New Workshop—The Smart Way to Acquire New Technology: Creating a Successful RFP

CHICAGO—ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions announces an exciting new workshop, The Smart Way to Acquire New Technology: Creating a Successful RFP with Timothy J. Dickey. This workshop will consist of two 90-minute sessions and take place at 2:00pm Eastern/1:00 Central/12:00 Mountain/11:00am Pacific on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017 and Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017.

Making a new tech acquisition is one of the biggest decisions your library will have to make. Whether you are acquiring new software or hiring a consultant to do a major upgrade, you’ve got to get it right to avoid wasting time and resources that could set you back years. Rather than being a moment of fear, the process of selecting and acquiring new technology can instead be a time of growth and learning about our own institution and about our users.

In this two-part workshop, we will walk through the complete process for acquiring new library technologies, from the internal assessment of user needs to the writing and evaluation of a Request for Proposal (RFP). We will explore the insights gained from an inventory of current technology at a library, from a careful assessment of our user needs, and from examination of the breadth of the vendor landscape. The second part of the workshop will consider the construction of a complete RFP document, including evaluation criteria and peer feedback.

After participating in this workshop, you will be able to:

• Understand the RFP process for library technology acquisitions
• Gather institutional data in support of a new technology purchases
• Assess the vendor options available to meet the identified needs
• Assemble, write, and evaluate a coherent RFP

About the Instructor

Timothy J. Dickey is an adult public service librarian with the nationally-acclaimed Columbus Metropolitan Libraries and a library science educator teaching reference, research methods, and library technology for the faculties of Kent State University and San José State University. Prior to these positions, he assisted Lynn Silipigni Connaway at the OCLC Office of Research, specializing in user studies and data mining research.

Registration for this ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions Workshop is available on the ALA Store. You can purchase registration at both individual and group rates.

ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions Workshops offer a convenient, hands-on learning experience that will help you and your colleagues make the best decisions for your library. This workshop is licensed for use by staff or users of the purchasing institution or library organization.

ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions (ELS) produces high-quality professional development events and materials for the library profession. ELS events cover modern issues on a wide variety of topics in formats that include live workshops, asynchronous eCourses, and print publications. We help ensure that today’s library employees have access to the professional development opportunities they need, whether they are brushing up on the basics or expanding their horizons with cutting-edge tools. Contact us at elsmarketing@ala.org.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide.