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General Information
What is Turning the Page: Building Your Library Community?
What is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation?
What is the Public Library Association?
Why was this training developed by PLA?
What is considered a “library system”?
Opportunity Online
How do I know if I’m an Opportunity Online hardware grantee?
I am not a grantee; how do I find out more about Opportunity Online?
Turning the Page
How much does Turning the Page cost?
What will I learn during Turning the Page?
What is the difference between the in-person and online training?
Who do we send to a Turning the Page in-person event? Who participates online?
When and where are Turning the Page in-person events held?
How do I register for Turning the Page?
Are there any opportunities to participate in Turning the Page if I am not a grantee?
Contact Us
What if I have other questions?
General Information
What is Turning the Page: Building Your Library Community?
Turning the Page: Building Your Library Community is a two-day advocacy education event developed by the Public Library Association (PLA) with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Turning the Page is offered in-person and online to librarians, library staff, and library supporters who belong to a public library system that has received an Opportunity Online hardware grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The training is designed to equip librarians and library supporters with the skills, confidence, and resources they need to create community partnerships, build alliances with local and regional decision makers, and ultimately increase funding for their libraries. Opportunity Online hardware grantees are required to participate in this training -- either in-person or online -- in order to continue to receive funding. This training directly benefits grantees as they seek to secure the local matching funds required by the Opportunity Online hardware grant.
What is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation?
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people -- especially those with the fewest resources -- have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. More information is available at www.gatesfoundation.org.
What is the Public Library Association?
The Public Library Association (PLA) is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world. PLA is a member organization, comprised of approximately 12,000 public librarians, staff members, trustees, directors, and various public library supporters. PLA’s purpose is to enhance the development and effectiveness of public library staff and services through publications, advocacy, continuing education, and other programming. Visit www.pla.org for more information about PLA. To learn more about becoming a PLA member, click here.
Why was this training developed by PLA?
In June 2007, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded PLA a three year, $7.7 million grant to develop and provide a national advocacy training program for Opportunity Online hardware grantees. PLA’s access to world-class library experts and trainers, its commitment to public library advocacy, and its reach across the public library world made it an appropriate organization to manage the development and implementation of this training.
What is considered a “library system”?
For the purpose of the Opportunity Online hardware grant and Turning the Page, a library system, also referred to as a “main branch,” is defined by a unique NCES number. For example, a library system with the NCES number of XY1234 would be considered one library system, regardless of how many actual library buildings or branches exist, or how many libraries or branches are participating in the grant.
Opportunity Online
How do I know if I’m an Opportunity Online hardware grantee?
If your library system is eligible for the Opportunity Online hardware grant, you will be contacted and invited by the Gates Foundation to participate in the program, which will be administrated through a state intermediary. Visit the Opportunity Online Web page for information about which state’s are eligible for the grant. Contact your state library if you have questions about your library system’s eligibility.
I am not a grantee; how do I find out more about Opportunity Online?
Opportunity Online hardware grants are administered through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of its U.S. Libraries initiative. The grant provides funding to help libraries in 32 states replace and add computer workstations for patrons. If your library system is eligible for the Opportunity Online hardware grant, you will be contacted and invited by the Gates Foundation to participate in the program, which will be administrated through an intermediary in each state. The Gates Foundation U.S. Libraries initiative does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding. For more information about Opportunity Online, please visit the Web site.
Turning the Page
How much does Turning the Page cost?
Turning the Page is offered free of charge to library systems participating in the Opportunity Online hardware grants program. However, participation in the in-person educational event is limited to three people per library system. Access to the online training is unlimited.
For those who attend an in-person event, all travel expenses, as well as accommodations during the two-day event, are covered as part of the grant program. Participants must save any receipts for expenses incurred during travel to and from the event. An expense report form will be made available immediately following the event, and all expense reports will be processed within 30 days.
What will I learn during Turning the Page?
You will learn how to become an effective advocate for your library, create and tell your library story, deliver strong presentations, use research to develop a compelling case for community support, share tips on building and sustaining partnerships… and much more! For an overview of Turning the Page courses, please review conference agenda [link to: http://www.sustaininglibraries.org/schedule.html]. Click on the course title to view the course description.
What is the difference between the in-person and online training?
The in-person Turning the Page learning event features dynamic speakers, interactive workshop sessions, special events, and exciting networking opportunities. We encourage you to attend the in-person event, but we understand that isn’t always a feasible option for small and rural libraries.
The online version of Turning the Page offers all of the same learning opportunities, as well as videos, links to resources, and social networking tools. In addition, online participants are able to complete the training at their own pace. Each time you exit the training module, your work will be saved, and you will be able to return at a later time.
Finally, in-person attendees may also utilize the online training. Completion of either option will fulfill the Opportunity Online hardware grants’ advocacy training requirement.
Who do we send to a Turning the Page in-person event? Who participates online?
To fulfill the Opportunity Online hardware grant requirements, the library must participate in either the in-person or online training. The library staff and supporters who participate from your library should reflect those who will be actively involved in developing an advocacy plan and “making the ask” in your community.
For the in-person Turning the Page event, library systems can send up to three people. If a library system chooses to send three attendees, one attendee should be an external supporter and not a library staff member. This person could be a library trustee, a Friend of the library, or a community leader, such as a council member. The goal of sending three representatives, including a library supporter, to a Turning the Page event is to create an advocacy team within your library system.
If representatives from your library system are unable to attend the in-person training, Turning the Page online may be completed in order to fulfill the requirements of the grant. Unlike the in-person event, the online training can be utilized by all staff members and library supporters, and we encourage anyone who participates in advocating for the library to take advantage of this opportunity.
When and where are Turning the Page in-person events held?
Turning the Page strives to accessible to library systems in multiple states that are participating in the Opportunity Online hardware grants. Turning the Page events for Round 2 grantees will take place in Maine, Massachusetts, Washington, New Jersey, and North Carolina throughout fall 2008. Your library system will invited to attend a specific event based on location in order to facilitate ease of travel and to provide networking opportunities for participants. If your state is a Round 2 grantee and not listed as a location for a Turning the Page event, you will be invited to attend an event in a neighboring state.
How do I register for Turning the Page?
Each library system director participating in the Opportunity Online hardware grant will receive a save-the-date card approximately 10-12 weeks before the Turning the Page in-person event planned for his or her state. This notification will be both mailed and emailed. Then, approximately eight weeks prior the conference, the library director will receive three printed invitations with distribution instructions. The library director is responsible for selecting participants and distributing the invitations.
Please note: All registration will take place online. There is no on-site registration for in-person events.
To register, visit www.sustaininglibraries.org, and choose the appropriate option based on whether you plan to attend in-person or participate in the online training, and input the following:
- The registration code from the printed invitation.
- The name of your library system as provided by the state intermediary.
- Answers to the participant profile questions.
- A viable email address. We must be able to reach you via email with your registration confirmation, which is required to gain entry into the in-person event.
Once registered, participants will receive an email note confirming registration. You must print your registration confirmation and bring it with you to the in-person event. In addition, state intermediaries will receive a confirmation of each registration.
Are there any opportunities to participate in Turning the Page if I am not a grantee?
PLA members have the opportunity to attend the training free of charge during the 2009 PLA Spring Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee, April 2-4, 2009. However, housing and travel expenses will not be covered for PLA members who attend this event. Please see the PLA Web site for more information about the Spring Symposium and how to register for Turning the Page.
Contact Us
What if I have other questions?
If you have additional questions regarding Turning the Page or PLA, please feel free to contact us