Free IT help for libraryfolk
For libraryfolk who don’t neccessarily have the particular strong IT skills they need to complete specific tasks or projects, here are a couple of potential sources of free IT advice, Pay IT Forward and Qunu.
What is this?
This idea surfaced at the Ann Arbor Library Camp. Pay “IT” Forward. There are lots of Public IT library professionals struggling to implement technology. Sometimes the IT department at a library is made up of one person. We have limited budgets and limited time. The question was asked “What would happen if we shared our expertise with each other?” This idea then grew to “What could I do?” In my busy day with all the demands that I face what would I be comfortable doing? That’s a really interesting question.What I could handle was committing to one area of expertise – say RSS feeds.
So what I am proposing is that if you want to try this experiment put your name in the ring with the area you would like to cover. I really like the philosophy that there is always someone that knows more than you. I am hoping that the reverse is true and that there is someone that knows less than me and I could help them.
The only rule that I would like to propose is that if you ask someone a question from this group that you would then add your name and area of support that you would like to offer.
What’s Qunu?
Qunu is a next-generation expertise matching service. We use instant messaging to connect — in real time — people who have software or tech-related questions with experts who are passionate and willing to help.How’s it different from other ask-an-expert services?
It’s different from the ones you’ve seen because with Qunu you don’t have to wait around for your answer. You can ask the expert directly and get your answer immediately. What’s more, you can ask follow-up questions, again, in real time.Also, if you’re an expert in something and want to provide help to others, Qunu requests come in through your existing IM client software (finally!), so there’s no need to monitor forums or websites anymore.
If you’ve made use of ether service, please leave a comment and tell us what you thought of it!
(Thanks to Hope Leman for bringing Qunu to my attention and bugging me to post about it 
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