Public Information and Communication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 7, 2018
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mary Jo Ryan
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Partnership Launched to Help
Close the
Homework Gap for Rural Students
High-speed Internet access is essential to Nebraska
schoolchildren and a partnership between schools and libraries
in five Nebraska communities will demonstrate an innovative way
to ensure that children can complete homework assignments and
projects. The Nebraska Library Commission has been awarded a
National Leadership Sparks Grant of $25,000 by the Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for a partnership project
with the Nebraska Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
and five local school districts and public libraries. The
Nebraska Schools and Libraries-Breaking the Ice and
Igniting Internet Relationships grant is one of 26
projects out of 117 applications to receive funding totaling
$5,770,682 to support libraries across the nation.
Five Nebraska rural school districts and public libraries
will work together as partners to increase Internet speeds at
the public library using fixed wireless technology to provide
additional Internet to the library, augmenting the current
Internet service. Up to one gigabit (1,000Mbps) of Internet
speed will be provided for a designated homework hotspot for
school district students and staff. This will help close the
“homework gap” that rural students face when attempting to
complete homework assignments and school projects without a
reliable Internet source at home. The libraries will use the
school districts’ network to augment existing Internet service,
supplementing it with high-speed Internet access for K-12
students and staff in these school districts so that students
can complete homework assignments, collaborate in groups on
research projects, access online instruction, work on special
projects, and undertake other digital learning activities.
Nebraska communities participating in this one-year project
beginning June 1 include Bancroft, Genoa, Imperial, Verdigre, and
Wymore.
“I am pleased to announce the recipients of IMLS’s highly
competitive library grant programs,” said IMLS Director Dr.
Kathryn K. Matthew. “These grants leveraged over $2.7 million in
matching funds from local partners and community collaborators,
helping to ensure the sustainability of these projects and to
enhance their reach and impact.”
“As Nebraska students and teachers embrace digital learning,
Nebraska public libraries look for new partnership models with
schools to ensure equal access to digital learning resources for
all students. Students need broadband services outside of school
and after school hours. Libraries fill the gap and contribute to
educational achievement. This project demonstrates the
commitment of Nebraska’s public libraries to provide high-speed
Internet service through innovative educational partnerships
with schools. We thank the schools and libraries that have
committed to demonstrating this innovative approach to school
and public library collaboration,” said Nebraska Library
Commission Director Rod Wagner.
“The State of Nebraska’s Office of the CIO is pleased to
partner with the Nebraska Library Commission on this project to
improve Internet access in small, rural public libraries and to
leverage the investments made in the state education network,
Network Nebraska,” said Ed Toner, the State Chief Information
Officer.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of
Museum and Library Services [IMLS grant: LG-99-18-0018-18].
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary
source of federal support for the nation’s approximately
120,000 libraries and
35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and
museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural
and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and
research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services
that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive.
To learn more, visit
www.imls.gov and follow us on
Facebook and Twitter.
As Nebraska’s 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.” The
most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are
always available on the Library Commission website,
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.
The Nebraska Office of the Chief Information Officer
(OCIO) is the State’s agency for Information Technology
services. Through partnerships with public organizations, the
OCIO provides coordinated IT management, enterprise oversight,
and reliable solutions to support the business needs of the
state agencies, boards, commissions, and political subdivisions
serving Nebraska. Its staff helps manage Network Nebraska, the
statewide telecommunications network serving public and private
K-12 schools and higher education entities. Network Nebraska is
uniquely positioned to assist public libraries with faster and
lower cost commodity Internet and peered routing achieved
through statewide aggregation and consortium E-rate expertise.
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#SparksNebraska #digitalinclusion #DIW2018 #digitalequityis
