Online Programming for All Libraries (OPAL)

Online Programming for All Libraries (OPAL)
Screen Movie Overview: To view a 7-minute screen movie providing an overview of how OPAL works, please click here (10.4 MB WMV file). OPAL is an international collaborative effort by libraries and other organizations to provide web-based programs and training for library users and library staff members. These live events are held in online rooms where participants can interact via voice-over-IP, text chatting, synchronized browsing, and other functions. Everyone is welcome to participate in OPAL programs. Usually there is no need to register. Nearly all OPAL programs are offered free of charge to participants. Libraries and other organizations are encouraged to become OPAL institutional members. For information about the benefits, responsibilities, and costs of an OPAL institutional membership, please see the OPAL Fact Sheet. Examples of OPAL public online programs include book discussion programs, interviews, special events, library training, memoir writing workshops, and virtual tours of special digital library collections. OPAL is administered by TAP Information Services, a small company that helps libraries and other organizations innovate. OPAL was founded in 2003 by the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center, the Alliance Library System, and the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service. For more information about OPAL, please contact Tom Peters, the OPAL Coordinator (tpeters@tapinformation.com or 816.228.6406)