The Tutor.com Blog

There’s good news and bad news for American libraries.  First, the good news: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) set aside $7.2 billion to expand broadband connectivity in libraries, schools, and other “anchor institutions” across the country.  This funding couldn’t have come at a better time.  In most communities, struggling public libraries are the only source of free internet access—and according to one study, 69% of all Americans have used the internet in the past year to look for a job, sell personal items, improve their skills, or find other ways to cope with the recession.  In this economy, the internet is more of a necessity than a luxury.

Unfortunately, the government released its first Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) last month to establish how the ARRA’s $7.2 billion in broadband funding will be distributed.  That’s where the bad news comes in.  According to a letter from the ALA to the assistant secretary of commerce, the NOFA “in effect de-prioritizes libraries and discourages them from applying for funding.”  Specifically, the new rules count communities as “unserved” or “underserved” only if 50% to 90% of households lack internet access, a definition that excludes most urban areas from serious funding.  This is a major departure from the original intent of the bill, and the ALA has requested changes.

To help libraries and library patrons get the resources they need, please take a moment to write your representative, your senator, and the White House, or leave us a comment explaining how your library’s free internet access helps you.  It’s not too late to make your voice heard!

Budgets are tight this year.  Libraries have hard choices to make.   Finding outside funds is often a necessity.  We’re working with many clients to identify funding sources from private foundations, government grants or local businesses.  Tempe Public Library’s successful efforts to secure funding from a local group were described today in the Arizona Central news.  

Any Maricopa citizen with a library card can connect to a tutor through Tempe Public Library’s online tutoring program from Tutor.com.   The service was originally funded through a state grant which was lost.  Now, the Diablos, a local civic organization, is picking up the bill.  

According to the article, Arnold Davis, executive secretary for the Tempe Diablos said that after reading countless thank you notes from the students he knew the program had to keep going.   See his quote below taken directly from the article.

“The importance of this program really comes home to you when you read the critiques that the users actually write. The kids are getting a tremendous amount of help,” he said.

The bottom line, Davis said is that the hotline is helping Valley students pass their classes and graduate. That is a priority for the Diablos.

“That (graduation rates) represents how well off (our nation’s) going to be in the future,” he said.

We’re thrilled to continue to serve the students of Maricopa and work with the Tempe Public Library.  If your library is looking for funds, we can help.  Contact us and we can identify local and/or national resources and even help with the grant writing process.

Ready for our Community Pancake Breakfast

While many of you may have been hitting the snooze button this past Sunday morning, dozens of librarians were joining us for our ALA pancake breakfast.  Hot pancakes and fresh coffee was part of the appeal, but the real draw was listening to our guests and clients – David Belanger from Delaware County Library System and Lori Brezina, Judy Anghelescu, and Kay Scarpello from Omaha Public Library.

Our speakers focused on why they choose to bring Tutor.com services to their respective libraries, how they promoted the service and most importantly how they funded the program.  Here’s some highlights and tips from our presenters.

Identify Cheerleaders – When you bring a new, innovative service like Tutor.com to the community, local politicians take notice and want to get involved.  Let them!  Invite them into the library to see the program in action, get their name in the paper and you’ll have a well-placed community advocate.

Not all Earmarks are Bad – Omaha Public library was able to use a Federal earmark for a Homework Hot Spot program and to fund their Tutor.com one-to-one tutoring service.  A local foundation also contributed.   Want to find foundations in your area?  Check out the Foundation Directory.

Free Promotions are Good – David Belanger shared many fun promotional ideas including posting on Craig’s List (it’s free!),  adding signage to the library system’s book delivery trucks and adding a note to the receipts that patrons get when they take out library materials.

We Chose Tutor.com Because - it’s always one-to-one,  tutors don’t give answers,  lots of customizable promotional materials, tutors are available when our students need them, bilingual support.

If you would like a copy of the presentations, feel free to send me an email.   Thanks again to our wonderful presenters.

The ALA 2009 conference is officially underway, so be sure to stop by Booth 1848 if you’re in Chicago.  We’re throwing a Block Party, showing off our new Learning Suite, and giving one lucky library a Nintendo Wii.  We look forward to seeing you.  In the meantime, here are a few links to whet your appetite:

• However you feel about Windows Vista, give Bill Gates a hand—his charitable foundation donated $2 million to the ALA’s Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, which measures public access to the internet and helps library directors advocate for more resources.  The study began in 1994 and will continue for another three years, thanks to this donation.
• David Lee King, Digital Branch & Services Manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, posted a helpful video on his blog for librarians using Facebook to connect with their patrons.  He’s at ALA too, so we look forward to hearing more about social media in the library world.
• We love gaming almost as much as we love libraries here at Tutor.com, so we’re excited to hear that the ALA exhibit floor will once again include a Gaming Pavilion.  Library Journal reports that Demco, Gen Con, Screenlife Games and Wizards of the Coast (the people behind Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering) will be there, among others.  Don’t forget your d20!

Our last post about Saving Ohio Libraries caught the attention of library directors both in and out of Ohio. Carl A. Antonucci, Jr., Director of Library Services at Capital Community College in Connecticut contacted us about the budget cuts in his state as well.

An article posted on the Connecticut Library Consortium web site, “when Governor Rell announced her second proposed budget for 2009-2011, librarians and library supporters around the state were shocked to see how hard Connecticut’s libraries were hit. Although she said that she was not cutting aid to municipalities, most of the cuts to the State Library’s budget were aimed at programs that directly serve municipal libraries and the citizens who use them, as well as at cooperative programs that save money for all types of libraries.”

According to the article, many statewide library services would be cut or eliminated as Governor Rell proposes to:

• Suspend Funding for Statewide Digital Library (iConn)
• Suspend Funding for the Statewide Database Program (reQuest)
• Suspend Funding for Connecticard Payments (CCard)
• Suspend Funding for Grants to Public Libraries
• Suspend Funding for Cooperating Library Service Units
• Reduce Funding for Interlibrary Loan Service (Connecticar)
• Connecticut Education Network (CEN) cuts

What can you do to help? The Connecticut Library Association has created a page so residents can contact the Governor and state legislators. Find out whom to call to help your Connecticut library today.

Ohio libraries are on the offensive to save a proposed 50% budget cut by Governor Ted Strickland. According to a June 22, 2009 article in Library Journal, Governor Strickland is trying to close a $3.2 billion gap in the state’s budget by June 30, and financial support for libraries is on the chopping block.

Suzanne Cline, the Executive Director of Shelby County Libraries says the impact will be felt across the State of Ohio, but will be particularly “devastating” in Shelby County where 95% of their budget is funded by general tax revenue received from the state. “If this is not stopped, we will close locations and severely reduce our operating hours,” Ms. Cline’s email said.

Ohio libraries are urging residents to contact their local representatives and the Governor’s office to fight to save Ohio libraries from these budget cuts. The Save Ohio Libraries blog has more information how you can get involved by doing one of the following.

• Contact the Governor
• Contact your State Representative
• Contact Your State Senator

The site also has sample letters residents can use to make contacting their representatives easy.

There are only a few days left for Ohio residents to show their support for public libraries and urge their representatives to reject the Governor’s proposed budget cuts.

Jennifer Hinton, one of our amazing client services representatives, is excited to help the Dallas Public Library launch their new Teen Centers on 6/16 at the Dallas West LibraryThe new Teen Centers are made possible through a $500,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation.   The grant funds laptops, materials, digital cameras, workshops and programs all for teens.  Each Teen Center also features Tutor.com’s Live Homework Help® service to help kids connect to a tutor whenever they get stuck.  Jen will take some pictures at the event and we’ll post them next week.

 The AT&T Foundation Grant is part of AT&T Aspire, a $100 million initiative to address high school success and college and workforce readiness.   We love to see this good news in a year that has been tough on library budgets.  Many of our customers work with private partners to fund Tutor.com programs such as HomeworkHelp NJ which is funded through PSEG.

But you don’t need a large corporate partner to  create a successful teen center.  At the Central Rappahonnack Regional Library, Caroline Parr, the coordinator of youth services shared how the library created “Our Space”  for 6^th-8^th graders with a grant from a local philanthropist.  The library bought 11 wireless laptops and a charging station and created a space kids wanted to be in after school.   She shared this quote from a teenage girl “It’s a place to hang out and be safe.”  

Look for Dallas pictures next week!

Tutor.com has been closely following the developments with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) since it was first announced. The amount of information now available about ARRA is overwhelming. To help libraries navigate through the legislation, we hosted a webinar last week featuring Mark Schneiderman, Senior Director of Education Policy for the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), Anna Kimsey, Senior Associate at Dutko Worldwide’s education practice, and Ronald Tomalis, former Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education. You can watch it anytime and share it with colleagues by clicking Tutor.com ARRA Webinar.

Our webinar is a great overview of the legislation. If you want to track ARRA closely, we recommend you bookmark ALA’s excellent website – www.ala.org/knowyourstimulus. Here you’ll find everything you need to understand the legislation, how it affects libraries and what you can do to get involved.

School Library Journal just ran an article that highlights what school librarians can do to get a piece of the ARRA pie, but the information and advice really applies to all librarians. Schools are making plans now so if you are interested in a partnership, make sure to reach out as soon as possible.

You can make a difference.  Sharing a message from the folks at ALA regarding how to make sure your local congress person will support $300 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and $100 million for the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program for FY 2010.

If you don’t see your congress person on the following list then take action by following the instructions below.

Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)

Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)

Rush Holt (D-NJ)

John Lewis (D-GA) (N)

James Oberstar (D-MN) (N)

Mike Ross (D-AR)

Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Henry Waxman (D-CA)

Ike Skelton (D-MO)

Paul Tonko (D-NY) (N) Freshman

Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) (N)

Paul Hodes (D-NH) (N)

Leonard Lance (R-NJ) (N) Freshman

Eric Massa (D-NY) (N) Freshman

Dave Loebsack (D-IA)

Lois Capps (D-CA) (N)

Donald Payne (D-NJ) (N)

Chellie Pingree (D-ME) (N) Freshman

Nick Rahall (D-WV) (N)

Please contact your Representative and ask him or her to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter being circulated by Congressman Raul Grijalva in support of funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program.

The deadline to sign the letter is Wednesday April 1! LSTA and Improving Literacy Through School Libraries are two of the most important federal programs for libraries today.  The letter will not be taken seriously, and it will appear as if Members of Congress do not care about libraries if we don’t have hundreds of signers on the letter. Programs that don’t have a vocal support network are in danger of being cut.

The letter is addressed to the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriation Subcommittees and requests that the House include $300 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and $100 million for the Improving Literary Through School Libraries program for FY 2010.

When you contact your Representative, you must ask him or her to call Joseph Mais in order to co-sign the letter at 202.225.2435.

http://capwiz.com/ala/issues/alert/?alertid=13037141

The Mount Prospect Public Library outside of Chicago has been reaching out to local press to show them how the library is helping families out during the down economy.  See the fantastic TV coverage at CBS Chicago.

If you care about public libraries and library funding take a minute to read this post from ALA about the Economic Stimulus Package.  We’ll be on the phones today letting our government officials know where we stand.  Every call makes a difference!

Today Congress will vote on a $150 billion stimulus package that will be doled out over the next two years to school districts, education agencies, child care centers and universities.  The New York Times reported on the stimulus plan yesterday calling it the “..the largest increase in federal aid since Washington began to spend significantly on education after World War II.”

So what does this mean for libraries?  We don’t have all the answers, but we do know that many of our customers partner with local school districts and education agencies to sponsor programs together and share the cost. More money to schools and local agencies should present more opportunities for libraries to forge community partnerships to fund needed education services for both K-12 and adult students.

We’ll be tracking this bill with an eye toward what it can mean for libraries. We’ve also been thinking about the new economic environment which has caused libraries to cut their budgets even while they are serving a record number of patrons.  Our “stimulus” pacakge for 2009 includes:

• More services for adults: one-to-one help for adults who find themselves facing a career transition, going back-to-school, applying for citizenship or taking the GED.
• 24/7 Resource Center:  Give K-12 and adult students access to needed resources such as tutorials, worksheets, resume guidelines, videos and more around the clock
• Flexible, Affordable Pricing:  Our new pricing allows libraries to work within any budget – no matter how constrained – to bring high quality education help.

2009 will be a tough year, but smart programs and smart partnerships (and more government spending) will help all of us get through it while still serving the communities we care about.