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Plinkit

National Collaboration�with a�Local Impact

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Overview

  • Plinkit (the software)
  • Plinkit (the collaborative)
  • Extract some pertinent points

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Early History

  • 2003 LSTA Competitive Grant, Multnomah County Library, ten pilot libraries
  • 2005 Transitioned to Oregon State Library
  • Software upgrade, content tweaking
  • 2006 Plinkit re-launched in Oregon

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Why?

  • Way-back machine: 2002/2003
  • Public Library Websites
    • Non-existent
    • Poor quality
    • Lacking “library” features
  • Lack of expertise, time
  • Not-so-cooperative IT departments

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What?

  • Easy-to-maintain
  • Pre-built
  • Professional-looking
  • Free set-up, training, hosting, and support

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(Pretty appealing)

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Features + Content = Plinkit

  • Open source CMS (Plone)
  • Workflow
  • Roles/Permissions
  • WYSIWYG editor, browser-based
  • In-place navigation
  • Explicit content types

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Features + Content = Plinkit

  • Pre-populated with useful content
  • Well-organized
  • Can be used as-is
  • Can be modified
  • Can be deleted

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Features + Content = Plinkit

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Expand?

  • Oregon not the only state with this problem
  • How to make this available to any library that might want it?

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What if…

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What if…

we collaborated…

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What if…

we collaborated…

to work smarter…

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What if…

we collaborated…

to work smarter…

…instead of harder?

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Why?

  • State libraries, regional systems, and cooperatives similar resource constraints
    • Staff
    • Expertise
    • Funding
  • What would happen if staff, expertise, and funding could be pooled?

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What?

  • Fee-based, membership organization to deploy Plinkit “locally”

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Who?

  • State Libraries
  • Regional Systems
  • Cooperative Organizations

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How?

  • Funding
  • Structure
  • Process
  • Contributions

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Funding

  • Annual membership fee
  • Determined by members
  • Started “high”, reduced as more members joined
  • Budgetary needs

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Structure / Roles

  • Steering Committee
  • Project Coordinators Group
  • Technical Group
  • User’s Advisory
  • Fiscal Sponsor
  • Paid Staff (part-time)

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Processes

  • Consensus
    • Regular teleconferences, mailing lists
  • Goals, timeline, priorities
  • Budget
  • By-laws
  • More as needed…

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Example

  • Customize Plone for Plinkit
    • Technical group: software specifications
    • Project coordinators: review feature list
    • Steering committee approves
    • Technical/PCs agree on process, review proposals (including costs), select vendor, receive initial contract
    • Technical/PCs approve contract, Steering Committee final stamp of approval, fiscal sponsor pays the bills

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Contributions

  • Marketing and training materials
  • Code snippets
  • Ideas

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Characteristics

  • Balancing interdependence and independence
  • Consensus: a voice at every level
  • Different “local” business models
  • Flexibility
  • Varying resource levels

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Recent Accomplishments

  • 2010 Over 250 public libraries in seven states
  • Software developed
  • Manuals updated
  • By-laws in place
  • More formal budgeting process
  • User’s Advisory (local library staff)

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Local Impact

  • Funding and work gets distributed
    • Software specification/development/testing
    • User’s and Administrator’s Manuals
    • Technical support
  • Local input via User’s Advisory group
  • Without Collaborative, improvements cost/resource prohibitive

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x 9

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How?

  • Champion to promote the idea/vision
  • Willing participants
    • Offer something they need
  • Timing

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How?

  • Baby steps
  • Structure
  • Growth

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