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Adapt for outreach: taking technology on the road: outreach programming can successfully fuse new technology with traditional library services. If you're willing to mash things up (in true Web 2.0 style), you can more fully meet the needs of your community.

Article Excerpt
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The brightly colored truck pulls to a stop in the parking lot of a public-housing complex. The Mobile Outreach Literacy Vehicle has arrived. It is from the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) outreach department, where Angela Craig is an outreach specialist and Jason Hyatt is a library coordinator. PLCMC staff members pass out free books and lead story times and crafts. But there is a difference between this and traditional bookmobile services. Staffers also unfurl carpets and put out chairs and tables to create a portable internet cafe. Patrons use laptops equipped with internal broadband cards. Children play online games, adults check their email, and teens update their MySpace pages. Just like in a library, the questions soon follow. Patrons want help with uploading pictures, posting resumes, searching for jobs, and finding online resources.

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These are the typical activities that you could find at any computer lab at PLCMC's branch libraries, but the setting is completely different. And once this program has concluded, outreach staff will pack everything back onto the truck and head off to another neighborhood. How does this technology experience relate to library services? And how can a department effectively take technology on the road for outreach? We've discovered the answers to these questions and many more over the past 3 years.

Putting the 'Out' in Outreach

Outreach occurs system-wide at PLCMC. All branches are involved in reaching their surrounding neighborhoods and patrons. Under the guidance of the outreach manager, the outreach department provides support for these efforts and also offers focused programming via 12 staff members. The department is split between two locations--the main library and ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center, both in Charlotte's center-city area. Target areas for the department include child care facilities, teachers and care providers, international populations, older adults, homebound patrons, and other patron groups that are unable to use the library in the traditional manner. If they cannot come to the library, outreach can take the library experience to them. By utilizing Web 2.0 concepts, the department streamlined technology programs and enhanced patrons' experiences and online participation. In this article, the authors will share what they've learned on the journey to more fully integrate technology into outreach experiences.

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Technology Integration

The summer of 2007 offered a unique opportunity for PLCMC's outreach department. As the fiscal year drew to a close, additional funds...

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