Computers in Libraries 2007

Sarah J. Watson, Technical Services Librarian at the Lewiston Public Library recently received a Western New York Library Resources Council grant for $1000 to attend the Computers in Libraries – Beyond Library 2.0: Building Communities, Connections & Strategies, 2007, Conference held in Washington DC in April. 

She attended a pre-conference workshop called the “Web Managers Academy: Survival Guide for Library Web Site Redesigns.” Topics of discussion included the redesign process, project management, web content management systems and usability and ethnographic methods.

 

Other tracks offered during the general conference, included Search Engines, Web Design & Development, Communities & Collaboration, Digital Trends, Content Management, and Social Software in Action. These topics will help as she redesigns the library website and integrates more social software applications into the design.

 

Ms. Watson attended a number of general conference sessions on various topics and tracks including Building Collaboration, Communication, & Community Online; Cool Tools & Toolkits for Webmasters and Information Design for the New Web. All were geared towards improving the Library website and patron access to information. Another class, “Alternative & Customized Search Engines” will assist in answering  reference questions using up-to-date tools including Exalead, Crossengine, and Scandoo.

 

According to Library Director Ron Shaw, attending the conference allows Ms. Watson to “concentrate on adding content to the website, integrate features of Web 2.0, such as a blog, and work on redesigning the website in the future.”