BCR Continues to Provide
Gates Training for State Libraries
By Ellen Fox
BCR is partnering with the state libraries of Wyoming, Kansas, Utah, Oregon and Washington to provide training funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The training will help library staff members sustain and expand public access to computers.
Earlier, BCR staff worked with the Montana and Idaho state libraries to bring trainers out to a variety of locations within each of those states to offer workshops on Internet use, Web page design, Microsoft Office products and related topics. Through the training, almost 400 public library staff in Montana and 250 in Idaho received training, all at no cost to them or their libraries.
The training grants target the need to sustain public access computing so that the Gates library computers, installed as part of the initial State Partnership grant, will continue to be used for public access and Internet access.
BCR trainers are scheduled to present 21 workshops at six locations throughout Wyoming in September and October. The workshops cover seven different topics. BCR will be in Kansas next March, April and June to present the Gates training. Training in Oregon and Washington is scheduled for June through September 2004. The Utah State Library is also participating in the Gates training program, but the workshops have not yet been scheduled.
Although the general purpose of the grant is the same in all states, each state has some latitude in choosing workshop content. Sample workshops BCR has offered include: Teaching the Internet to Groups and Individuals; Refining a Library Web Site; Policy Issues for Librarians; and Maximizing Public Access Software. Workshops are customized to meet the needs of each state.
Any other state library interested in scheduling Gates training for public library staff should contact BCR's Ellen Fox at (303) 751-6277, toll free at (800) 397-1552 or by e-mail at efox@bcr.org.
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February 27, 2008
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