During the summer of 2020, the IT director and I regularly met with our ISP's technicians to upgrade the bandwidth for every library. Our work included configuring firewalls, replacing circuits, running tests on the network for [at that time] all of the 13 branches across middle Georgia. Some libraries, including the largest of the group Washington Memorial Library, also required us to replace the switches with newer models. The project as a whole took months of work and hundreds of miles on the road to complete, but fulfilled the main prerequisite for one of our future projects—setting up VoIP telephone systems. Also, going from 100Mbps to 500Mbps, the libraries now boast stronger networks that allow more patrons to concurrently get the information they need.

One year later, we upgraded all of the wireless access points at each of the libraries and added external APs to expand accessibility and options for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our statistics were dramatically boosted and most of the total wireless traffic now comes from the new external APs.

We provide enough upgrades to our branches that our equipment storage space requires seasonal recycling. So, a few times per year we have an equipment recycling day. I start off by collecting information about all the equipment and clearing any sensitive data. Then, I contact an electronic waste recycling company and help them load up the equipment (mostly PCs, displays, printers, cables) to be repurposed/recycled. They examine the equipment and send it to developing nations across the globe, or recycle the raw materials. Our organization is rewarded with a tax break, and we are rewarded with the knowledge that our old equipment will continue to help those in need even after we are finished with it.

Libraries are increasingly moving toward Chrome OS and away from Windows. Chrome OS seems to be an ideal choice for patron usage at libraries because they are cheaper to buy & license than Windows machines, highly scalable, easy to manage, and easy to fix while still providing basic computing features like web surfing and word processing. They work especially well as kiosk devices with managed guest sessions. This is not to say that it will completely replace all of our Windows machines, because there will always be a demand for them. In many cases, however, it makes sense to migrate to Chrome.

My main job in all this was to design and implement the rules for these devices to ensure a fresh session on every boot and to lock down pretty much every feature that could become a security or privacy concern. These rules are different for each use case. For example, our public lab computers have a relaxed set of rules, but our self-checkout kiosks and catalog computers have a more refined function so they require more rules to be implemented.

After the rules have been designed in my Google Admin dashboard, I enroll each device and place it in the correct group (or "Organizational Unit"). After the devices syncs with the Internet, it automatically pulls and applies the rules to the machine, meaning I only have to make one configuration and I can instantly apply it to an unlimited number of machines. I can also pull some telemetry data (no history or identifying information, of course) from the device or power cycle it at any moment from my dashboard.

In my time at MGRL, I have enrolled about 60 devices in 20 organizational units, each serving a different purpose. We lend out Chromebooks to patrons, have Chromeboxes in the lab, use Chromebits for digital signage, and provide self-checkout and catalog service kiosks that all run Chrome OS. I enjoy how easy they are to manage, and the fact that they rarely experience issues that a simple restart doesn't fix. They have made me proficient with Google Enterprise and given me a good introduction to Chrome apps and progressive web apps.

The director of the system hopes that the libraries will eventually transition to a state where a majority of their publicly-accessible computers are Chrome devices. I'm sure this decision is motivated in part by their low cost and high manageability.

When I joined the library, the IT department had been using Google Forms for their ticketing system. For a small operation, this would not have been such an issue. However, with many different issues coming in from different branches and with Google Forms lacking some capabilities like messaging and decent record-keeping, I quickly realized that a new ticketing system was needed for the whole system.

After researching different options, I led the implementation of a robust, open-source ticketing system called osTicket. This allowed issues to be resolved in a more organized fashion, allowed for email integration, and an account system that promoted consistency throughout the whole platform. I installed the software on a web server in our office and configured the environment over the course of a week or two. I recieved many praises from my supervisor for taking the initiative to find a better solution for our ticketing system. After all, it is the primary interface we have between ourselves and our clients.

During the spring of 2020, the library system received a grant that provided the main library (Washington Memorial Library in Macon, GA) with funds on the condition that the funds be used for RFID and self-check machines. I, along with my team, quickly got to work weighing our options and eventually landed on Bibliotecha to provide these services.

Over the next few weeks, we met with representatives several times to go over their solutions, pricing options, what needed to be done before the project could start, and what the execution would look like. Before the project could even begin, the library needed to have new doors put on. Once that was dealt with, I.T. staff was able to guide the library through the rest of the process. All of the books (yes, every single book that goes through the library) had to be tagged with an RFID sticker. I.T. staff set up the tagging machines with software provided by Bibliotecha and then trained circulation staff on how to use them.

In a matter of weeks, all of the books had been tagged. After making sure there were data access points available and collecting all the necessary server & network information, we were ready to install the RFID security gates and subsequently install the self-checkout kiosks. This phase only took a few days, although those days were packed. During that time, we met with a Bibliotecha technician and helped him install the RFID-reading gates as well as set up the self check kiosks. After configuring each of the kiosks and loading up the management software, we were able to train staff on how to use and control the machines so that they may relay that information to patrons.

At this point in time, it has been a few weeks since the installation finished. Patrons love the ease of use of the new machines, and I'm sure they are decreasing the load on circulation staff during busy hours. Hopefully, this project will allow us to pursue other avenues in the future that were not available before, such as unattended patron access after regular library hours.

In order to receive important chunks of funding, libraries apply to receive a number of grants and subsidies. Many of these grants are competitive and require extensive planning, research, writing, and communication to participate. In order to be approved, libraries often have to submit to certain stipulations and requirements put forth by the source of the grant. This can easily double or even triple the amount of time one might think a project should take to complete. To put things in perspective, my department alone has been on the receiving end of about twenty sources of funding in the last two years.

For myself and my supervisor, this means we are constantly evaluating the needs of our branches and putting those needs into consideration while we compose lengthy documents (e.g., proposals, RFPs, justification letters) while simultaneously researching products and communicating with vendors & our branches. All of this, of course, takes place before the project (the real work) begins.

You may find some supplemental information regarding the grant process by visiting my Libtech project page which was my first experience with the grant process.