Field Reports
Notes from the Digital Inclusion CorpsLearning E-rate Pt.2
My education in E-rate continued as I spoke to professionals who had worked for the FCC and state libraries where their job was to help communities work through the E-rate system. It amazed me that someone could spend an entire career working to sort through the...
Learning E-rate Pt.1
When I began working with NDIA, I knew that E-rate was the government subsidy that was used to help fund schools and libraries via the Universal Fund. That was basically the extent of what I knew about the program. As we looked at connectivity in Kodiak, I was...
Broadband 101: Increasing Library Capacity for Digital Inclusion
The State Library of Arizona was invited to participate in Internet2’s pilot program “Toward Gigabit Libraries,” funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The program, which is targeted to rural and tribal libraries with limited IT support available to...
Digital Inclusion and Innovation
This Sunday, I read a troubling and thought-provoking article in the New York Times – Lost Einsteins: The Innovations We’re Missing by David Leonhardt. Leonhardt discusses the work of the Equality of Opportunity Project, particularly research about people who become...
Schools, Libraries, and Community Access
Like my previous blog post, the content for this entry is from a webinar on E-rate and the Homework Gap. The presentation was part of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition’s Grow2Gig+ Webinar Series. One of the presenters was Andrew Moore, Chief...
New Library for Town of Boley, OK
Inspired by four donated desktops, the Town of Bloey, OK is now in the process of moving the media center with donated books to a permanent location on main street. The town has been without a library and access to public computers for over a decade. This new...
E-rate Regulations and Community Internet Access
Recently, I attended a webinar on E-rate and the Homework Gap. The presentation was part of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition’s Grow2Gig+ Webinar Series. One of the speakers was John Harrington, CEO of Funds for Learning, who talked about e-rate...
Part Two: Outreach as an Amplification of Voice
Click here to read Part One One concern I had at the beginning of this pilot was rushing in with too many of my own ideas. After all, one of the counties we’re serving, McKinley County to be exact, is the size of Connecticut. This is just one county, with San Juan...
Minnesota’s LSTA Five Year Plan Includes Digital Inclusion
The Institute of Museum and Library Services recently approved Minnesota’s Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) five year plan for 2018-2022. The plan is required by LSTA, the legislation that authorizes IMLS to distribute Grants to States funding. The planning...
Early Considerations for a TV White Space Pilot Project
TV White Space (TVWS) refers to the unused, license-free radio frequencies in the TV broadcast bands. By deploying TVWS, libraries can provide additional wifi access in places like parks, shelters, community centers, and anywhere else the community may benefit from...