Taking care of business: Jaketha Farmer

Sometimes we meet someone we need to interview more than once. And sometimes we feel like we could write a book packed with ideas from just one person.

It's my great pleasure to introduce you to one of those people: Jaketha Farmer, from Bossier Parish Libraries in Louisiana. Jaketha and I met at ALA last year. A rural librarian from Mississippi, Jaketha was part of the crew who benefitted from the Rural Sustainability Project. This was her first ALA and her first time visiting Washington DC. I went out to lunch with her and some others from the Rural Forum at ALA, and was struck by her confidence, her passion, and her abilities. I wanted to know more!

We interviewed Jaketha soon after ALA, when she was still working at Lamar County Library System in Purvis, MS. She shared her library with us, including her expereinces with thin clients, as described in an article she co-authored for Mississippi Libraries last year.

After she moved to the Bossier Parish Libraries in LA, we were eager to learn more about her experiences, and she obliged. So much had changed! She was now the library's first ever Systems Administrator, and she had quite a job in front of her. I don't want to be a spoiler, so please read the rest of Jaketha's story, here: http://www.maintainitproject.org/spotlight.

One more thing: when we showed her the draft of the article we wrote, she offered the following list, showing how much she had accomplished in the MONTHS since our last conversation:

"Since my interview, we have:

• Fully implemented the domain this past March and it is running quite smoothly. It’s surprising how much you can forget in a few short months of leaving a public library system that had a domain and coming into one that didn’t. It’s like learning to walk all over again. :)
• Just last month, I hired my first I/T assistant who delivers patron computer classes, works on occasion in the computer lab at Bossier Central Library, as well as assists me with systems work.
• Implemented the new website and some blogs (this past March). (Now, the blogs are a work-in-progress.)
  
  • Bossier Parish Libraries – http://www.bossierlibrary.org
  • BPL Kids Blog – http://bpl-kids.blogspot.com
  • BPL YA Blog – http://bpl-ya.blogspot.com
  • BPL I/T Blog – http://bpl-it.blogspot.com
• Started our monthly patron computer classes, which runs May-October each year and will be composed of classroom based computer training, online courses/workshops and an “After 5” Tech Event/Seminar. (We didn’t get started with patron computer classes until this month.)
  
  • Next month is "Anti-Boredom Month" so we are going to offer some more beginner computer classes along with our "After 5" Tech Events hopefully with a local tech store coming in and helping patrons with their digital cameras. We are also going to throw in an extra day-long event on July 8th because that’s Video Game Day and GameStop has agreed to bring some gaming consoles and spend the day allowing our patrons of all ages to try out the Xbox 360, Nintendo WII, and Playstation. Isn’t that cool!?!"
  • Each month, patron computer classes will be based on a pre-selected theme. This month (June) is "Internet and Email Awareness" which means all classes are on Internet and/or email. This month’s "After 5" Tech Event is called "Predators on the World Wide Web: Safeguarding Yourself & Your Family" presented by the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Department. (For more info, visit http://www.marshalsforkids.com.)"

WHEW. She's been busy! Please read more about Jaketha. You'll be glad you did! http://www.maintainitproject.org/spotlight

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