Texas Opportunity Online Broadband Summit
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has been
invited by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to participate in
the Opportunity Online broadband grant program designed to improve
and sustain free, quality Internet connectivity in the state's public
libraries.
TSLAC will host two summits in San Antonio (October 7-8 and November
18-19). Connected Nation, a national non-profit technology advocacy
organization, will produce the summits with the Texas State Library
and Archives Commission. The American Library Association's Office
for Information Technology Policy will support TSLAC's development
of a broadband sustainability strategy.
Participants at the summit include grant eligible Texas libraries,
local partners, state leaders and non-grant eligible Texas libraries.
Please note that you are our guest to the upcoming Texas Opportunity
Online Summit. You can attend this event at no charge to yourself
or your library thanks to a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. All charges will be reimbursed to you shortly after
you attend the summit.
Your library must attend either Summit One or Summit Two to be
eligible to participate in the Gates Foundation's grant-funded broadband
improvement proposal. Grant funding will be available in the following
categories:
- Technical support and training to help libraries overcome technical
barriers to upgrading and maintaining quality Internet connection
speeds;
- E-rate application support to increase library participation
in the federal technology funding program; and
- Bridge funding to help jumpstart and catalyze investments in
ongoing connectivity costs.
Summit Information
Texas Opportunity Online Broadband Summits will be
held at
The Westin La Cantera
Resort
16641 La Cantera Parkway
San Antonio, TX 78256
Summit One:
October 7 - 8, 2009
Registration begins at noon, presentations begin at
2 p.m. Conclusion on Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. tx1summit@opportunityonline.org
Summit Two:
November 18 - 19, 2009
Registration begins at noon, presentations begin at
2 p.m. Conclusion on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. tx2summit@opportunityonline.org
If you have any questions regarding the summit, travel
or accommodations, please email or call: 1-866-882-3081
(9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central) or www.opportunityonline.org
Registration
Each library was mailed an invitation to attend the Opportunity
Online Broadband Summit from the Texas State Library and Archives
Commission.
The process for registering for the Summit is as follows:
- The librarian should visit http://www.opportunityonline.org/snapshots/texas
and enter the access code found in their invitation from Connected
Nation.
- The invitation contains an access code and URL for summit registration.
- Complete the required information on the registration page.
- They are uniquely identified by their e-mail address and will
receive a confirmation email upon submitting the registration.
- That e-mail address and password also allows you to logon to
the main Texas summit home page to view specific information pertaining
to the summit.
- If you are not comfortable registering online, please call
Connected Nation at 1-866-882-3081 and you will
be registered over the phone.
Purpose
The purpose of the Texas Opportunity Online Broadband Summit is
to help create and implement strategies that will improve Internet
connections in Texas public libraries. In order to improve connectivity
over the long term, it is essential to generate support on the state
and local level. Thus, the broadband summit is designed to bring
library directors, local partners and state leaders together to
discuss a solution best suited for improving connectivity to your
public libraries.
Goals
- Increase awareness of current connectivity levels in the state’s
public libraries and articulate how library patrons are impacted
by this connectivity.
- Advocate the need of all public libraries to have improved
connectivity.
- Increase awareness of benefits of improved connectivity for
your patrons.
- Learn approaches to improve connectivity on a state and local
level.
- Learn your role in helping achieve sustainable connectivity
in your public library.
Your Role
Your participation is essential to successfully improving connectivity
to all public libraries. It is our hope that when you leave this
summit, you have an increased desire to work with your community,
local government and state officials to affect change and improve
broadband connectivity. You and your local partner will also be
called upon to support your library’s effort to improve connectivity.
Your Local Partner
Your local partner is an advocate for your library. In some cases,
your local partner is an active resource to your library (i.e. board
trustee, friend of the library, etc.). In other cases, your local
partner may support the library by securing much needed funding
(i.e. mayor, commissioner, etc.). Regardless of the role, your local
partner needs to be able to advocate the needs of your library and
be connected to those in the community that can support increased
connectivity.
- The librarian picks his/her partner based on the description
of who a local partner entails. This document was mailed to all
eligible and non-eligible libraries with a letter from the director
of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
- It is the responsibility of the librarian to either
1) give the local partner the registration access code to register;
2) register their local partner for them; or
3) call the toll free number 1-866-882-3081 and
we will register them over the phone.
For more information about the Texas Opportunity Online Summit,
please contact: txsummit@opportunityonline.org
or 1-866-882-3081.
General Questions & Links
How
Far Are You Traveling?
Travel
and Reimbursement
Who
is paying for the Broadband Summit?
About
the Opportunity Online Broadband Grant Program
Texas State Library and
Archives Commission
The Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation
Connected Nation
American
Library Association - OITP
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