[PL-Directors] Broadband Assessment Project Survey

[Jim Scheppke]

Dear Directors:
I wanted to alert you to a new survey I will be sending out on behalf of the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation next Monday, December 1st.

The Foundation is administering this survey in all Oregon public libraries
as part of their new initiative to improve broadband access to the Internet
in US public libraries. The first step is to collect data from every public
library in the US.  Collecting this baseline data will help the Gates
Foundation better design programs to assist public libraries.

Next Monday I will be emailing you a spreadsheet for you or someone on your
staff to complete and return by email to a company working for the Gates
Foundation.  The deadline will be Friday, December 19th.  When you have
returned the survey, the contact person you list on the survey may receive a
follow-up phone call to clarify the information you provided.

If your library only has one broadband provider for all of your outlets, you
will only have to answer 14 questions, and many are directory questions.

I know you are probably feeling some "survey fatigue" and I apologize for
the timing on this.  However, we are being asked to do this by the Gates
Foundation which is working hard to begin to create this new program to
assist public libraries.  My hope is that your library might see some
benefit from completing this survey in the future.

Please watch for the survey form from me in your email next Monday.  I will
appreciate your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Jim Scheppke, State Librarian
Oregon State Library
250 Winter St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-378-4367
(fax) 503-585-8059
jim.b.scheppke at state.or.us