Note: This post is for part of Ada Lovelace Day (See this list for all the Ada Lovelace Day heroine posts)
Who are my tech heroines? That’s easy. Liz Rea (creator and system admin), Brenda Hough (creator and former trainer), and Sharon Moreland (current trainer) of the My Kansas Libraries on the Web (KLOW) project, developed by the Northeast Kansas Library System.
Liz and Brenda Hough started the My Kansas Libraries on the Web (KLOW) project several years ago, with the goal of providing easy-to-update, yet professional looking websites, for public libraries in Kansas. This project has required Brenda, Liz, and now Sharon to customize an open source product (WordPress), write grants, continue to learn WordPress, provide on-going training to NEKLS librarians, provide training of other technology trainers from the other regional library systems in Kansas, and figure out the best version and upgrade time schedule to the WordPress software, while carrying out all their other technology duties at NEKLS.
KLOW has empowered Kansas libraries and it’s all because of a vision of two women, Liz and Brenda, for Kansas libraries to have fantastic websites. Now, Sharon and Liz utilize the KLOW website as not only a clearinghouse of information about upgrades, new features, and possible problems with the KLOW platform, but also as a portal for training of the librarians.
Liz, Brenda, and Sharon: You are my heroes on this Ada Lovelace Day. The impact of the KLOW project on the Kansas library community cannot begin to be measured!
One final note: If you wanted to see my entire list of technology heroines, all you need to do walk into any smaller public library and watch a public librarian support her technology. That’s also heroic!!