CLR Case Studies--

Challenges

• The library building, while constructed in 1989, still has required modification to accomodate new technology. Most of these modifications have been to increase the number of electrical outlets and phone jacks.
• The community's technical infrastructure is lacking; for example, thunderstorms cause frequent power outages.
• Hardware and software compatibility problems are ongoing. The acquisition of new information products and services has required hardware upgrades.
• There is insufficient technical support to resolve problems with the computers. Staff members have had to train themselves about technology. They report that through learning by doing they manage without on-site technical experts.
• "We are all developing expertise" in writing grant proposals, says McInvaill. "You just have to go to outside money."
• In a poor state and with modest local support for libraries, cuts of state and federal funding cause great concern. In the Georgetown County Library, which has built its technological infrastructure primarily on LSCA funds granted by the state library, library management is genuinely concerned about the future of LSTA funding.