NEKLS Technology Weblog

Kansas Health Online

smoreland — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:35:21 +0000

Kansas Health Online is a new Web site with a focus on health transparency for consumers. It is a collaborative project developed by the Kansas Health Policy Authority, the State Library of Kansas, and Dykes Library at KU Medical Center and is part of the health policy reform package recommended by the Health Policy Authority.

Kansas Health Online empowers Kansans to make more informed decisions by providing information on health and health care in an easy to use and easy to understand format. Consumers will find tools, links, and information to compare hospitals, find doctors, compare health plans, analyze symptoms, get latest information on medical conditions, make healthy lifestyle choices and learn more about health policy.

Information on Kansas Health Online is reviewed by medical librarians to ensure reliability and relevance to Kansas consumers. More information will be added in the coming weeks and months, including information on health care costs and on local health resources such as hospitals, clinics, associations, and support groups.

How Can Libraries Help?

NEKLS will host a focus group on August 18 for consumers to ascertain their health concerns, information needs and determine if the information provided by Kansas Health Online meets their needs.

Carolyn Little and I will work with local libraries to gather information about local health resources, such as AA chapters, free clinics, and soup kitchens. This information will be linked to the Kansas Health Online Web site as the “Go Local Kansas” link. Go Local Kansas is part of the National Library of Medicine’s Go Local database.

Every library in NEKLS is encouraged to add a link to Kansas Health Online and provide information about local health resources and services.

Aids:

icons for your Web site
powerpoint presentation on the program

Current Koha Sites

smoreland — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:01:16 +0000

Public (using KohaZOOM)

Athens County, OH - http://search.athenscounty.lib.oh.us/

Crawford County Federated Library System - http://catalog.ccfls.org/cgi-bin/koha/opac-main.pl

Delta Public Library, OH - http://delta.dev.kohalibrary.com/

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, OH - http://opac.smfpl.org/

Demo Sites

LibLime OPAC Demo - http://zoomopac.liblime.com/

LibLime Staff Client Demo - http://koha.liblime.com/

NEKLS Test at LibLime - available upon request

XP availablity after June 30

Heather — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:26:33 +0000

As you may have heard, you will no longer be able to purchase a computer with Windows XP as the Operating System after June 30. Don’t panic! Due to the relative unpopularity of Vista, Microsoft has decided to allow users to choose to “downgrade” computers to Windows XP when buying certain versions of Vista. In particular, Dell has a “downgrade” option you can choose as you are building a computer. When selecting your operating system, choose the “Genuine Windows Vista Business Bonus-Windows XP Professional loaded” option. The computer will come with XP pre-installed and give you the option to upgrade to Vista at a later time (if you ever want to).

See the following website for more information: http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/sitelets/solutions/software/business/xp_smb?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&~tab=2

Also, if you only need a copy of Windows XP Professional after June 30, contact the NEKLS office. We can help.

As always, contact Liz, Heather, or Sharon if you have questions. If you ever would like assistance in purchasing new computers, contact Liz or Heather and we’d be happy to sit down with you to figure out your purchasing options.

Technology Trio

smoreland — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:14:55 +0000

Heather Braum - Technology Specialist

Technical support
Troubleshooting
Purchasing guidance for hardware and software
Installation
If it’s broken, she can fix it

Liz Rea - Network Administrator

NEKLS-L and e-mail server support
Kansas Libraries on the Web (KLOW) server support
KanREN go-to person, including Qube/DNS and KanGuard filter support
Support regarding installation, upgrades, and troubleshooting for hardware and software, including library automation systems
Video Conferencing support
Website maintenance and design
If it’s networked, call Liz

Heather and Liz are all about the buttons, noises and blinking lights.

Sharon Moreland - Technology Consultant

Kansas Libraries on the Web support and training
Technology training
Continuing education - Tech Day, NEST,
Koha/NExpress team
Technology adoption and implementation consulting
New program development

Library Camp Kansas in the News

Brenda — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:12:37 +0000

Our resident Goblin in the Library, Josh Neff, was interviewed about Library Camp Kansas for LISNews. Listen to the podcast!

Library Camp Kansas in progress!

Brenda — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:24:51 +0000

It’s March 19th! I’m here in Manhattan, KS for our first Kansas Library UnConference, which we’re calling Library Camp Kansas. Approx 100 people signed-up and we’ve got a great mix of people… from academic libraries… from public libraries… from special libraries, too.

See the Flickr photos from the event!

Read blog posts from the event! A few posts about the event include:

Flickr for Good

Brenda — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:18:31 +0000

Eudora Welty said, “A good snapshot stops a moment from running away”. People have been taking photographs to record memories for hundreds of years. Digital cameras now make it easier and more instantaneous than ever. This weekend, Diana and I had the opportunity to attend the grand opening of the Turner Community Library in Kansas City. My sister teaches at Turner Middle School and has been GIDDY waiting for this library to open since it’s so conveniently located for her students. We ate hot dogs and took a tour of the new facility. Diana captured all of it with her digital camera. You can see the photos in our Flickr account.

It has become part of our routine to take photographs at events and to post them in our NEKLS Flickr account. It serves as a photographic diary of where we have been and what we have done. It has become a tool for promotion and a tool for communication. Many NEKLS member libraries have Flickr accounts (Tonganoxie, Richmond, and Hiawatha, for ex).

The library world has been fairly word-centric and I think we’re just starting to realize the potential benefits of sharing images… the power of a picture. Flickr, of course, believes in this power and is collaborating with TechSoup on a new project called Flickr for Good, donating Flickr Pro accounts to individuals working with non-profit organizations. Check out TechSoup’s site, not only for information about that project, but also for ideas about how-to get the most out of Flickr.

Domo arigato Mr. Roboto

Brenda — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:36:14 +0000

I promise this blog post is not just an excuse to quote Styx lyrics….. It is, in fact, an excuse to talk about Legos. Have you explored Legos lately? These are not your mother’s Legos. Check out, for example, the Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System. Wow! It’s the kind of toy that has dramatic teaching potential, but might be too expensive for a lot of families. The Plainsboro Public Library in New Jersey has created an innovative and exciting program using Lego NXT Robotics. Local engineers are involved with mentoring the student participants. Imagine the possibilities! Wheels are turning… or should I say gears are moving.

(Thanks to Henry’s dad for the heads up about this cool project!)

Library Camp Kansas

Brenda — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:41:49 +0000

Ready to participate in a new type of conference?

Think some of the most valuable and most productive sessions at conferences are the hallway and dinner conversations?

Want to get to know some of your forward-thinking Kansas library colleagues better?

Join us at Library Camp Kansas: the first Un-conference for people interested in customer-friendly libraries, library 2.0 and thinking about how we can all improve our services and organizations to meet the needs of our communities.

This is not a conference with experts behind a podium. It is an opportunity for dialogue and conversation. Sound good to you? Join us on Wednesday, March 19, at K-State’s Hale Library!

Details:
Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Registration starts at 9 a.m.)
Hale Library, Hemisphere Room
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS

A complete agenda and links to lunch options, directions and parking information are available on the unconference wiki at: http://librarycampks.wetpaint.com/page/Unconference+Details.

Topics:
The participants of Library Camp Kansas choose the topics to be discussed the day of the conference. Potential topics can be posted ahead of time to the wiki: http://librarycampks.wetpaint.com/page/Discussion+Topics.

Registration is free. Visit the “Invitation to Participate page” to register online:
http://librarycampks.wetpaint.com/page/Invitation+to+Participate

If you need a parking permit, you must register by Friday, March 7.

Due to space limitations, overall registration is capped at 100 participants.

What’s provided:
Free wi-fi. Some laptops are available for those who can’t bring their own. Flip charts and meeting supplies will be provided as well. Snacks and drinks thanks to K-LIRT. Parking permits thanks to NEKLS.

What you should bring:
Great ideas, great questions, an interest in collaboration, laptop with wi-fi (if possible), and money for lunch.

For more information, check out the Kansas Library Camp wiki: http://librarycampks.wetpaint.com/

To see how other library camps and unconferences have worked out in other states, see http://www.blyberg.net/?s=unconference&submit=GO
and http://librarycampnyc.wikispaces.com/Program.

Questions? Please contact:
Brenda Hough
Technology Consultant, NEKLS
bhough@nekls.org ~ (785) 838-4090
Hope to see you there!

Free technology cookbooks available

Brenda — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:24:21 +0000

Many of you may be familiar w/the first Cookbook released by TechSoup’s
MaintainIT Project. Well, now they have released another! It includes practical
tips and techniques and stories from libraries around the country.

Download the FREE Joy of Computing: Recipes for a 5-Star Library here: http://maintainitproject.org/cookbooks

Find out what libraries and library supporters had to say about wireless, time
and print management, and laptop checkout programs. Kudos to the following Kansan contributors, whose experiences were included to help make this Cookbook a practical and handy resource:

Sharon Moreland, Tonganoxie Public Library

Kim Priest, Mary Cotton Public Library

Ken Werne, Johnson County Library

Jamie Kelley, Marysville Public Library

The MaintainIT Project will continue to create guides focused on supporting public computers. You can share your challenges and successes so libraries can learn from *your* experiences, too. Remember, what may be, “that’s nothing!” to you, may be an “aha” to someone else! Email my friends Sarah, Chris, and the rest of the team if you’re interested in being involved: maintainit@techsoup.org.