Plinkit Presented at code4lib Conference 2006

A "lightning talk" about Plinkit was given at the code4lib Conference 2006 in Corvallis, OR on February 16, 2006. A "lightning talk" is a 5-minute presentation, where any conference participant can sign up to present during the conference.

The following key points were covered:

• The Problem
• Small public libraries with no websites or websites that could be improved due in part to:
• uncooperative IT departments
• staff lack technicals skills or resources
• lack of money or time for training and web site creation and maintenance
• Why is this a problem?
• patrons (most likely) have increasingly higher expectations on what a website is and does
• patrons don't have remote access to library's information resources and services
• libraries need to go where the patrons are (online)
• The Answer (in part)
• Plinkit: a prebuilt website for public libraries (using Plone, an open source software content management system)
• preloaded with content specific to public libraries
• in-place editing through any web browser from anywhere
• includes "dynamic" (incoming RSS feeds) content
  
• oh, and it's FREE (through the Oregon State Library) -- not hosting costs
• Additional features coming soon:
• patron participation through book recommendations and online book discussions
• tie-in to other statewide electronic resources (databases, virtual reference, and OSLIS)
• The Future
• use Plinkit to assist libraries in marketing information services to local business and government officials, demonstrating the value of public libraries to key funding decision-makers