Reminder re: Gates Foundation Broadband Assessment Project

FYI -- The deadline for responding to inquiries regarding this project is March 6. Libraries that do not provide data to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will not be eligible for any resulting programs.

New Jersey will be among the first group of states invited by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to participate in a pilot grant program designed to increase and sustain high-speed Internet connections in libraries for patrons across the nation.

The program \x96 when fully instituted \x96 also will provide support for training to help participating libraries address technical challenges related to sustaining high-quality Internet service and E-Rate participation.

The foundation\x92s U.S. Libraries team has already started work on the first step of this program: learning more about the type and cost of Internet services in New Jersey libraries. The foundation has engaged a team of researchers who will be contacting you this month to discuss a number of issues and questions. The data they collect from partner states will guide the development of this important program.

Please note that participating in the foundation\x92s data collection effort is a requirement for all states and, more specifically, for the libraries/outlets that want to be considered for the pilot grant program (which will be rolled out in 2009). Therefore, we strongly urge you to participate in this data collection process.

In addition, the data collected by the foundation will help us in our collective work to improve support and funding for technology services in New Jersey libraries. It will provide an essential fact-base about our respective levels of Internet connectivity and the resources we devote to these services state-wide.

The New Jersey State Library has provided baseline information for libraries that currently connect to the JerseyConnect statewide network.

A representative from Lieberman Research Worldwide (a professional third party researcher hired by the foundation) may contact you within the next few weeks to collect the information over the telephone. If they call, they will request that you refer to and/or read your answers to the questionnaire over the phone so please keep the information close to hand.

Here is a link to the questions they will ask: http://www.njstatelib.org/Gates_Library_Questions.pdf

The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:

You are subscribed to [list_name] using example@PROTECTED.

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

http://lists.njstatelib.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/[list]/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:

http://lists.njstatelib.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/[list]

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:

<mailto:mwarfel@PROTECTED>