Technology planning

Citation

Maxymuk, J. (2001), "Technology planning", The Bottom Line, Vol. 14 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2001.17014dag.001

Technology planning

Technology planning

Keywords: Technology, Information technology, Planning, Long-range planning

Technology changes our lives in two ways: by giant leaps of innovation and by small steps of progress. The automobile was a giant leap; automatic transmission, cruise control, power windows, and bookmobiles were small steps. Microcomputers were a giant leap; color monitors, word processing software, and ever-increasing memory and storage were (and are) small steps. The World Wide Web (WWW) was a giant leap; MPEGs, video streaming, Web-based library catalogs, general compatibility in the browser wars, and e-commerce all have been small steps.

While the Web-based library catalog was a small advance to the general population, it has been a major innovation for libraries themselves. Let us recall a little history to put the process of technology planning in perspective. Tim Berners-Lee first proposed the WWW in 1989, and it was released to the general networking public in 1991. In 1993, Marc Andreessen of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) released the first widespread, popular Web browser, Mosaic. By 1994 Web use skyrocketed, and Andreesen branched out on his own to form the company that produced Netscape. Somewhere between 1993 and 1994 is when libraries should have begun planning for Web-based catalogs that would eventually link to electronic journals, online government publications, and untold riches of Web-based information. Technology steadily marches on, and we must plan, update and plan again to keep up.

Access points

Often the best place to start when searching for planning resources on the Web is an indexing site. Perhaps the best such site is Joe Ryan's State Library Administered Technology Planning and Funding resource page (http://web.syr.edu/~jryan/infopro/techplan.html). Ryan arranges his page by subject and then by geography. He lists general guides for all aspects of technology planning. Other information is arranged in such categories as Connectivity Studies and Directories, the Digital Divide, E-rate Evaluations, the FCC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding from IMLS, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Schools and Libraries Division (SLD), and Technology Plans – How To. His geographic breakdown is by state and under each state he covers grants, E-rate, LSTA plans, other technology plans, and a variety of miscellaneous resources related to the topic. The breadth of informational resources accessible from this site is truly remarkable and makes it the best one-stop site on technology planning.

Another useful site for technology planners is the Colorado State Library's Technology Planning page (http://www.aclin.org/technology/techplan.html). While some of this material is specific to Colorado libraries, much is transferable. There are technology standards, a technology planning checklist and technology plan templates. Sample technology plans are linked to this page as well. Another source for sample plans is the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) page listing five-year LSTA Plans (http://www.cosla.org/member/5yrplans.html).

Finally, Integrated Library System Reports (ILSR) is an online newsletter that deals with integrated library system issues. Among their resources, they have a page devoted to Technology Plans (http://www.ilsr.com/index.htm). Here, the user will find links not only to guides on technology planning, but also to sample plans from a number of different types and sizes of institutions.

Library organizations

The American Library Association (ALA) has a basic information page concerning the 1996 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) (http://www.ala.org/washoff/lstaqa.html). The COSLA page noted above links to state technology plans prepared to meet the requirements of LSTA, and these plans can be useful to review for a wider audience than state libraries.

ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) in Washington deals with the full range of technology policy issues for libraries: telecommunications, Internet governance, the digital divide, copyright and more. Under its Telecommunications pages, OITP discusses the E-rate program for universal service that was part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (http://www.ala.org/oitp/telcom/univserv.html). E-rate provides discounted access to telecommunications and advanced services for all eligible schools and libraries, particularly those in rural and inner-city areas. One of the requirements for eligibility is preparing a technology plan – beginning to sound familiar?

ALA's division for technology issues is LITA, the Library and Information Technology Association. One of LITA's most interesting resources is the Top Technology Trends Committee's page (http://www.lita.org/committe/toptech/mainpage.htm). This committee is a group of LITA leaders with expertise in the library and information technology fields, who first met at the 1999 ALA MidWinter Conference to discuss technology trends librarians should be watching. The original list of seven trends was discussed previously (Maxymuk, 1999). The group meets at both the Annual Conference and Midwinter to continually update their work. On their Web page, they include the perceived trends, minutes of the meeting, and links to relevant information resources. This site has proven to be an ongoing resource for strategic planning for technology. One other LITA page that should be noted is Information Technology Access Assessment Checklist (http://www.lita.org/committe/techacc/access.html), which can be used to identify access issues concerning the development, implementation, and evaluation of information technologies. Pertinent issues include privacy and security, accessibility, cost, databases, standardization, and work environment. This is a product of LITA's Technology and Access Committee.

E-rate

As noted before, one of the most obvious driving forces for libraries preparing technology plans is the E-rate for universal access. This program is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). Their Web site for Schools and Libraries (http://www.sl.universalservice.org/) features detailed facts, forms, and FAQs related to this program. There is a step-by-step section on how to apply that explains how much time a plan should cover, what details are necessary, and how to get a plan approved. Posted advice on developing the technology plan includes the five criteria that are core elements of successful school and library technology initiatives. The plan must:

1. 1.

   Establish clear goals and a realistic strategy for using telecommunications and information technology to improve education or library services.

2. 2.

   Have a professional development strategy to ensure that staff know how to use these new technologies to improve education or library services.

3. 3.

   Include an assessment of the telecommunication services, hardware, software, and other services that will be needed to improve education or library services.

4. 4.

   Provide for a sufficient budget to acquire and support the non-discounted elements of the plan: the hardware, software, professional development, and other services that will be needed to implement the strategy.

5. 5.

   Include an evaluation process that enables the school or library to monitor progress toward the specified goals and make mid-course corrections in response to new developments and opportunities as they arise. (http://www.sl.universalservice.org/apply/2proc.asp).

Different state libraries have approached this topic as well. The State Library of North Carolina's page on Technology Planning (http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/hottopic/techplan/techplan.htm) provides the necessary forms and lists the status of submitted forms. In addition, they provide justification for creating a plan, suggestions on what one should look like, a list of places to start, and instructions for submitting the finished product. The New Jersey State Library's Technology Plan for New Jersey Public Libraries page (http://www2.njstatelib.org/njlib/utechpln.htm) performs similar functions. Latest planning information from the School and Libraries Division is linked, various documents on planning are provided, specific instructions for developing a technology plan are given, and sample plans from around the country are listed.

A "how to" approach

So, technology plans are developed to meet the needs of the future and they are developed to meet the requirements of funding programs. Either way, how do we go about creating one? A number of sites provide guidance.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) published a handbook on this subject: Technology @ Your Fingertips: A Guide to Implementing Technology Solutions for Education Agencies and Institutions (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfor.asp?pubid=98293). This book aims to lead the reader to the best possible technology solution by describing the steps necessary to identify technology needs, acquire that technology, and implement it for future benefit. Originally published in 1998, the book was updated online in 2001.

Outlining is another approach. Dave Simmons of the MOLO Regional Library System in Ohio developed an outline for writing technology plans for a 1996 ALA Conference Roundtable (http://www.molo.lib.oh.us/wnew/referen/techplan.htm). His outline attempts to answer essential questions:

• •

  What does the public want?

• •

  What do we have right now and what do we need?

• •

  Who are some potential partners?

• •

  On what one or two technologies should we focus?

• •

  What does it cost?

He makes a number of additional helpful points as well. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's Technology Planning Outline (http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dltcl/pld/planout.html) presents five factors to consider:

1. 1.

   support of library staff, including its management;

2. 2.

   direct involvement by other parties;

3. 3.

   service-based technology goals and initiatives;

4. 4.

   staff development; and

5. 5.

   identification of funding and development of a budget.

This page also sets up a framework for a Technology Plan including: an introduction, a vision statement, an executive summary, some background and a picture of the current state of technology, recommended action steps, and a means to evaluate the technology plan.

Information Systems of Florida, a consulting firm, posts a list of Dos and Don'ts of Technology Planning on their Web site (http://www.isf.com/services/article1.htm). Among their advice is that effective plans are developed by the end-users, planners need both to listen and to be heard, planners should plan on where to go … not how to get there, technology does not equal computers, the future is a moving target, so you never stop planning, and plan for support to support the plan.

One other interesting resource in this area was prepared a number of years back by graduate students in the Department of Technology and Education at Mississippi State University (http://www2.msstate.edu/~lsa1/sip/). Of most interest here are the reviews of existing technology plans. While these plans and reviews date from 1995, they still provide a window on evaluative criteria to keep in mind when preparing an effective technology plan. The professor from that course went on to found the National Center for Technology Planning (NCTP) (http://www.nctp.com/about.cfm). NCTP is a clearing-house for the exchange of many types of information related to technology planning. Here can be found: school technology plans; technology planning aids (checklists, brochures, sample planning forms, PR announcement forms); and publications on related topics.

As the old saying goes "Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure." Successful people and organizations are not simply lucky. They set goals and work intelligently towards achieving those goals. Part of the process of success in today's library is planning reasonably, innovatively, and effectively for what tomorrow's technology will make possible.

John MaxymukReference Librarian at the Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey, USA. Comments on this column are welcome and can be sent to maxymuk@crab.rutgers.edu Or visit my Web page at: http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~maxymuk/home/home.html