Carson Block
Less Brief: Carson Block has been a library technologist for 20 years – as a library worker, IT Director and now a Library Technology Consultant. He has been called “a geek who speaks English” and enjoys acting as a bridge between the worlds of librarians and hard-core technologists. He has a passion to de-mystify technology for the uninitiated, and to help IT professionals understand and support the goals of libraries.
As a consultant, Carson is often brought in to help solve complex institutional issues and help align the library's public service mission with its technology efforts to serve the needs of patrons and staff.
Carson’s work includes technology strategic planning; technology visioning and future-proofing; library service design; facilities master planning; library technology architectural programming and budgeting for new library construction and remodeling projects; facilities master planning; analysis of IT structure and staffing; IT position recruiting, digital cultural heritage projects and more.
Carson is a humorous, energetic and engaging facilitator, and a frequent speaker and webinar presenter for library events and beyond – including bringing messages of library advocacy to South by Southwest Interactive.
Carson is a Director-At-Large for the American Library Association’s Association of Special and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and is a past Chair of ASCLA’s Library Consultant’s Interest Group. He is also a member of the Future of Libraries advisory group to ALA’s Office of Information Technology Policy, and a member of the former 21st Century Libraries Committee of the ALA’s Office of Information Technology Policy (OITP). Carson is also Past President of the Colorado Division of the Public Library Association.
Carson is the author of Managing Library Technology: A LITA Guide (Rowman & Littlefield 2017).
