*Cross posted to multiple lists*
Core webinar: Understand & Improve Library Broadband Challenges
Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2021 Rescheduled Date: Tuesday, April 6, 2021
All webinars are one hour in length and begin at 11 am Pacific, noon Mountain, 1 pm Central, and 2 pm Eastern time.
Description: Rural and tribal libraries across the US helped create the Towards Gigabit Libraries toolkit, a free, self-service guide for rural and tribal libraries to understand and improve their broadband and technology resources. The Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit and customized Broadband Improvement Plan is designed to help public and tribal librarians learn about their current broadband infrastructure and internal information technology (IT) environment. Using these two resources, librarians are better equipped to improve their broadband services and become stronger advocates for their libraries' broadband infrastructure needs.
Libraries can download the toolkit for free at www.internet2.edu/tgl. It is a printable booklet librarians can fill out and use to understand and improve broadband and IT at their library.
To create and promote the toolkit, the project team traveled to 58 rural public and tribal libraries across 12 states to pilot the use of the toolkit and accompanying Broadband Improvement Plan. Today, three years after it was released, libraries across the country continue to use the toolkit. For example, Montana State Librarian Jennie Stapp implemented the toolkit in 115 of Montana’s 117 libraries (https://www.internet2.edu/blogs/detail/17372).
The project team just received a new Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant to expand the toolkit’s reach to more rural and tribal (and some urban) libraries across the nation (https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/re-246219-ols-20).
This webinar is sponsored by Internet2 Community Anchor Program.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:
Download the free Toward Gigabit Libraries toolkit to use it for their library
Enumerate the technology and broadband challenges their library faces
Describe what topical areas are covered by the Toward Gigabit Libraries toolkit
Identify how the toolkit can help their library's broadband and IT challenges
Connect with other libraries facing the same challenges
Link up with Stephanie and Carson to get more involved
Who should attend?
Rural, tribal, and urban librarians who want to get a better understanding of and improve upon their library's existing broadband and IT infrastructure.
Presenters:
Carson Block has led, managed, and supported library technology efforts for more than 25 years. He brings a user-centered technological perspective, with an emphasis on transparent and powerful solutions, with some “gee whiz” thrown into the mix. Carson’s passions include leading technology visioning and planning, creating highly-functional work groups, technical design (including infrastructure, RFID, and points of self-service), and project management with a focus on technology solutions tailored for each library and its community.
Stephanie Stenberg is Director of the Internet2 Community Anchor Program, where she works with regional networking partners, community anchor institutions, and Internet2 membership organizations to support mutually beneficial goals of bringing networking, trust and identity services, and advanced applications to community anchor institutions nationwide. Since joining Internet2 in 2018, she has been part of three Institute of Museum and Library Services-funded grant projects focused on libraries and connectivity.
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Registration Fees: Core Member $43; Non-member $59; Group rate $129; Student $0
For additional information and access to registration links, please go to the following website: http://www.ala.org/core/understand-and-improve-library-broadband-challenges
Core webinars are recorded and registrants receive a link to the recording shortly following the live event.
For questions about registration, contact ALA Registration by calling 1-800-545-2433 and press 5 or email registration@ala.org
For all other questions or comments related to the webinars, please contact freuland@ala.org
Posted on behalf of the Core Continuing Education Committee.