Illinois State University serves as the lead organization for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Broadband READY (Regional Engagement for Adoption + Digital Equity) initiative for the North Central economic region. The North Central Region is comprised of DeWitt, Fulton, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McLean, Stark, Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties.
The READY initiative seeks to promote immediate digital expansion and support broadband access, adoption, and utilization through local and regional collaborations. Libraries are critical community anchor institutions that can aid in achieving these goals and are often already doing similar work related to digital access. To that end, we would like to invite libraries in the North Central Region to join us for a lunch consortium on Wednesday, August 7 from 11:30am – 1:30pm at ISU’s Alumni Center room 118 (1101 N. Main St, Normal).
The goals for our time together include:
· Sharing information about resources, upcoming grants, and best practices among each other
· Discussing ideas to be incorporated into the region’s FY 25 plan and budget
· Exploring collaborative relationships and leadership for future grant applications
This is an opportunity for regional and county level connections and conversation about digital access that will ultimately help us work together and increase all our organizations’ capacity in the digital access ecosystem.
There will be presentations by the Illinois Broadband Lab, McLean County government, and Heartland Community College along with time for discussion. Information will be shared about upcoming grant opportunities with particular emphasis on serving the following priority populations: low-income households, incarcerated individuals, people with disabilities, people with language barriers, racial and ethnic minority groups, aging populations, veterans, rural inhabitants. Funding will be available to support:
- Digital navigator programs
- Device distribution
- Digital literacy and skills training
- Broadband affordability programs
- Coalition building.
If you would like to attend, please complete this very brief registration form. Questions can be directed to Harriett Steinbach at hmstein@ilstu.edu (309) 438-5769.