The Joy of Computing contains “how to” details geared toward the technical concerns most pertinent to today’s small, rural library. This Cookbook is a collection of recipes based on the ideas and feedback from librarian “Chef’s” throughout the country.

Our Chefs in residence are promoting their favorite meal plan and recipes for cooking up a well running computer and happy patrons! For that reason, we've compiled a selection of recipes that complement each other — just like a certain appetizer and dessert will make a main dish even better.

The Cookbook is divided into the following core sections:

• Getting Started introduces the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation US Libraries Initiative and MaintainIT initiatives. It also discusses the ways this Cookbook can assist you in proactively and creatively supporting public computing and Internet usage in your library.
• Meal Plan 1: Focusing on Your Ingredients for Success digs into the steps that rural libraries should take to assess their public computing needs. It also covers the many key factors to consider in building and maintaining a more robust public computing environment, securing appropriate funding, budgeting for technology, and ensuring program sustainability.
• Meal Plan 2: Meat and Potato Public Computers contains guidelines for properly configuring the public computing environment, as well as the tools necessary for specific public computing security issues and network maintenance.
• Meal Plan 3: Volunteers for the Kitchen offers a concrete set of “how to’s” for recruiting and using public computer support volunteers such as students, accidental techies, retirees, neighbors, etc. It also discusses staff training opportunities and provides a list of useful resources.
• Meal Plan 4: Computer Culinary Academy—Getting the Technology Training You Need includes coverage of the training and support resources needed to build your skills and help with further developing your libraries resources
• Meal Plan 5: Future Menus for Library Technology Service looks at the strategic thinking needed to effectively plan for and appropriately address downstream public computing needs, resources, and required support.
• Appendix includes helpful tools, resources, and guidelines for managing and maintaining your public computers.

WHO IS THE COOKBOOK FOR?

The Rural Sustainability Project, another effort funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, focuses on issues and challenges that rural library staffs typically identify as obstacles in sustaining public access computing. They have created a continuum to help libraries assess progress towards sustainability.

You can use the Rural Sustainability Continuum to determine where your library is right now, and adapt the Cookbook content to your needs. The Cookbook will be particularly useful for libraries currently in Stages 1-3 of Tech Connections, Upgrade & Maintenance, and Staff Training.

Download The Joy of Computing: A Cookbook for Small and Rural Libraries

PDF format, 747KB, 87Pages.

Getting Started

What can we do to maintain public computer security? Where can we go to get technical support for our public computers? How can we help users with limited computer skills? What can we do to ensure a healthy, functioning public computer? How do I get more computer funding?

These are just a few of the public computing questions being asked by administrators in small, rural libraries across the United States. They are also the questions . . . along with many others . . . that are answered in The Joy of Computing. Comprehensive in scope, this Cookbook brings together current best practices, important insights, and useful tools from the community for building and supporting a successful public computing environment. This first section of the Cookbook highlights the MaintainIT Project and its efforts to promote sustainable models of technical support for public computers in libraries throughout the U.S. It also provides a high level overview of the Cookbook and discusses the ways in which to use it to ensure that your public computing environment operates with technical efficiency and is managed at its potential.

TOPICS COVERED:

• About This Cookbook
• How to Use the Cookbook
• An Introduction to the MaintainIT Project

Visit The Joy of Computing: A Cookbook for Small and Rural Libraries Download Website

An Introduction to the MaintainIT Project

BACKGROUND

The MaintainIT Project is an effort of CompuMentor, home to TechSoup, a nonprofit serving fellow nonprofits and public libraries with technology information, resources, and project donations. Funded by a three-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation US Libraries Initiative, the MaintainIT Project (www.maintainitproject.org) focuses on proliferation and adoption of best practices for maintaining public computers at libraries in 18 states that receive hardware upgrade grants from the foundation. The ultimate goals of the MaintainIT Project are to increase the number of libraries with functioning, regularly maintained public computing services and to strengthen their capacity for ongoing self-support of public computing, at both the individual library and regional library system levels.

The MaintainIT Project goals are rooted in the belief that public libraries can build on tremendous existing resources to create a rich body of technical knowledge. It involves getting the right people together, giving them the opportunity to share their learnings, and communicating the results in the most relevant and usable format.

THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION US LIBRARIES INITIATIVE

Since the late 1990’s, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation US Libraries Initiative has partnered with U.S. public libraries in their efforts to make public computing available to all library users. To this end, the foundation’s U.S. Libraries Initiative has given grants to over 11,000 libraries resulting in installation of over 47,000 computer “packages” including suites of software (e.g., Internet, productivity, children’s and educational material), training for librarians, and long-term technical assistance. Today, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation US Libraries Initiative continues to support public libraries and provide access to information technology that can improve health, educational, and economic opportunities. The foundation also helps public libraries access the necessary tools to regularly upgrade their computers and receive the training and technical assistance they need.

COMPUMENTOR PROGRAMS

CompuMentor conducts a range of major programs on the national, international, and the local level. It powers the nonprofit technology web site TechSoup.org (www.techsoup.org) and its distribution service for donated and discounted technology products, TechSoup Stock (www.techsoup.org/stock).

It also collaborates with local and regional partners to bring technology implementation and support to nonprofit organization through the Healthy & Secure Computing program (http://www.techsoup.org/toolkits/hsc/).

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