Speakers
Helene Blowers
Helene Blowers is the Director of Digital Strategy for the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) in Columbus, Ohio. Previous to her move to CML, she was the Public Services Technology Director for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), Charlotte, NC where she provided leadership for many groundbreaking and award winning library services, including StoryPlace.org, BookHive.org and ReadersClub.org. Among her professional contributions, she is most widely known as the architect and developer of Learning 2.0: 23 Things, an online discovery program which has been duplicated by hundreds of libraries world-wide. In 2007, Helene was named a Mover & Shaker, by Library Journal. She is the co-authored of the book Weaving a Library Web: A Guide to Developing Children’s Websites and a frequent presenter at library conferences. When Helene is not busy trying to keep CML from falling off the ever-surging technology wave, she enjoys travel and spending time with her husband and two young daughters. And, in addition to balancing motherhood and career, she also blogs at LibraryBytes.com
Glen Horton
Glen has served as the Technology Coordinator for SWON Libraries (formally GCLC) since 1999. His duties require him to have experience in a wide range of technologies. He is responsible for providing technology assistance, technology training, and facilitating shared projects within the SWON Libraries membership. Glen has made over 100 presentations on technology and its use in all types of libraries. In addition to training staff in member libraries, he has presented at national, state, and regional library events.
Chip Kruthoffer
Chip Kruthoffer is a librarian who has pretended to be the sysadmin at Lane Public Library since 1999. Chip is enthusiastic about Saas (Software as a Service) and is always on the lookout for sensibly-priced options to improve service. Lane PL has been “live” with 125 users on Google Apps since April 2007.
David Popeck
David Popeck is a supervisor in the Electronic Services department of Lakewood Public Library in Lakewood, Ohio. David has worked at Lakewood PL for 11 years. An open source advocate, he designed presentations on the history of open source as well as an introduction to Linux (using Ubuntu Linux as the example distribution). In fourth quarter 2007 he migrated Lakewood PL to Google Apps and not only survived, but even received grateful thanks from staff liberated from the old mail system.
Michael Providenti
Michael Providenti is the Web Development Librarian and Associate Professor at Northern Kentucky University’s W. Frank Steely Library. He has a B.A. in English Literature and Art History from the University of Cincinnati and a MLS from the University of Kentucky.
Laura Solomon
Laura Solomon is the Library Services Manager for OPLIN and former Web Applications Manager for Cleveland Public Library. She has been doing web development and design for over ten years, in both libraries and as an independent consultant. She also authored a statewide web site usability study in 2004 that evaluated the site of every public library in Ohio. As a former children’s librarian, she enjoys bringing the “fun of technology” to audiences and in giving libraries the tools they need to better serve the virtual customer.
Shawn Walsh
Shawn Walsh is the Senior Technology Analyst at NEO-RLS. Shawn holds his BS/AS in Computer Information Systems from Youngstown State University. Starting his professional library experience in 1997, he has worked previously for the Hubbard Public Library as the Technology Administrator and NEO-RLS as the Senior Technology Analyst. Shawn is responsible for developing and maintaining the communications and technology infrastructure of the North East Ohio Regional Library System and is responsible for providing contract based consulting services to the NEO-RLS membership.
Don Yarman
Don Yarman started working in libraries when he was 15, and though he tried to get into other lines of work, libraries kept sucking him back in. He was OPLIN’s Library Services Manager, and currently is the Assistant Director of the Delaware County District Library. He considers himself “middleware” between library administration and IT.
Robert Zai
Robert Zai III is a Research and Instructional Services Librarian and Assistant Professor at Northern Kentucky University’s W. Frank Steely Library. He has B.A. in English from Northern Kentucky University and a MSLS from the University of Kentucky.