By Raymond Goslow
The world of technology is always growing and changing, often faster than libraries can keep up, and decisions on what to purchase and how to keep staff educated can feel overwhelming. Luckily, Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) offers a secret weapon for libraries in Georgia – the Lit Lab. This collection of emerging library technology is hosted at the main GPLS office, and it is available to library staff for exploration and training.
The Lit Lab began in connection with the GPLS Tech Boot Camp conference. With so many library IT staff coming from across the state for professional development, it was a natural opportunity to put emerging technology on display. But having this assembly of technology available only for a few days in a year didn’t make sense, and so the Lit Lab was born.
At first the Lit Lab functioned mainly as a “traveling makerspace,” available to make appearances at events like staff development days and professional conferences, but even this only scratched the surface of its full potential. Eventually, many of the more portable items became available for individual use through the Tech Loaner Kit program, allowing libraries to borrow technology for two weeks at a time to test out and train with at their own leisure.
Nowadays, the Lit Lab has a permanent home at GPLS headquarters and continues to grow, including multiple types of 3D printers and 3D scanners, a CNC milling machine, a vinyl plotter, a laser cutter, and more. Georgia libraries can send their staff to the Lit Lab for hands-on training from the GPLS IT team, customized exactly to their needs and interests.
Though the GPLS Lit Lab is only available for library staff and not the general public, this program still supports the development of technology in libraries for the benefit of the entire state. After staff visit the Lit Lab, they can return to their home libraries better equipped to use the technology they already have and more informed when making future decisions about technology to purchase for public use.
To learn more about the technology available in the GPLS Lit Lab or to request training as a library staff member, please visit its official homepage on the GA Lib Tech website: https://galibtech.georgialibraries.org/emerging/lit-lab
To learn about the Georgia Public Library Service, go to https://georgialibraries.org/.
