Rural/Public Library "home page" proposals?

[Mary-Ellen Mort]

Rod--

This isn't rural libraries but it's a project that might give you some 
ideas of the possibilities & benefits of library presence on the web.

JobSmart: Northern California Job Search Guide <http://jobsmart.org> is 
an LSCA grant funded partnership between Bay Area Public LIbraries & KPIX 
Television (a local CBS affiliate in SF.)  

JobSmart brings together LOCAL job search info on the web and has been 
very well received by the popular press (our local newspapers), library 
press (we're included in the current cover story of the Sept. 15 Library 
Journal) and by all our member libraries.

The idea behind it is to provide service to a wide area with similar 
concerns, maintain the "library angle" by talking about resources & 
strategies rather than pushing a specific product, and to save the time 
and effort of member libraries (who can link to our page rather than put 
in the time & work to create & maintain such a resource for job seekers.)

JobSmart is used by librarians, patrons using library access to the Web, 
local career centers, and by anyone with home or work access to the Web.

While JobSmart also models a public-private partnership (we will use 
advertising revenues to keep the project going after the grant ends), it 
is also a model of having one library or library agency tackle one issue 
and share the benefits with other libraries.

Berkeley Public is doing this too in many ways. Most recently by 
providing web access to their Berkeley Information Network (community 
information files) at 
http://library.ci.berkeley.ca.us:81/screens/mainmenu.html

These are examples of resource sharing that are cost-effective and make 
the most of what each library does.

Good luck with your arguments!

Mary-Ellen Mort
JobSmart Project Director