Public Information and Communication
For Release On or After:
May 31, 1999
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Rod Wagner, 402-471-4001, 800-307-2665
Nebraska Libraries Receive Support for Information Technology
Nebraska Library Commission Director Rod Wagner announced that 92 public libraries in Nebraska were refunded $219,040 in discounts on their 1998 telecommunications costs through a program known as E-Rate. "We are pleased to see that this nationwide program is helping to make telecommunications services and technology available to Nebraska citizens of all ages," Wagner said. "Nebraska public libraries can now provide the books and other resources that communities have always expected, along with the technology to access a world of information." E-Rate is a federally managed program that promotes growth and development in the use of telecommunications in schools and libraries.
Public libraries applied for discounts on basic telephone service, monthly Internet service, and installation of new services such as wiring, cabling, hubs, routers, and servers to provide faster and better connections to the Internet. (See attached complete list of libraries and funding amounts.) These (and other) libraries are now in the process of applying for discounts on telecommunications services for July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2000.
The E-Rate program, funded through the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), provides affordable access to telecommunications services for all eligible schools and libraries in the United States. Funded at up to $2.25 billion annually, the program provides discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access and internal connections. Nationally, more than $1.66 billion dollars in discounts was awarded to 25,785 public library and school applicants. 20% to 90% discounts were figured based on statistics gathered from the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch program in schools.
An Information Age update to the time-honored concept of universal service, funding for the universal service discounts comes from the telecommunications industry. The level of discounts schools and libraries are eligible to receive depends on economic need and location, rural or urban. The Schools and Libraries Universal Service Program was established as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to provide affordable access to telecommunications services for all eligible schools and libraries, particularly those in rural and inner-city areas.
For more information about the E-Rate program, see the Schools and Libraries Division web page at http://www.sl.universalservice.org/.
Additional funding for information technology is available for 1999. As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, bringing together people and information.
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E-Rate Support for Nebraska Libraries
Ainsworth Public Library - $651.88
Alliance Public Library - $1,651.00
Hoesch Memorial Public Library, Alma - $768.00
Ashland Public Library - $1,057.54
Atkinson Township Library - $1,016.00
Auburn Public Library - $1,944.40
Alice M Farr Library, Aurora - $3,412.50
Bartley Public Library - $443.52
Rock County Library, Bassett - $597.63
Battle Creek Public Library - $605.00
Beatrice Public Library - $5,010.24
Beaver City Public Library - $585.60
Karlen Memorial Library, Beemer - $2,041.59
Bellevue Public Library - $2,588.00
Blair Public Library - $660.00
Blue Hill Public Library - $525.00
Garfield County Library, Burwell - $530.58
Cedar Rapids Public Library - $1,020.00
Central City Public Library- $1,574.40
Ceresco Community Library - $1,048.00
Chadron Public Library - $1,425.65
Clay Center Public Library - $817.50
Columbus Public Library - $1,560.00
Wilson Public Library, Cozad - $7,968.10
Crawford Public Library - $1,040.00
Creighton Public Library - $571.15
Crete Public Library - $2,168.00
Culbertson Public Library - $571.59
Klyte Burt Memorial Library, Curtis - $581.67
Hruska Memorial Public Library, David City - $1,750.80
Deshler Public Library - $407.87
John Rogers Memorial Library, Dodge - $924.00
Bess Johnson Elkhorn Public Library - $1,135.62
Elmwood Public Library - $360.45
Elwood Public Library - $832.50
Fairmont Public Library - $1,531.49
Lydia Bruun Woods Memorial Library, Falls City - $2,332.40
Keene Memorial Library, Fremont - $2,323.20
Fullerton Public Library - $1,966.03
Geneva Public Library - $1,167.50
Gering Public Library - $1,312.80
Gibbon Public Library - $914.56
Gordon Public Library - $1,473.39
Grand Island Public Library - $4,214.08
Gretna Public Library - $832.00
Holdrege Public Library System - $2,280.32
Hooper Public Library - $528.46
Bruun Memorial Library, Humboldt - $1,506.23
Grant County Library, Hyannis - $976.50
Kearney Public Library and Information Center - $11,550.48
Lexington Public Library - $3,012.69
Lincoln City Libraries - $19,173.84
Nebraska Library Commission - $10,400.00
Nancy Fawcett Memorial Library, Lodgepole - $1,237.60
Louisville Public Library - $192.00
Lyons Public Library - $1,343.54
Webermeier Memorial Library, Milford - $1,113.50
Jensen Memorial Library, Minden - $1,080.00
Mitchell Public Library - $733.43
Hooker County Library, Mullen - $414.28
Morton James Public Library, Nebraska City - $2,246.90
Neligh Public Library - $1,442.84
Nelson Public Library - $495.00
Niobrara Public Library - $291.20
Norfolk Public Library - $3,772.80
Omaha Public Library - $57,815.50
Orchard Public Library - $320.25
C. B. Preston Memorial Library, Orleans - $308.70
Oshkosh Public Library - $229.19
Oxford Public Library - $329.66
Pawnee City Carnegie Public Library - $548.69
Pilger Public Library - $265.42
Plattsmouth Public Library - $1,487.50
Ponca Public Library - $710.00
Schuyler Public Library - $943.80
Scribner Public Library - $624.00
Seward Public Library - $2,305.12
Shelby Public Library - $636.00
South Sioux City Public Library - $4,789.64
Saint Paul Public Library - $1,626.75
Superior Public Library - $1,163.25
Syracuse Public Library - $673.50
Tecumseh Public Library - $690.30
Tekamah Public Library - $480.00
Tilden Public Library - $690.30
Valentine Public Library - $1,565.20
Valley Public Library - $400.84
Wayne Public Library - $440.00
John A Stahl Library, West Point - $1,568.00
Wisner Public Library - $815.52
Kilgore Memorial Library, York - $238.50
Yutan Public Library - $399.07
Total - $213,769.54
The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission home page. Point your World Wide Web browser to http:///nlc.nebraska.gov/, search on news releases.