All you ever wanted to know about how to assess and control your museum's "technology" and never wanted to ask!

The Accidental Techie is a go-to book for any small-mid size nonprofit that needs to assess and control the typical sort of mess associated with the haphazard growth of technology (meaning hardware, software, internet, communications systems, etc.).

The 7 chapters in the book cover everything from defining the role of the "accidental techie", to tools for conducting a Technology Inventory, Assessing and Supporting Technology Users, Assessing and Purchasing Technology, Protecting Your Organization from Technology Disasters, and Finding Funding for Technology.

The book has lots of practical advice - but it can be daunting. I read it all in one sitting and am now panicking about bad people hacking into our museum's wireless network, and whether I'll ever find the time (or inclination) to undertake a full technology inventory.

That said, sections on determining the role of the volunteer in technology development and planning, and laying out some criteria for determining your software needs, i.e. custom versus off-the-shelf, are excellent.

The book includes a resource guide of "techie tools" with sample inventory sheets, security policies, etc., a website from which to download these samples, and many suggestions of websites to visit for further information.

While this read did not get me all enthused about undertaking any of the suggested projects, it did help me to understand that something must be done to codify my institution's organic (= out of control) technological growth.