Bag of Tricks – Toward Gigabit Libraries

Have you ever noticed that everything on the internet runs slower after 3 pm when the kids jump on the computers after school? Do phrases like ‘10GB up, 40GB down’ sound like “tech-speak” to you? Fortunately, a new project, funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), is here to help you understand and communicate your library’s technology needs.

Toward Gigabit Libraries, was designed to help public and tribal librarians learn about their current broadband infrastructure and internal information technology (IT) environment. It includes a free, open-source Broadband Toolkit and a customized “Broadband Improvement Plan”.

This toolkit and improvement plan help small & rural public libraries and tribal libraries with Erate requests, technology budgeting, and tips for communicating with techie people. Check out the announcement video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXWv3-HYm-I

As we talked about in Parts 1, 2 & 3 of this Bag of Tricks series, having resources at your fingertips and a basic familiarity with up-and-coming technology can come in very handy, as well as giving you a bit more confidence.

Here’s an example of a Bag of Tricks that you can use as a jumping-off point for creating your own: https://padlet.com/kieran/CSLSHAREANDLEARN. Of course, any new tools or concepts you learn through the Toward Gigabit Libraries project can go in your Bag of Tricks, helping you feel more comfortable and confident in the world of technology.