All along the Tech Plan Road from defining goals and objectives to budgeting to downloading the finished product as a Word document, TechAtlas helps make it an easy journey.  They have included e-rate Tips and Help screens to support you along the way.

Some important points I took from the TechAtlas Webinar delivered today by WebJunction (a link to hear an archived recording is below):

• Make note of when a plan DRAFT is started
• Utilize a Technology Team to encourage buy in, support and brainstorming
• Write a Vision statement that says where technology in the library will be in the Best Case scenario
• Write Goals and Objectives that are specific, measurable, understood by ALL, obtainable and relevant
• Ask the question – does the library have the human and financial resources to do achieve the goal?
• Include a Board Liaison in the planning process and present a DRAFT of the plan to the Board for discussion
• Use the Activities feature to spell out the steps in the process of reaching the Goals and Objectives – you can determine deadlines and work assignments
• Evaluation – The Tech Plan needs an evaluation component to ‘assist with making mid-course corrections to your plan’
  • Treat the Tech Plan as a living document
  • Keep a record of why an objective was or was not achieved
  • Document the roadblocks – budget cuts? loss of staff? tornado?
• You have the option of uploading your Tech-related policy documents to share with our Partner, the State Library of Kansas
• Once the TechPlan is written using TechAtlas, you can download a copy in Word or Rich Text Format to add additional information
  • Consider adding a historical statement, for example that with a grant you were able to replace all of your patron computers, so computer replacement is not necessary for the current plan
• Surveys – These are VERY interesting – you can assess your staff’s technical comfort and expertise with these surveys and create interesting graphs with the results
• Inventory - Have you thought about how happy your insurance company would be if you had a current inventory of ALL library technology in case of some unforeseen disaster (this IS Kansas, after all).  You can inventory computers, software, fax machines, routers, switches – all of it.
• Event Tracker – this is online “Help Desk” software that staff can use to report technical issues and keep track of the solutions!

Stay tuned for Tech Plan Work Days – I will expect folks to come with ideas, their TechAtlas username/password and ENTHUSIASM!

Actual Tech Atlas: webjunction.techatlas.org

If you have participated in a WebJunction Webinar before, you can open a Wimba Room and hear a recording of today’s session at: http://67.202.209.252/launcher.cgi?room=wj_TAsessions_2009_0129_1300_40

I you have NOT participated in a Webinar before, please run this Wizard to set everything up:  http://67.202.209.252/wizard/launcher.cgi?wc=wms

Supporting Documentation:
Technology Planning Guide http://www.webjunction.org/techatlas/articles/content/11161352
Inventory Computers in TechAtlas for Libraries Guide http://www.webjunction.org/techatlas/articles/content/443090

Contact me or the nice folks at techatlas@webjunction.org if you have questions.

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