Introduction
Bruce Potter
Bruce Potter
2. What you do:
I head Island Resources Foundation <irf.org>, which is an
environmental NGO that provides assistance for sustainable development
of small islands.
3. What your organization has to do with broadband.
Since our founding in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands in 1972,
Island Resources Foundation has been actively engaged in seeking ways
to improve the communication of best practices among small island
organizations and people. Currently we moderate 33 e-mail groups that
address global or regional (i.e., Caribbean) issues, ranging from the
particular (e.g. bats) to general (environmental monitoring and
assessment). In addition, we moderate several blogs, web sites, and
social media sites to test various modes and their penetration and
usefulness to various island audiences.
4. What you would like to learn from this group.
In general, small islands are a few years behind continental areas
in access to broadband. We are looking for information, tools, and
best-practices guidance for thresholds of efficiency and effectiveness
(especially in low income areas or low cost applications).
5. What you'd like to share with this group (expertise, ideas,
experience, anything!)*
Our experiences, going back at least 18 years with
telecommunications systems for various popular media and internet
application.
William Siarny
Hi all,
I am Bill Siarny, Library Director, at the Charlotte Community Library in Michigan. Over the last 30 plus years, I have found that I learn from every group or individual I have encountered. We are the recipients of a bunch of new laptops to be used as a training lab and for other public purposes. I am always interested in the exchange of ideas and will continue to do so with this group.
Bill
William Siarny
Library Director
Charlotte Community Library
226 South Bostwick Street
Charlotte, Michigan 48813-1801
(517) 543-8859 Office
(517) 543-8868 Fax
“Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”-- John Adams
“The most important thing today is for economic units to maintain—or, rather, renew—their relationship with individuals, so that the work those people perform has human substance and meaning, so that people can see how the enterprise they work for works, have a say in that, and assume responsibility for it.” – Vaclav Havel
“Modern industry, particularly American industry, is not Christian. The economic forces which move it are hardly qualified at a single point by really ethical considerations.” -- Reinhold Niebuhr
JeanMontgomery
2. What you do: I am the network administrator for a consortium
(Upper Peninsula Region of Library Cooperation).
3. What your organization has to do with broadband. We work with our
libraries to obtain internet access, assist in doing USF and bids. We
are currently following the grant that Merit Networks - project
REACH-3MC which will afford our libraries in some rural areas to be
able to have fiber.
4. What you would like to learn from this group. I'm hoping to learn
how other Libraries are trying to overcome the shortage of money and
still provide their patrons with broadband internet access. With the
economy the way it is we find more and more people coming to the
library because they have turned their internet off at home. With
more and more people coming to the library and using their own devices
finding better ways of handling this issue has become a priority.
5. What you'd like to share witht this group. Our experiences,
ideas, maybe some partnerships.