Library’s ITVS Officer named Mover & Shaker

PPLD Information Technology and Virtual Services Officer Carolyn Coulter has been honored in Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers issue, which recognized 53 outstanding library professionals committed to providing excellent service to meet the needs of the people they serve.

Coulter has served as PPLD’s ITVS Officer since 2005. Prior to that, she was Chief Technology Officer at the Boston Public Library. Coulter was chosen as a 2012 Mover & Shaker because of her diligent work to keep public libraries relevant and on the front edge of IT and industry trends. She has had an immense impact on her IT team, on PPLD, and the Colorado Springs community. Coulter serves on the Board of Directors of Inside Out, a nonprofit that serves GLBT youth, and she was recently appointed to the Pikes Peak Community College IT Advisory Board. This year, she did a presentation on circulating eReaders at a Colorado Public Library Administrators session; she participated on Colorado's Broadband Technology Opportunity Program laptop loan webinar panel; and, she recently was a presenter/panelist for Public Library Association’s eReader webinar. She has served on the American Library Association’s Website Advisory committee, and in 2011 she assisted in writing Colorado Library Technology Standards. She has also served as advisor on IT issues to neighboring libraries.

During 2010 and early 2011, PPLD implemented a number of initiatives championed by Coulter. PPLD completed a District-wide RFID conversion; installed its first Library Express kiosk location at First & Main Town Center; moved to a Drupal based website; launched its mobile app; began circulating eReaders with pre-downloaded titles; created and demonstrated a mobile Gadget Garage throughout locations in the District; and held its first-ever virtual All-Staff Meeting, remoting-in 12 facilities, among other projects. She has been a proponent of eServices, and this year, oversaw the implementation of music downloads, increased streaming video from PPLD’s website, and emphasized and grew the eBook collection.

In 2013, PPLD will complete and launch its next innovation: C3 (C-cubed), a new 35,000 square-foot "Creative Computer Commons at 1175 Chapel Hills Drive. The facility will be a District-wide destination for knowledge creation – complete with hardware, software, media resources, and staffing to assist library users. C3 patrons will be able to create novels, videos, music, online scrapbooks, family histories, and other creative products using the resources there. Coulter led a team that drafted basic specs and a concept plan for the C3 space. She never wants PPLD users or staff to be left behind in technology developments and is constantly seeking new ways of doing library work and redefining the parameters of library service. She wants libraries to be a continuing “force for good” in the world, and to succeed through technology and innovation.