[PL-Directors] Deadline Extended for U.S. Impact Survey Pilot

[Jim Scheppke]

Dear Directors: This is a follow-up to a message I sent to you on August 18th. The University of Washington Information School is still looking for libraries to participate in their pilot test. The deadline has been extended. I hope some of you will consider this opportunity.

Thanks Directors.

Jim Scheppke, State Librarian
Oregon State Library
250 Winter St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-378-4367
(fax) 503-585-8059
jim.b.scheppke at state.or.us

[cid:3398841718_570607]Go Green, Keep it on screen - think before you print.

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Dear Library Director,
I'm contacting you about an exciting opportunity to participate in a pilot project that will benefit libraries all over the country and also help you demonstrate the value of providing public access technology services in your community.

The University of Washington, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is extending the benefits of the 2009 U.S. IMPACT Study patron web survey by making it available for public libraries to use in their own public access technology data collection, evaluation, and advocacy efforts.

The UW is recruiting 400 library systems nationwide to pilot a web portal where libraries can easily connect to the survey and use it whenever they want to evaluate their public access services. Instead of programming, collecting, analyzing your own survey, and having to write your own reports, the new UW system will do all this for you, automatically! They have extended the original enrollment deadline, now asking that pilot libraries start their flexible 2-4 week survey fielding period no later than September 26th.

As a pilot library, you will receive a full-color, ready-for-distribution report immediately after running the survey. The UW has also developed new advocacy tools through the survey website, including video instruction, to help you use the survey results to communicate with funders and other policy makers in your community. Pilot libraries will receive technical support throughout their involvement and given an opportunity to provide feedback on the process and support materials.

I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to evaluate impact of providing public access technology in your community and to help the University of Washington develop this tool for all libraries to use for years to come. You may register your library for the pilot by creating an account at http://impactsurvey.org <http://impactsurvey.org/> . For more information, please visit http://impactsurvey.org <http://impactsurvey.org/>  or contact the survey coordinator at info at impactsurvey.org or (206) 543-4324 <tel:%28206%29%20543-4324> .

Thank you for your help with this important project.

About the U.S. IMPACT Study
Conducted in 2009, the U.S. IMPACT Study <http://tascha.uw.edu/usimpact/index.html> was the first large-scale investigation of the ways library patrons use computers and the Internet at public libraries, why they use it, and how it affects their lives. The study consisted of 4 case studies, a national telephone survey, and an online survey designed to supplement the telephone survey and ensure that PAC (public access computing) users from all walks of life were represented. Over 400 libraries participated in the online survey, which yielded 45,000 responses. The study was instrumental in providing evidence that access to the Internet at U.S. public libraries has a profound and measurable impact on individuals and communities. The study’s second report, Opportunity for All: How Library Policies and Practices Impact Public Internet Access <http://www.imls.gov/pdf/OppForAll2.pdf> was released in June of 2011.




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