Making the Future a Reality: Welcome to Putnam County

ENA Customer Success Story
Making the Future a Reality: Welcome to
Putnam County Public Library’s Imagination Portal
How One Indiana Library Is Successfully Making The Digital Leap!
Nestled in the heart of Greencastle, Indiana, Putnam County Public Library
(PCPL) serves as the connectivity and cultural hub for many of the
community’s rural residents. The library recently transformed its children’s
department into the Imagination Portal, an interactive technological
playground with an emphasis on digital literacy. This new youth services
library allows for collaborative digital creativity such as movie making and
music production; exploratory learning through emerging medias including
video games, eBooks, web applications, and movies; hands-on
experiential programming including performances, arts, and crafts;
cooking and culinary studies; and lively story-time events. The Imagination
Portal combines the spirit of discovery and learning inherent in the
traditional literary experience with the excitement of technological
transformation and immersion.
PCPL Director Grier Carson spearheaded the library’s transformation.
“When I started, it bothered me that there was absolutely no integration of
consumer technology within the children’s space,” says Carson. “I think we
had a single iPad that nobody used. We had patron computers and AWE™ Early Literacy Stations, but that was it.
Essentially, we had a very traditional children’s library. It was a nice space with a lot of picture books, primers, toys, and
hands-on materials. We also had a story-time room that worked well, but it was closed off. It was a children’s space that
parents loved, but there was nothing significant about it that drew people in.”
As a former technology director at a boarding school in Chicago, Carson
understands the transformative impact technology integration can have on
children and young adults. “In my former role, I was part of a team that
launched one of the first iPad programs in schools, and I helped create an
integrated technology learning environment for high school kids,” says Carson.
“When I came to PCPL, I brought with me a design standard for an integrated
library space that not only focused on state-of-the-art computers and mobile
technologies, but also included strategies to present and make accessible
some of the most common forms of media to our patrons, specifically video
games, film, music, and interactive web-based platforms.”
First Step—Building a Robust Network Infrastructure
Overhauling PCPL’s existing network infrastructure was one of Carson’s first priorities. “With the help of ENA, we
increased our Internet access from 10 Mbps to 70 Mbps,” says Carson. He also decided to replace PCPL’s locally
managed wireless network with ENA Air, ENA’s turnkey Wi-Fi service. “We integrated ENA Air in order to provide our
patrons with a robust wireless network,” says Carson. “I looked at performance data and saw that we needed
improvements. We had a patchwork of common wireless routers installed throughout the library that we managed
ourselves. It was really inconsistent. When our equipment went down, we had to replace the components ourselves. Last
year we flipped that on its ear. We deployed ENA Air for Wi-Fi management, and we started outsourcing other services.
This has been very effective in terms of managing the network and utilizing technology staff efficiently. I would much rather
have my technology team members assisting our patrons with technology or planning future network improvements
instead of managing network equipment all day. Everything about switching to ENA Air has been great. I wish we had
done it sooner.”
Carson understands the necessity of having a reliable and robust infrastructure in place at his library. “I came from a
school environment where I was a technology director and a library director,” says Carson. “Before we built a one-to-one
(1:1) environment, we spent a couple of years working on our infrastructure. It is sometimes difficult for people to
understand why building an infrastructure is so important because there is no immediate payoff. It is not viewed as a
priority in terms of the budget because it is not visible. I think that is a mistake because a library’s infrastructure is critical.
Our new technology plan focuses on that and our library board fully understands that as well. One of our primary goals is
to maintain and support a robust infrastructure. We do not want our network to come to a grinding halt in five years when
almost everything requires wireless access of some kind. I do not want to have to reallocate funding in order to get our
network up to speed. We are preparing for the future now.”
Second Step—Sparking Imaginations With Digital Resources
When patrons step into PCPL’s Imagination Portal, the future already
seems like a tangible reality. There is a palpable sense of excitement
in the air as patrons discover the endless learning possibilities in
front of them. Three large 4k flat screen monitors are mounted to
the wall along with a giant projection screen and an Apple TV. A
MIDI-capable digital piano is used in conjunction with freeware such
as Audacity and Apple software like GarageBand and iMovie to
support digital creativity programming. Toddlers and teenagers alike
are busy engaging with the library’s video game consoles,
touchscreen desktop computers, and Mac devices. “I have
overheard new families say ‘this is like heaven’ or ‘this is like a playground’ because there are so many things to do,” says
Carson. “That is music to my ears. Our role is to facilitate literacy in all of its forms, and we define literacy as more than just
words printed on a page. We need to embrace video games, music, and film as narrative art forms and legitimize their role
in today’s 21st century library environment.”
Carson understands that public libraries are at a crossroads
in terms of defining their role in today’s technology-driven
society. Some patrons are resistant to change and would
prefer their libraries to remain quiet places of solitude. “When
you walk into the Imagination Portal, you immediately notice
that it is a technology-heavy area,” says Carson. “However,
we are also very conscious of the fact that we are dealing
with a children’s space, and that we need to keep one foot
firmly rooted in the tradition of print literacy. We take our early
literacy story-time program very seriously, and we know that
there is great value in providing children access to hands-on
materials like floor puzzles, trainsets, and blocks.”
Remembering the Past, Looking Toward the Future
Carson believes that today’s libraries need to evolve to meet
the needs and demands of their future-ready patrons. “I don’t
think it’s wise for libraries to sit back and be a sanctuary from
the cacophony of the digital world,” says Carson. “I think we
need to do the opposite. We need to expose our patrons to the
world online and the world of culture, media, and
communication. It is our duty to provide our patrons with the
tools they need to navigate the world successfully. In our own
county, we are trying to close the digital divide by providing our
community’s residents with access to devices and online
content that they do not have at home. We host a series of
technology courses to bridge the gap. These courses are
extremely popular and well-received by our community
members.”
Libraries are on the precipice of a digital leap, and it is
imperative that they take the steps now to prepare for the
future. “In order to avoid massive skill set discrepancies
across our citizenry, public libraries are going to have to
become places where everyone can go to get free and
equitable access to resources like the Internet,” says Carson.
“What we have accomplished in our children’s department is
a flagship for what we will be doing throughout the rest of our library, save for one or two areas. Our library will become a
place where patrons can be creative, collaborate with their peers, and explore the world around them. That is how we are
going to [engage] the next generation of library users.”
PCPL’s Imagination Portal is changing the learning landscape in this small, rural Indiana community. By providing its young
patrons access to a plethora of innovative and engaging digital resources, games, and tools, the library is preparing the
next generation for the world around them.
CONTACT US TODAY!
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