Technology to the people: Kirsten Thompson: Milwaukee Public Library.(Urban Leaders)

Considering Kirsten Thompsoffs career in the Milwaukee Public Library (MPL), it's no surprise that as an undergraduate she studied both computer programming and psychology. The combination is the driving force behind her multiple projects at MPL, which have all focused on bringing technology to users. "Having the computers is great, but you need to make them useful to people," she says.

To do that, Thompson believes in building from the ground up. One of her first projects wired the library's book-mobile for online service. Making the truck Internet ready involved completely gutting its interior. "We literally ripped it down to the studs," she says. The reconfiguring …