following 
information about each computer: processor, operating system, amount of 
RAM, year purchased, brand, vendor/supplier.

Preliminary Course Outline:

Role of Public Access Computing in the Public Library
--The ideal public access computer
--Support for public

Public Access Computer Features and Maintenance
--What people need to be able to do on your computers
--What people need to be prevented from doing on your computers --Approaches
to configuration --Sticky configuration issues

Computer Management and Configuration: Best Practices --Replacement cycle
--Standardization --PC purchasing tips --Alternatives to the PC

Staffing and Budgeting
--How to support your public access computers
--Budgeting for hardware and software
--Gap analysis

Workshop Instructor: Lori Bowen Ayre.  Lori is the principal consultant 
with The Galecia Group, a library technology consulting and project 
management firm located in the North Bay. Lori has been on contract with 
Infopeople since 2000 doing work on various technology topics including 
reporting on Internet filters, teaching, managing projects and Infopeople's 
webcast program. In addition to consulting, Lori speaks and writes on 
numerous topics including blogging, filtering and RFID. She has her own 
blog, Mentat, which covers the gamut from political griping to tech tips 
for public libraries.

Who Should Attend: This course is limited to attendees from California 
public libraries. It is designed for non-technical managers and supervisors 
of computer support staff, professional staff in facilities that offer 
public access computing, as well as anyone from a California public library 
who is interested in how public access computers should be set-up, 
supported, and maintained. Although technical issues will be discussed, 
this workshop is not designed for technical staff.

Other Logistics:

*On-site check-in is from 8:30-9:00 AM;  instruction is from 9:00 AM-4:30
PM.

*Maps, directions, and parking information are available on the Infopeople 
Web site at http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Directions.  Infopeople does 
not validate or pay for parking.

*Infopeople does not provide refreshments or lunch.  Since some training 
locations do not have in-house or convenient food service, Infopeople 
recommends that participants bring a sack lunch.

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops and for general information 
about Infopeople training opportunities, go to the main Infopeople 
Workshops page at http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop

If you have questions about registration or scheduling of workshops, please 
contact Linda Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at 
assist at infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.