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Using the Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit

Carson BlockLibrary Technology Reports
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Price: 
$43.00
ALA Member 
$38.70
Item Number: 
978-0-8389-4828-6
Published: 
2021
Publisher: 
ALA TechSource
Pages: 
40
Width: 
8 1⁄2"
Height: 
11"
Format: 
Softcover
  • Description
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Authors

The Toward Gigabit Libraries (TGL) toolkit was a project originally funded by a Laura Bush grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The initial phase took place from 2015 to 2018 and included on-site visits to test the toolkit in real-world applications. An important focus of the grant was that the toolkit should work for all libraries but should be especially helpful to rural, tribal, and underfunded libraries. A second grant was awarded in 2020, and while somewhat hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new project (called Gigabit Libraries and Beyond) is underway to further refine the toolkit to expand reach to tribal and rural libraries and explore how the toolkit may be used in “tech desert” urban areas. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 8) presents ideas for using the resources of the toolkit and gives examples of how libraries have used it in troubleshooting or training.

Chapter 1 – A Confidence-Building Toolkit

  • What Is the Toolkit?
  • Toolkit Format
  • Open Licensing
  • Origins of the Toolkit
  • The Original Toward Gigabit Libraries Project Team
  • An Active Advisory Board
  • Notes

Chapter 2 – Navigating the Toolkit

  • Toolkit Section 4: Technology Inventory
  • Speed and Quality Tests
  • Drawing a Network Diagram
  • Toolkit Section 5: Broadband Services and Activities
  • Toolkit Section 6: Broadband Technical Operations Support
  • Toolkit Section 7: Broadband Funding
  • Toolkit Section 8: Additional Resources and Best Practices
  • Notes

Chapter 3 – The Toolkit in Action

  • Eating the Elephant a Bite at a Time
  • The Broadband Improvement Plan (BIP)
  • The Toolkit as a Communications Tool
  • The Toolkit and Influence on E-rate Applications
  • Broadening the Reach
  • Notes

Chapter 4 – Training with the Toolkit: Reuse or Remix

  • Pre-toolkit Work
  • Start with the Best Partners
  • Train the Trainer
  • A Toolkit for All Libraries
  • Library Organizations Using the Toolkit
  • Reuse and Remix to Drive Impact
  • Notes

Chapter 5 – Scaling the Toolkit for Greater Reach

  • The Gigabit Libraries and Beyond Project Team
  • Next Steps
  • Notes

Chapter 6 – Resources

  • Article
  • Recent Presentations
     

Carson Block

Carson Block is a consultant and former IT director of the Poudre River (Colo.) Public Library District.

Library Technology Reports

Published by ALA TechSource, Library Technology Reports helps librarians make informed decisions about technology products and projects. Library Technology Reports publishes eight issues annually and provides thorough overviews of current technology. Reports are authored by experts in the field and may address the application of technology to library services, offer evaluative descriptions of specific products or product classes, or cover emerging technology. Find out more information on this publication here.

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