Please make sure that this information gets to your library director immediately:
The Department of Libraries is working with other organizations at a fast pace to submit two applications to ARRA (for federal stimulus broadband funds) by August 14.
Libraries who want to be included need to act immediately. Please read below.
1. e-Vermont; the Vermont Community Broadband Project
Communities across Vermont have been invited to pre-apply to receive funds for this project. “eVermont will provide facilitation, technical assistance and funding to selected rural communities to systematically answer their needs and stimulate broadband usage in a variety of ways determined by local leadership.”
Your town may be working on a pre-application for this project. Pre-application deadline is August 5. Check with your town manager or other local official and make sure that your library is part of the proposal. Suggested funding ideas that libraries could include: web page design and implementation; development of local online resources like e-newsletters, event-calendars, etc.; installation of wi-fi access; web-based services; computer equipment and training that stimulates use of web-based content.
If your town has no application, YOUR LIBRARY may apply on your own, though funding priorities will be given to collaborative community projects.
(See below email that I sent on July 10 for more details – and the (easy) pre-application form.) Pre-applications go to:
Please contact your regional library consultant – or me, if your library/community is currently and actively working on an ARRA pre-application for “the e-Vermont project.”
2. Public Computing Centers
Please contact your regional library consultant – or me ASAP, if:
- Your library or community is currently and actively working on an ARRA broadband application for “public computing centers”
- You are interested in being part of the DOL application for public computing centers
These are the criteria I am looking for so that we can include “shovel-ready” projects in the application:
- You are a public or state college library
- You have a facility that needs (and can accommodate) more public computer workstations and related equipment
- You have a staff member that will commit to work on this project and who is prepared to follow-up with a long-term sustainable program
- Your library serves one or more “vulnerable” populations, especially: economically disadvantaged; minority; aged; job-seekers; small business; immigrant
- You will support an active program of training opportunities for the public to stimulate use of computers and the Internet (the grant includes money for training
- Your town or library can contribute any funds toward the 20% required match
If your library meets most of these criteria, I’d like to hear from you.
For comprehensive information about ARRA Broadband funding programs, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/knowstimulus/index.cfm
_____________________________
Martha Reid
State Librarian
Vermont Department of Libraries
109 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05609-0601
Tel: (802) 828-3265
Fax: (802) 828-2199
martha.reid@mail.dol.state.vt.us