Tag Archives: FL

Tips from the field: Maximize broadband impact and minimize costs

Posted on by
2

In previous blogs we discussed discrepancies between rural, urban, and suburban public libraries in their access to and use of broadband.  We also pointed out that despite a number of issues and difficulties in providing high-quality rural broadband and information technology (IT) services, individuals can and do make a huge difference in minimizing the impacts from the digital divide.

For today’s blog, we interviewed Sherry Millington, Technical Services Coordinator, and manager of IT at the Suwannee River Regional Library that covers three rural counties in north central Florida.  Some high points from our chat about how the library system maximizes broadband impact and minimizes costs include:

  • Establish a triage and general maintenance program throughout the system.  Basic issues can be solved in the individual branch, or if not, then they go to the county IT person, and then to Sherry.  One person in each branch is responsible for conducting a range of workstation and IT-related maintenance activities.
  • Use existing web-based resources.  Sherry specifically pointed out all the excellent education and other resources at TechSoup – for example.
  • Maximize use of E-rate. Her system qualifies for 80-90% E-rate discounts which are essential in supporting IT in the library system.
  • Recognize and support customer broadband needs.  For example, each branch in the system has an “E-gov” laptop that is loaded with resources, software, job search information etc. and is “ready to go.”
  • Find free workstations and equipment.  Sherry noted a number of local government agencies and organizations that, when they replace workstations and equipment, will give them to the library – this is especially important since their replacement schedule is much more often than at the library.
  • Check for deals with area Internet Service Providers (ISPs) on a regular basis to get the fastest speeds and cheapest costs possible.
  • Rely on a regional consortium if available.  The Suwannee River Regional Library is a member of an outstanding multi-type library consortium: Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN).  NEFLIN hosts the library system’s website, provides email services, and offers regular and ongoing training sessions – among other benefits.
  • Work the local political system.  The library system has a history of administrators who work closely and effectively with local government officials and other key opinion leaders to promote the library.

Promoting the library system also entails making comparisons between the system and selected peer library systems regarding various Internet support and services as reported in the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study.

Sherry is also a board member for the North Florida Broadband Authority NFBA) which has a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program award to establish a high-speed WiMax network in this rural region.  Here she is able to be a visible and credible supporter of the role of rural libraries in broadband deployment.

These are only some of the highlights from a quick chat with Sherry – and clearly her enthusiasm and dedication contribute significantly to the broadband success in her rural library system.  One person can and does make a big difference in the library’s deployment of, access to, and use of high-speed broadband.

Other readers of this blog are likely to have additional advice that can maximize a library’s broadband impact and reduce costs – leave a comment so we all can learn more!

Nancy Fredericks honored for building bridges to e-government

Posted on by
Reply

We were excited to see e-gov guru Nancy Fredericks receiving national recognition for her work connecting Florida residents with e-government services and resources. Nancy is one of the 50 dedicated and talented library professionals recently named as a Library Journal 2011 Mover & Shaker.

As more government services and resources were moving online, more people were at risk of losing out on access to essential services. Back in 2007, Nancy and her team at the Pasco County Library System began work to remedy this imbalance. The resulting website, GetHelpFlorida.org, a one-stop, user-friendly portal for Florida and federal e-government, serves as a best practice template for libraries nationwide.

Nancy has been a generous colleague, taking the time to share her work and expertise with other library professionals online and in-person. In December 2010, along with John Bertot (University of Maryland) and Bill Sudduth (University of South Carolina), Nancy shared details of her work on an ALA webinar: E-Gov: Make it Work @ your library. Nancy is also a leading contributor to the ALA E-Government Toolkit,

Last year, 66 percent of libraries reported that access to government information is one of the most critical Internet services they provide. We know this work requires a great deal of one-on-one assistance, which can put extra strain on stretched staffing levels. Library staff should be sure to check out the work of Nancy and her colleagues. Their work is meant to help you as you help others.

New resources available for library funding battles

Posted on by
1

What’s in your library’s arsenal of weapons for fighting the exhausting funding battles? Many libraries, such as Delray Beach (FL) Public Library are having success using Snapshot Day statistics. 

Across the country, state legislative sessions are in full swing, and library advocates are hard at work reaching out to their legislators face-to-face and remotely.  The Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) team is well aware of the urgent need for useful, current data to help you tell your story. In response to library feedback and requests, we’ve created a new advocacy package for use during the current legislative sessions. It incorporates preliminary study data, freshly gathered at the close of 2010.

Download and print color topic handouts highlighting public library services at the state and national levels, for job seekers and e-government. As we know, a picture is worth a thousand words (and hopefully many more dollars). This is a simple tool that could yield big results.

New press release and op-ed templates have been crafted around the important employment and e-government services, and also highlight the role of the library as a dynamic digital hub. Numbers talk, and the templates have been structured to feature your state’s data. Both templates can be adapted easily for use at the state, regional, or local levels.

For additional useful state data, print out the PDF of the your 2009-2010 State Profile, which compares state levels for areas such as speed of connectivity, average # of public computer workstations, and other library resources. Selected 2010-2011 data will be added to the site in March.

We hope you find these resources useful during this crucial state budget planning season. Please let us know of any successes using the PLFTAS resources.