A technology plan is only as complex as the organization for which it is written. It should be an evolving document that you can amend anytime. A technology plan should reflect your library's goals and needs. It is your road map to success and a necessary ingredient in acquiring additional funding.
Library Goals and Objectives:
Describe the goals that you have for your library when it comes to internet access, whether it be to staff, patrons, or both.
Professional Development:
Describe any professional development that you and your staff will be participating in during the life of this technology plan. This training can be as simple as requesting or having an operating manual available, taking a continuing education class, or attending workshops and conferences.
Needs Assessment:
Begin by stating what you currently have in the way of telephone and internet connectivity. Project forward over the next three years and describe what you envision your library will need to acquire (or even make a plan to maintain) over the course of those three years. Look at your goals above, and this may help guide you in knowing what you will need to make those goals a reality.
Budget:
This budget should include income and expenses. You may have to project (read "make an educated guess") about your future budget, but it should be based on a reasonable expectation of receiving and spending.
Evaluation:
How will you know whether or not you have achieved the stated goals?
Technology Protection Measure/Filter:
Describe what you use as a filter on your computers. It could be a filter provided by your service provider and included in your service. It could be software you install on your computers or server or a filter of your own design through your web browser. The degree to which you filter should be a local decision determined by your community's cultural outlook and attitude.
Internet Safety Policy:
Attach your library's internet safety policy to this technology plan. You don't need to create one on your own if you don't have one. Plenty of them are out there, which you can modify to fit your needs. An Internet Safety Policy should describe your guidelines, requirements, and expectations of patrons using the library's Internet Access.
Include the date of the Public Meeting where the Technology Protection Measure and Internet Safety Policy were discussed.
