30 November 2017 - 1:53pm | by TechSoup Staff

The TechSoup for Libraries Stories You Loved in 2017

As 2017 comes to a close, and the holiday season is upon us, let's take a look back at what you all loved (or really didn't love) in the past year.

29 November 2017 - 7:28am | by Jim Lynch

Hands reaching for TechSoup

Around this time of year, we like to see what product donations public libraries particularly like among the more than 400 offerings on TechSoup. We thought you might like to know what your colleagues like from our Nonprofit and Public Library Tech Marketplace.

28 November 2017 - 12:59pm | by Jim Lynch

Person looking at a calendar through a magnifying glass

For better or worse, 2017 was definitely a year to remember. This past year gave us new political realities and the need for libraries to repair budgets and memory holes. It also gave us a promise of simpler e-book lending, widespread Wi-Fi hotspot lending, and maker programs. We think public libraries met the challenges of this past year admirably. Here is a glance back at 2017 through the lens of library technology.

27 November 2017 - 1:14pm | by TechSoup Staff

2018

With so much to learn from in 2017, we are already looking ahead to 2018.

We are especially focused on the opportunities relating to connection and collaboration — seeing libraries learn the importance of becoming collaborative spaces. Libraries can be spaces where groups in the community can come to meet and where newcomers can learn more about their city. On-site amenities can now be complemented off-site as well.

2 November 2017 - 8:09am | by TechSoup Announcements

TechSoup Services

If your library is a bit thin on tech support, TechSoup has launched four new services for budget-constrained organizations. TechSoup Services now offers libraries anywhere in the U.S. quick help-desk support, ongoing IT maintenance, cloud implementation help, and free referrals to trusted technology consulting firms.

2 November 2017 - 7:53am | by Jim Lynch

Hands reaching out for support

McPherson Square Branch Library is one of 54 branches of the famous Free Library of Philadelphia. It is in a classically designed Carnegie building from the late 1800s north of downtown Philadelphia. The building is situated in McPherson Square Park, known locally as "needle park" because of heavy drug use there. As opioid overdoses mount, staff members at the public library have become first responders to literally save lives

15 September 2017 - 1:09pm | by Phil Shapiro

Witch's Broom region of Veil Nebula

People often go to the public library to get things done. For a public library to fulfill its mission, it needs to be a "zone of the possible." What that means is that every question asked in a library must be given the best possible answer — an answer that a community member might not have been able to find without help. Libraries that are firing on all cylinders are anticipating those questions and are assembling answers before the questions show up in living, breathing form.

13 September 2017 - 4:14pm | by Jim Lynch

U.S. President Barack Obama talks with Stephen Hawking in the Blue Room of the White House before a ceremony presenting him and 15 others with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 12 August 2009

It almost certainly comes as no surprise to those of us working directly with people in nonprofits and libraries that about one in five people have a physical or cognitive disability. Disabled people are the largest minority worldwide. IT devices can be a real help to people with all manner of disabilities, so we thought you might like our roundup of assistive technology resources. We hope you'll find it useful in working with special needs clients and patrons.

11 September 2017 - 11:01am | by Jim Lynch

A group of immigrants who have made through police blockades rest at the Gevgelija railway station

One of our particular interests at TechSoup is the refugee crisis. This year we launched an online technology informational resource for NGOs and libraries that serve refugees called Refugee Response. Hoping that you share our interest, we thought you might like to know about the volunteer library-on-wheels humanitarian project in Greece called Education. Community. Hope. Opportunity. (ECHO). People in need eventually need more than food, water, and shelter.

8 September 2017 - 1:32pm | by Jim Lynch

Free Hot Spot banners

Over 500 libraries have now requested Mobile Beacon hotspot product donations through TechSoup. After the Oakland Public Library placed a big donation request, we thought we'd call them to find out how it's going with their hotspot lending program. Here's what we found out.
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