Summer 2013 Working With New Technologies Vol. 11, No. 2 Google Apps for Education Surpasses Expectations at ICHS By Amy B. Popp, Librar- Google Apps for Education ian, Webmaster, PR Coor- (www.google.com/enterprise/ apps/education) has fulfilled all of dinator, and Technology these requirements. Teacher at Immaculate Conception High School I had heard about Gmail being used as an email solution for edu- Immaculate Conception High cational and nonprofit organiza- School (ICHS), a Catholic co- tions. Through research, emails, educational school in Mont- and phone calls with Google, I clair, has been transformed found that our school qualified for by the implementation of the free Google Apps for Educa- Google Apps for Education. tion program. We could retain our When I was hired as Librar- email domain name ian/Webmaster in 2011, one ICHS juniors work in Popp’s (Continued on page 4) of my primary goals was to computer class: Joselyn update the content, media, Espinoza (front), Myrna Nu- functionality, and visibility of arhpa, Garyetta Vanderveer. the school’s website. As I revamped the website, I everyone in the school com- Contents noticed that the school's munity to communicate with email system was outdated, each other effectively. In addi- clunky, and barely used. It Google Apps for Education tion, students needed to col- Surpasses Expectations needed to be replaced by laborate, share, and retrieve something that would enable at ICHS 1 their work more effectively. How iPad Stations Support Early Childhood Learning 1 Message from How iPad Stations Support the President 2 Letter from the Early Childhood Learning Executive Director 3 Note from the Editor 3 By Jennifer Salt, Senior and benefits of creating an Children’s Librarian, early childhood tech station Use TechEx to Share using tablet computers. Your Knowledge 5 Middletown Township Public Library The public library plays an NJ Libraries Recognized for important role in supporting Innovations in Technology 6 The Middletown Township families and caregivers in Public Library (MTPL) has Cloud Computing and preparing young children for created an iPad-based tech- Academic Libraries 7 kindergarten. In the 21st nology station in its early century, this preparation in- 2013-14 Election Results 9 childhood area. This space cludes the concept of translit- is targeted toward families eracy. This relatively new People & Places with toddlers and preschool- educational concept is defined Around the State 10 ers; the featured apps are as the ability to read, write, designed to build early liter- Advertisers’ Index 12 and interact across a wide acy and math skills. This range of media. article covers the logistics Write for the Next Issue 12 (Continued on page 8) New Jersey Libraries NEWSletter is published quarterly. To contribute, contact Editor Kathy Dempsey at [email protected] Submissions will be due Message on January 19 (Spring issue); April 19 (Summer); July 19 (Fall); and October 19 (Winter). from the PRESIDENT To advertise, contact Ad Manager June Zeringue Tips for Implementing volved, it lightens the workload as well. at 908-770-1225 or Those New Technologies Many minds are often better than just [email protected] one. Different staff members from vari- ous departments can be in charge of Is there a new service or technology separate parts of the planning and im- Mission Statement of the that you want to implement at your plementation process. It also helps to New Jersey Libraries NEWSletter library? Are you afraid that it will be have a group of people you can count The New Jersey Libraries NEWSletter is unsuccessful? We all know that getting on for brainstorming and troubleshoot- one of the official publications of the started with a new technology person- ing once the new technology is imple- New Jersey Library Association and ally can be daunting enough. But trying mented. serves as a vehicle for communication to launch any patron services involving of library issues and activities among new technologies can be paralyzing, Training: I cannot overemphasize the the members of NJLA. both for staff and administration. There importance of training when it comes to are a number of ways to ease some of technology. The staff who will be most the discomfort you may feel when work- involved need the highest level of train- ing with these innovations in a library. Editorial Statement of the ing. But don’t forget to include any staff New Jersey Libraries NEWSletter members who are interested. All of your Planning: As much as we want to be on The New Jersey Libraries NEWSletter frontline librarians and assistants will be the cutting edge of technology, most shall provide news of the New Jersey asked questions, so they'll need to know librarians realize that we don’t always Library Association and information at least the basics behind the new offer- have the funding or the knowledge to about statewide, regional, and local ing, even if that's just being aware of get started. One way to lessen this library activities. News shall be as cur- when the service is available and who stress is through planning. I’m not ad- rent as possible within the constraints knows more about it. vocating doing so much research that of the publication schedule and the you never move forward. But take a publication will serve as an archival Flexibility: There is no way to plan for look at what other libraries and indus- record of significant and lasting library all of the great and not-so-great things tries are doing. It is much easier to issues and topics. The New Jersey Li- that will happen when you launch some- learn from what others have already braries NEWSletter shall provide reports thing new. Try not to stress about the done than to start from scratch each from officers, committees, roundtables, unknowns (Easier said than done, I time. (One tool to turn to is the Edge sections, and other units of the NJ Li- know!), because there is no way to an- Benchmark initiative, where librarians brary Association. It shall also publish ticipate all of them. Be open to the feed- share their technology stories: reports on trends and practices in the back from your staff and patrons, and www.libraryedge.org.) library profession and articles on topics consider those comments as you make of interest to the New Jersey library changes going forward. It doesn’t have Pilot: Another option is to use the new community. Ephemeral issues and time- to be perfect the first time out. technology as a pilot program. It lets sensitive topics will be covered in the your patrons know up front that you are listserv or the Association website. As you read the other articles in this trying out this new service or tool for a issue, think about the new technologies Inclusion of an article or advertisement short time. At the end of the pilot pe- that you’ve been wanting to implement in the New Jersey Libraries NEWSLetter riod, you have the option of discontinu- at your library. Don’t allow fears and does not constitute official endorsement ing the service. If funding has been your worries to stop you from pursuing them. by the New Jersey Library Association. concern, it is often easier to get more Do some planning and work with a flexi- funding if you can prove that the service All content in the New Jersey Libraries ble team and you, too, can find your was widely used or generated a lot of NEWSLetter is subject to copyright by library's "perfect fit" with technology! patron excitement. the New Jersey Library Association and may be photocopied for non- Teamwork: Work with a team of library commercial and educational purposes staff to be more effective. Not only will provided by Copyright Revision Act of this reduce stress for all the people in- 1976, sections 107 and 108 with credit Karen Klapperstuck attributed to the New Jersey Library Association. Excerpts must be properly attributed to the New Jersey Library Finding Your Perfect Fit: See Association. Requests for reprints for commercial purposes should be for- It can happen at our conference you warded to the NJLA Office, PO Box 1534, Trenton, NJ 08607. [email protected] in Atlantic City, June 3–5! there! 2 Letter from Note from the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR the EDITOR The Heart of the Community: world of difference. The Orange Public Moving Right Along... A Tale of Two Libraries Library is one of the oldest in New Jer- sey. In mid-April the board of trustees Well gang, this will be my last issue as announced suddenly that it was closing Editor of this publication and Chair of Two library stories that happened within the library indefinitely because of nu- the Newsletter Editorial Board. I'm giv- days of each other in late April have me merous health and safety violations. ing it all up and moving to Vegas. Actu- thinking a lot about what a library Little information was made available to ally, I'm kidding about Vegas, but not means to a community. the public about what alternative plans about leaving this position. I've accom- were in place to offer library services. plished what I set out to do here, so it's On April 28, the Oradell Public Library Press accounts have some of the staff time to move along. celebrated its 100th anniversary. The being deployed to other libraries and library was started by a small group of In early 2010, the NEWSletter's first some of the librarians being fired. volunteers in early 1913 and has served editor, Jane Crocker, tapped me to take the community her place as the print publication was Patrons were told continuously about to go electronic to save money.