Colorado PEAK, the online website for self-sufficiency benefit programs information, potential eligibility, application and checking of benefits is continuing to see significant growth in its use. This success is through, in part, the efforts of libraries across the state to provide access and support to clients accessing the PEAK system.
In April, 2012 the “Laptops for Libraries” project secured funding for more than 40 laptops, placed in libraries statewide, and used by individuals interested in food, medical and cash assistance programs. In October of this year, 7,315 applications were submitted online.
The PEAK Outreach Team has delivered customized training on the PEAK system to 22 library districts around the state. Some of these trainings were singular to a given district and its personnel, from the media center staff to reference Librarians. Other trainings were convened by a specific library district and included both library personnel and community-based organizations that serve the populations in need of self-sufficiency benefits. These collaborations have been a wonderful example of organizations coming together to best serve the needs of the community. If your library is interested in discussing a training opportunity or would like to schedule one in your area please contact CO PEAK Outreach Team at peakoutreach@bouldercounty.org. Keep up the great work in supporting those in need within your communities.
How does the programming you’re doing in your Public Computer Center compare to others? What are some suggestions on how best to engage decision makers in your work? How should you think about staffing your PCC? We spent some time at Beyond BTOP sharing our experiences, but what are the best practices in the field? Sarah Washburn, from Tech Soup, led an overview of the Edge Benchmarks. These benchmarks, covering community value, engaging the community and decision makers, and organizational management, will help answer just such questions.
The benchmarks are a voluntary tool to help a library assess how well it is doing, what steps it can take to improve, and provide resources and support materials to help achieve the benchmarks. I heard after the presentation some ways that you all are already planning to leverage these industry standards. One library director is planning to rewrite job descriptions to include technology competencies, and these standards will help her have something to point to if the board or staff question why. How will you use the Edge Benchmarks?
On November 8-9 we gathered Colorado library staff involved in managing public computer centers funded by a BTOP grant and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. At the beginning, we asked them to complete three sentences about their experience. Below are some of the statements.
Because of BTOP I can teach...
Computer skills to those who are afraid of technology
with more confidence
students information literacy skills
senior citizens new stuff
my staff to instruct
Spanish language computer instruction
about ADA stations!
Because of BTOP I am skilled at...
sharing what our lab can do for the community
teaching newbies that the computer won't break!
helping patrons with technology questions/problems
setting up projector without IT guy
multi-tasking
helping folks who know nothing about computers overcome their fears and embrace these great new tools
making people feel more at ease with technology
Because of BTOP I am passionate about...
how technology helps kids adapt and learn
improving our community through technology
teaching low income populations about technology
using technology to solve real world problems for our patrons such as job hunting/applications, social security, financial assistance applications, etc.
reaching more people in our community
access for ALL!
bridging the digital divide
sharing out lab with other communities
connecting people to the world
What I am proud of accomplishing through the BTOP Grant
Submitted by Erin Kirchoefer-HPLD on Wed, 05/23/2012 - 10:30
HPLD has 11 public computer centers throughout the 4,000 square miles of Weld County, so when we purchased our two ADA workstations, we weren’t sure how to choose which centers would receive them. We wanted to put them in a place where our community members with disabilities would be able to easily access them, and we also wanted to be sure that we were able to get the word out to our patrons about these resources.
We decided that what was needed was an informed partner; we found one in Connections for Independent Living (CfIL). CfIL “promotes independent living and the empowerment of all people with disabilities,” and is one of ten certified Independent Living Centers in Colorado. Because CfIl was already a main resource in the community for those living with disabilities, it made perfect sense to partner with them in providing access to the ADA workstations. We used space in their newly remodeled facility to set up a Public Computer Center, and the workstations are now available to patrons 40 hours a week. The center is open to any HPLD cardholder, not just consumers of CfIL, but the majority of users at this PCC are already patrons of CfIL. This is as we anticipated and hoped, and the workstations are easily accessible for exactly the audience we wanted to target.
Last week I spent some time in Philadelphia for the Public Library Association (PLA) conference. While I was there, I got to meet some of the staff at the Free Library of Philadelphia and learn more about their Free Library Hot Spots.
Hot Spots are public computer centers that are located at community organizations in neighborhoods that are more than one mile from a library location. These centers provide computer and Internet access, basic instruction, job seeker assistance, and after school programs for children. The library manages the sites, which are run by a combination of staff and volunteers.
I got a chance to visit three of the Free Library Hot Spots, and hear some stories about how these centers are impacting the community. In the past year, they have had over 19,000 visits at 6 locations. At one location, people who were using the computers to look for jobs began to help each other out, and now meet regularly as a job seeker support group. In another location, an individual learned how to send his first email so he could propose to his girlfriend - a very special and unique reason to learn how to use a computer!
How does the programming you’re doing in your Public Computer Center compare to others? What are some suggestions on how best to engage decision makers in your work? How should you think about staffing your PCC? We spent some time at Beyond BTOP sharing our experiences, but what are the best practices in the field? Sarah Washburn, from 
Last week I spent some time in Philadelphia for the Public Library Association (PLA) conference. While I was there, I got to meet some of the staff at the Free Library of Philadelphia and learn more about their 