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- Description
- Table of Contents
- About the authors
The Toward Gigabit Libraries (TGL) toolkit was a project originally funded by a Laura Bush grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The initial phase took place from 2015 to 2018 and included on-site visits to test the toolkit in real-world applications. An important focus of the grant was that the toolkit should work for all libraries but should be especially helpful to rural, tribal, and underfunded libraries. A second grant was awarded in 2020, and while somewhat hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new project (called Gigabit Libraries and Beyond) is underway to further refine the toolkit to expand reach to tribal and rural libraries and explore how the toolkit may be used in “tech desert” urban areas. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 8) presents ideas for using the resources of the toolkit and gives examples of how libraries have used it in troubleshooting or training.
Chapter 1 – A Confidence-Building Toolkit
- What Is the Toolkit?
- Toolkit Format
- Open Licensing
- Origins of the Toolkit
- The Original Toward Gigabit Libraries Project Team
- An Active Advisory Board
- Notes
Chapter 2 – Navigating the Toolkit
- Toolkit Section 4: Technology Inventory
- Speed and Quality Tests
- Drawing a Network Diagram
- Toolkit Section 5: Broadband Services and Activities
- Toolkit Section 6: Broadband Technical Operations Support
- Toolkit Section 7: Broadband Funding
- Toolkit Section 8: Additional Resources and Best Practices
- Notes
Chapter 3 – The Toolkit in Action
- Eating the Elephant a Bite at a Time
- The Broadband Improvement Plan (BIP)
- The Toolkit as a Communications Tool
- The Toolkit and Influence on E-rate Applications
- Broadening the Reach
- Notes
Chapter 4 – Training with the Toolkit: Reuse or Remix
- Pre-toolkit Work
- Start with the Best Partners
- Train the Trainer
- A Toolkit for All Libraries
- Library Organizations Using the Toolkit
- Reuse and Remix to Drive Impact
- Notes
Chapter 5 – Scaling the Toolkit for Greater Reach
- The Gigabit Libraries and Beyond Project Team
- Next Steps
- Notes
Chapter 6 – Resources
- Article
- Recent Presentations