Infopeople Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. What is "Infopeople"? Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project administered by the California State Library through the Peninsula Library System. Funding is from the Library Services and Technology Act. Infopeople is not a corporation, nonprofit organization, or other legal entity. Funding is provided in the form of annual grants.
  2. What does Infopeople do? Infopeople was started in order to provide points of public access to the Internet in public libraries throughout California. That aspect of the project was substantially completed by 1999. The project now provides a wide variety of training to those who work in California libraries.
  3. Where is Infopeople based? Infopeople is a virtual organization, with no central office. The mailing address is 705 E. Bidwell St. Suite 2-312, Folsom CA 95630. The project assistant's phone number is: (916) 690-6595.
  4. How large is the Infopeople staff? Staffing is via independent contractors who are scattered throughout the state.
  5. Who can attend Infopeople training? Infopeople on-ground workshops are open to all members of the California library community. This includes those who are working in any California library (academic, public, school, or special), in any California cooperative library system, or in any California library organization. It also includes California library school students, trustees, and volunteers, as well as library consultants, self-employed or unemployed librarians, and information professionals working in California. Online training is available to the California library community and also to out-of-state residents.
  6. How can I find out more about your training? Go to the training section of the Infopeople website, at http://infopeople.org/training. Material in this section is constantly updated. We also have a training announcement mailing list. If you would like to be added to this list, go to http://lists.infopeople.org/mailman/listinfo/ifptraining.
  7. Is there a charge for your training? Yes, there are modest fees to assist with cost recovery. Most on-ground and online training events are $75, although certain special workshops have higher fees. The fee for any given workshop is listed on the workshop description page. Infopeople webcasts are free.
  8. Do I have to register online, or can I register by phone? You must register online. We do not accept phone or mail registrations.
  9. What forms of payment does Infopeople accept for workshops? Infopeople accepts checks or money orders (credit cards are accepted by phone only) and must be mailed to: Accounts Payable, Peninsula Library System, 2471 Flores Street, San Mateo, CA 94403. Do NOT bring payment to the workshop, as the lab assistants and trainers cannot accept it. Payments must be mailed to this address. After you register for a workshop, you or your library (depending on what billing information you enter on the registration form) will receive a bill from the Peninsula Library System.
  10. I think that I registered for a workshop, but I haven't received any confirmation. What should I do? You should receive confirmation by email within 24 hours of registration. If you do not, please do not try to register again. Contact the Infopeople Project Assistant at (916) 690-6595, or by email at assist@infopeople.org.
  11. What is Infopeople's cancellation policy? If you cannot attend a workshop for which you have registered, please feel free to send someone else. Make sure your billing office has been notified of the change and email the Infopeople Project Assistant at assist@infopeople.org with the workshop, date, location, your name, and the name of the person taking your place. If you need to cancel and cannot send someone else, please go to the Infopeople Workshop page and login to cancel a previous registration. PLEASE NOTE: If you need to cancel less than seven days prior to a workshop you are responsible for paying the workshop fee. This applies to both on-ground and online training. Our complete cancellation policy is here.
  12. Where does Infopeople offer training? Many Infopeople workshops are held in computer labs. Infopeople maintains a network of 20-workstation training labs throughout the state, specifically in: Vallejo, Sacramento, Pleasant Hill, San Francisco, San Jose, Salinas, Fresno, Bakersfield, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego. In addition, Infopeople has smaller, 10-workstation, labs in Eureka, Chico, Red Bluff, Mammoth Lakes, and Calexico. For training that does not require the use of a computer lab, Infopeople arranges for training space in libraries, hotels, and other public venues.
  13. Why doesn't Infopeople hold training in a location closer to our library? Infopeople tries to train in as many places as possible. Individual libraries, systems, consortia, or library-related organizations can contract with Infopeople to have most workshops presented in a specific location. The cost for such contracted training is $2000 per event. To make arrangements for a contracted workshop, go to http://infopeople.org/training/contract and complete the online form. A list of current contract offerings is here. If you have questions, contact Gini Ambrosino at gini@infopeople.org or by phone at (916) 357-5911.
  14. Can I reuse Infopeople workshop materials? Yes. Infopeople posts materials from on-ground workshops once current sessions have ended. You can find these materials in the Past Training Materials section of the website. Any use of the material in the Past Workshops section of the website should credit the author and the funding source (as found in the footer of most of the documents). Please note: As materials are not updated once a workshop sequence is over, they may not contain the most current information or URLs.
  15. Who should I contact if I have questions about Infopeople? The primary contact is the Project Director, Holly Hinman, who can be reached at hinmanh@infopeople.org or by phone at 626-796-0913. You might also consult the Infopeople contact page on the Infopeople website at http://infopeople.org/about/contacts.