Background on the Plinkit Project and Collaborative:

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) and the Texas Library Systems are committed to assisting local public libraries in making local and statewide resources and services available to the citizens of Texas. TSLAC, in conjunction with regional library systems, has deployed Plinkit, a hosted web site solution, to assist libraries in creating websites that meet the information needs of their communities, are easily maintained, and meet accessibility guidelines. The Plinkit project is provided through Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding to assist the libraries of Texas in meeting the information needs of Texans.

Plinkit began as a project sponsored by the Oregon State Library. It has now grown into a four state collaborative effort (Texas, Oregon, Illinois, & Colorado) with each state library agency providing funding for the participation of public libraries. The growth and success of the project are dependent on the continued involvement and participation of libraries through the sharing of best practices, lessons learned, and providing feedback to the Plinkit collaborative through the state library. It is expected that each library that participates in the Plinkit project will participate in such activities as appropriate to their situation. For example, once a Plinkit site is deployed, the library would offer feedback and suggestions for improvement of features or materials to their regional library system or to TSLAC.

Participation in the Plinkit Project in Texas:

This service is offered initially to public libraries free of charge. It is expected that the service will continue to be offered free to public libraries throughout the life of the project. If costs for the service change substantially due to increased costs for the technology or services provided (bandwidth, etc.), then TSLAC reserves the right to charge for the service. Participating public libraries will be given a minimum of 180 days notification before any charges are levied.

Throughout this project improvements to the Plinkit platform, including upgrades of Plone or the Plinkit templates, and routine maintenance on equipment may be made that could temporarily suspend access to the library web site. Measures have been taken to minimize these disruptions, but due to the evolving nature of the Plinkit platform and this test phase, libraries should be aware of possible outages, especially if utilizing the Plinkit web site as their primary web site.

Program Contact:

Henry Stokes

Texas State Library & Archives Commission

Technology Consultant, Library Development Division

PO Box 12927

Austin TX 78711-2927

Email:

Phone: 512-463-6624

You can also contact your local regional library system staff if you have questions about how to get started on the Plinkit project.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Between

The “Generic” Public Library, The “Generic” Library System and The Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Concerning the Texas Plinkit Project

TSLAC, “Generic” Library System and the “Generic” Public Library, in seeking to provide valuable online resources to Texas citizens through a high-quality, locally maintained, and accessible library website, agree to the following:

TSLAC agrees to:

1. Host at no cost a Plinkit website on behalf of Public Library during the pilot phase in the calendar year of 2008. Total storage space for the web site and any additional materials cannot exceed 50MB during the pilot phase.
2. Maintain the server hosting Plinkit sites, including running backups on a regular basis, applying software updates or patches, and monitoring the server and Internet connections to minimize service disruptions.
3. Provide access for participants at the System to the Plinkit Collaborative website, email list and training materials.
4. Provide access for participants at the local library to the Texas.Plinkit.org Collaborative website, email list and training materials.
5. Provide timely and comprehensive notification of planned system outages due to scheduled maintenance, and also provide repair status updates every four hours for unplanned outages, via the Txplinkit e-mail list.
6. Provide second-tier support to participating libraries through the regional library system.
7. Configure the TSLAC-hosted Plinkit server to enable the regional library system and participating public library to begin customization process.
8. Apply information gained in this pilot phase to refine Plinkit templates, training materials, installation processes and communication with libraries, to be used during the post pilot phase implementation of Plinkit sites.

The Regional Library System agrees to:

1. Provide the participating public library with a current version of the Plinkit training manual.
2. Serve as the initial contact point for all technical assistance to the participating public library on all Plinkit related matters and escalate support issues to TSLAC or the Plinkit collaborative as needed.
3. Complete the required procedures for establishing the local library Plinkit site as described by TSLAC.
4. Assist the participating public library with initial deployment configuration on the TSLAC-hosted Plinkit server.
5. Train the participating public library on how to complete the personalization of the Plinkit template to include the library’s information.
6. Develop, modify, or obtain a graphic or banner to “brand” the participating public library Plinkit site.
7. Apply information gained in this pilot phase to refine Plinkit templates, training materials, installation processes and communication with libraries, to be used during the post pilot phase implementation of Plinkit sites.
8. Participate in Plinkit collaborative activities, such as highlighting solutions to problems, sharing training tips & tricks, and providing feedback to TSLAC when requested on project plans and developments.

 The “Generic” Public Library agrees to:

1. Customize the site provided by TSLAC, using the Plinkit Training Manual, at the minimum level as outlined in the Plinkit documentation.
2. Register, at library’s expense, the preferred domain name (i.e. www.yourlibrary.org) for the Plinkit web site. If the library already has a domain name in use, an interim domain name will be provided by TSLAC at no expense during the customization process similar to the following formats: www.yourlibrary.tsl.state.tx.us or www.your-regional-system.tsl.state.tx.us/your-library-name
3. Provide input to the regional library system and TSLAC for improvements to the Plinkit Training Manual, Plinkit template, additional Plinkit features desired, project processes, communication of project activities, and other feedback as appropriate.
4. Provide or request assistance on creating a professional-looking graphic or banner that will brand the Plinkit website, with possible elements to include Public Library’s logo, city or county emblem.
5. Provide staff (or volunteer) time for an average of two hours per week to maintain and update the Plinkit website.
6. Subscribe the identified staff (or volunteer) to the “TXPlinkit” e-mail list.
7. Participate in the Plinkit collaborative project activities upon the request of TSLAC or System by providing feedback on training, support, or other areas that would improve the overall participant experience in the Plinkit collaborative.
8. Maintain links (graphics or text) to the following websites or resources on one or more Plinkit web pages:

1. Library of Texas (http://www.LibraryofTexas.org/)
2. TRAIL – Texas Record and Information Locator (http:// http://www2.tsl.state.tx.us/trail/index.jsp/)
3. Databases as currently provided through TexShare – the Statewide Database Licensing Program (http://www.texshare.org/)

To continue participation past the 2008 Calendar Year, an updated MOU will need to be agreed upon between TSLAC, “Generic” Library System and the “Generic” Public Library.

Development done to enhance Plinkit goes to collaborative

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“Generic” Public Library Representative                                              Date

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Regional Library System Representative                                              Date

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Texas State Library & Archives Commission                                       Date

Representative