Best Practices

Technology Plan Quick Start Guide

By Userful

About this Quick Start Guide

Public Computers and Network Resources in all their various forms have become a vital part of libraries making a Technology Plan a key document for any library. This quick start outlines the steps towards creating a technology plan, guides you on how to proceed and includes a basic template you can use.

This article was originally distributed as part of a series of public computer tech tools in Userful's Newsletter. More free library technology planning resources are available at: http://library.userful.com/library-technology-planning-resources.php

If you would like help with your library's technology planning, e-mail info@userful.com, or phone 1-800-301-9018.

What is a Technology Plan?

A Technology Plan ensures that the library's technologies are used in an efficient and cost effective manner. A good Technology Plan ties the IT department in with broader long-range planning of all library services and ensures the library's technologies work together in support of the library's strategic goals. A Technology Plan is required for E-rate funding and will help with other grant applications (LSTA and perhaps ARRA).

Technology plans can be developed in many formats, What's below is just one approach. You may wish to rearrange, add or break out sections.

Step by Step Guide to Creating Your Plan

Step 1. Assemble a team.

Your staff should be a vital part of this process. Find key tech savvy members of staff and also include those who best understand the patron point of view. Remember, no planning effort will succeed without the support and commitment of library staff and management.

You may also wish to include external stakeholders. Take notes, put things in writing, be specific, follow each of these steps and stay on topic. You can actually write the technology plan as you go. If your team finds it difficult to agree on the specific language of the Technology Plan as you go, you may find it easier to have someone take notes and put into writing what the group has agreed to, offering it for review once the draft is complete.

Step 2. Establish Technology Vision Statement.

Think big picture here and in one or two compelling and succinct sentences sum up the end your technologies are serving in the community. This is an opportunity to define the role your library's technology serves in your community. Think Blue Sky. How would you like your technology to function in your ideal world? Remember technology isn't an end in itself but a means to an end.

Step 3. Survey and Document Existing State of Technology.

Identify existing gaps, strengths and weaknesses. What issues has your technology helped solve? What issues remain? You may also wish to make an actual inventory for inclusion in your Technology Plan.

Step 4. Establish Goals.

Goals are the end state your technology plan is working towards and they should tie in to your Technology Vision. The goals are what you are actually hoping to achieve, so be sure you are aware of any limitations in terms of budget, space and staff time. The Goal is the end itself and the objectives are the means to achieving that end.

It may help to see this step as a gap analysis. Your Vision Statement establishes where you want to be. Your Survey establishes where you are. Your goals are what you are going to do to achieve your Vision. Objectives are the road map to get you there.

See below for examples.

Step 5. Establish Objectives.

Objectives are the actual deliverables that will ensure you achieve the goals. They should be clear and measurable and put in order if they some are dependent on others. A Lower Carbon footprint in the IT department is a goal. Deploying a Green public computing solution is an objective to meeting that goal. See below for further examples.

Step 6. Examine Funding and Staff Resources and Prioritize.

Sometimes budgets will not allow you to do all you want to. Staff time limitations may also restrict you. Keep both these factors in mind. The total cost of any technology, whether it's new or existing, needs to be measured both in dollar cost and in staff time. For every project you take on that means something else is not being done. Prioritisation may come into play. Consider what technology investments you can make to free up staff time to ensure all Technology Plan goals and objectives can be met.

Once you've fully considered Funding and Staff Resources, you may need to revisit goals and objectives and prioritize and reconsider. This is a good time to think “outside the box” in terms of new approaches to your IT department that will lower your dollar and staff time costs to allow you to meet your overall goals.

Step 7. Evaluation Plan.

A Technology Plan is a living document. As part of this process you need to establish how you will update and modify this plan going forward.

Step 8. Write the Technology Plan.

This is often seen as the scary part, but the work your team has done in the proceeding steps will make it easier. In fact, if your team is small, you may well write the meat of the technology plan as you complete the proceeding steps.

Step 9. Get Buy-in.

Everyone on the team should feel comfortable signing off on the plan. The library management team (and in some cases the board) will also need to sign off. Libraries publicize their Technology Plans in a variety of ways. Posting it on your website is the easiest and most obvious. Remember, publicity will help ensure the library acts on its plan.

Step 10. Deliver on your Technology Plan.

It's easy to create a plan for the purposes of Erate funding or because someone asked you to then simply shelf it. A Technology Plan is important because it will improve the services the library delivers. It is a living document and it's okay to change it as the realities of your situation change; however it's important to hold yourself and others accountable for working towards the goals and objectives. Creating the Technology Plan was hard work, but it's only the first of many steps in an ongoing process of improving your libraries Public Computers and Network Resources.

Template of a Technology Plan

  1. Date written

  2. Time line covered in plan (it should be written for a specific period of time, at least 3 years)

  3. Executive Summary or Introduction

  4. Library's Mission Statements

  5. Library's Technology Vision Statement

For example: LIBRARY NAME is the information hub for the community, a center for services for residents, visitors and businesses. It is both a physical location with readily available high speed computer access for all and a virtual information portal accessible remotely. The library strives for technological literacy for the entire community.

  1. Background on Current State of Technology

Provide an overview on how long technology has been used in the library. Are there training issues? How do staff work with existing systems? How about patrons? How much of the library budget goes to technology? How much of library staff time is eaten up by managing the public the computers? What resources are available to job seekers, the visually impaired, non English speakers, other key groups in the community? Are your computers as environmentally friendly as you'd like them to be?

  1. Library's Technology Goals and Objectives

Place your goals in priority order. You may wish to make subsets based on function. Under each goal, list specific objectives that will guide progress towards that goal. Remember: Objectives are the measurable and specific means you'll use to meet your goals. Not all goals will be new technologies, some may be upgrades or maintenance or enhancement of existing solutions.

For example:

Goal:

Free access to the Internet and other computer resources for all members of Community will be improved and expanded as a result of LIBRARY NAME doubling the number of public access computers to ##.

Objectives:

1) In YEAR, LIBRARY NAME will pilot new turnkey public computing solution.

2) On success of pilot, library will move existing reference desk to allow more space and deploy more computers.

3) Library will purchase ## new computer workstations.

4) To ensure quick access, Library will turn existing public computers into Internet Express stations to reduce wait time for those who will only use computers for a short time.

5) Before deployment, staff will be trained in use of new Turnkey public computer system.

Consider here how you will accomplish your objectives. You may wish to break them down further into actionable activities and attach time lines to each.

  1. Funding, Budget and other Resources

Your Technology Plan must address the need for Resources to implement the plan and then the funds to maintain and update the technologies and services included in it.

Keep in mind that not all costs are dollar costs. You also need to consider the ongoing cost in staff time of your Technology Plan's goals and objectives. How can you deliver on your plans for twice as many public computers without adding IT staff?

  1. Staff Training

Describe your plans for training library staff in effective use of any new (or existing) technology to support the Technology Plan's goals.

  1. Evaluation

How will you evaluate the effectiveness of your Technology Plan and ensure adherence to meeting objectives in this plan?

Do you have a plan to monitor and reconsider your technology on a regular basis?

Please note that if you are using your technology plan to apply for e-rate or any other funding, that funding agency may have specific guidelines which your technology plan will have to meet. Be sure to do this research in advance.

Other Free Technology Resources From Userful

At http://library.userful.com, Userful offers a variety of free technology planning resources. If you'd like any of them, just email info@userful.com, or phone 1-800-301-9018.

  • TCO calculator (A simple spreadsheet that helps calculate the total cost of your public computers—hardware, software, power and labor)

  • Library IT Staff Cost Calculator

  • Welcome Kit with Free Trial Software

  • Security Analysis Report on your Public Computers

  • Environmental Benefit Analysis

  • or sign up at http://library.userful.com/library-technology-planning-resources.php

Helpful Websites to Visit

Questions, Comments?

Please contact info@userful.com, or phone 1-800-301-9018.

Userful launched Userful Desktop™ (formerly DiscoverStation), a public computing solution designed from the ground up for libraries. While the system has since been adopted by many other industries, libraries remain at the heart of the product with an average of 17,000 patrons logging into Userful Desktops every day.

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