Library staff face a constant stream of new technologies to explore and evaluate. Get a refresher on how to learn a new technology or tool, and how to take what you’ve learned and pass it on to the public and other staff.

2. You don't need
to know everything.

3. You don't need
to know everything.
The goal is to know about the things that
interest, motivate and compel you,
and to be aware of as much of
the rest as you can.

4. Stay Informed
 Social media – friends & colleagues
 Popular magazines & websites, pop culture sites
 Gizmodo, Engadget, CNet, Slashdot, Lifehacker, ZDNet,
Atlantic Cities, ThisIsColossal
 SXSW, TED / TEDx
 Major news sources: New York Times, BBC, CNN, Time, The
Economist Tech Quarterly

5. Stay Informed
Technical conferences – even if you don’t attend, skimming the
session topics will tell you what’s important / coming
 Tech: Consumer Electronics Show (CES) , Interop (general IT),
Macworld, Velocity (web optimization), Defcon (security),
NANOG (networks), LISA (sysadmin)
 Gaming conventions: E3, Gaming Developers Convention (GDC)
 thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2014/01/04/10-must-attend-
tech-conferences-2014/

6. Stay Informed
• Read as you can, or set aside time to read each day.
• Use your current "professional reading" schedule
and substitute online for paper.
• Try to read any source relative to its posting
frequency. More frequent posts = more frequent
reading.

7. Learning a New Tool
 Read about it online
 Read the screen
 Push the buttons
 Take your time
 Don’t be afraid
 Do the ‘driving’ yourself

8. Pass on What You Have Learned…
 Have an idea / See a need
 Do you have the skill to teach?
 Choose the scope
 Determine class format and duration
 Choose visual presentation format
 Flesh out the program – exercises, handouts, etc.
 Present!
 Evaluate, refine and specify

9. Can you teach it?
 You need to know more about a topic to teach it
than to just do it
 Can you answer the random questions?
 Can you give additional details to the advanced
students?
 Can you suggest next steps after your workshop?
 Do you have a goal for your students?

10. Yes? Great! Here we go….
What you
know you
don’t
know
What you
think you
know
What you
know you
know