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Library Edge Benchmark 8 states: Libraries have sufficient staff with technology expertise to help patrons achieve their goals. Developing technology expertise is an ongoing process and requires creating learning situations beyond the traditional instructor/student computer lab setting. By creating environments that foster creativity and innovation, libraries can help individual staff members learn and can also help build a team that can adapt to rapid change. In this article, we'll introduce several technology learning formats that emphasize play and collaboration.

Members of the TechSoup for Libraries team bond over many things -- love of libraries, interest in technology, an appreciation for delicious food -- but we also bond over parenting. Several of us have small children and enjoy sharing stories, photos, and questions with one another. Our own experiences may be a reason we've been focused on finding so many children and library technology stories and resources to share here recently.

In this guest technology training series we have been exploring various public library models and sharing tips and success stories from libraries around the country. 

If you missed yesterday's webinar on supporting patron learning in small spaces with small budgets, never fear - it was recorded!

Leaving the “real” world for the virtual world is scary and when I began exploring training in a virtual environment, I was concerned that I would lose the ability to connect with my colleagues. I feared that if I couldn’t see the people who were in the training room with me, I wouldn’t know if they were paying attention. I also knew I’d miss the chitchat of catching up after not seeing people for months at a time. Now I have adapted to the virtual world of training and I’ve found ways to create dynamic and interactive virtual meetings and trainings.

Make sure your organization gets all of the hardware or software it needs from TechSoup before our fiscal year ends on June 30, 2013!

Are you signed up for our monthly newsletter? If not, sign up here! In the June issue, you will find lots of information about products, webinars, and more. You'll also find a description of the six Library Edge Spotlights that we published in June -- each featuring one of the Edge benchmarks and a library that is excelling at achieving it.

If you work in a public library, you know there is definitely a thirst for knowledge when it comes to technology. Providing technology access, services and training is just not an option anymore. According to the FCC, digital literacy is one of the top three reasons Americans don’t use PCs and the Internet, with 46% of non-users lacking the necessary skills. 

If you’re one of the 300 million or so people who used Hotmail free webmail, you probably know by now that Hotmail is no more and that you’ve been switched over to Outlook.com.