Category 1 Special Construction Workshop
Channel: Nebraska Library Commission
Date: 2022-10-14

Recorded on October 13, 2022

Join other Nebraska public libraries and attend our training workshop about special funding opportunities to help pay for new fiber connectivity to your library. You will participate via GoToWebinar with co-presenters Christa Porter, Becca Kingery, and Holly Woldt.

The Coronavirus pandemic amplified the importance of high-speed internet connectivity in rural Nebraska communities. Nebraska public libraries provided critical Wi-fi internet access to students and community members during the pandemic. Unfortunately, many community libraries still do not have adequate internet speeds to meet the connectivity demands required in their communities. This is a reality not just in Nebraska but also in other rural and urban areas across the country.

This workshop is an in-depth focus on what steps need to be completed to bring fiber to your library. We will highlight the process of how to bring fiber to your library with an average discount of 70 to 100%.

The second workshop offers details about the Commission’s RFP template for Special Construction, the application process for matching grant funding for a fiber installation to your library, how a library’s E-rate discounts provides low cost fiber to your library and a timeline for a successful fiber connection to your library.

This webinar is the second part of a three part workshop on fiber connectivity to your library. A recording of the first workshop is available at https://youtu.be/dbCcA5Xj9Zs .

Libraries that do not have fiber for their internet service are strongly encouraged to consider registering for this workshop. The class size will be limited to 25 registrations REMEMBER initiating this process DOES NOT obligate any expenditure. You will be able to see what the actual costs are for your library’s fiber upgrade by going through this process in order to make a fully informed decisions.

NOTE: This webinar is for Nebraska library staff only.