[OPLINLIST] Fwd: [ARPA-OH] State Library of Ohio Board Awarded $60, 000 ARPA Grant to OPLIN For A Digital Literacy Training Program

[Don Yarman]

You have likely seen this elsewhere, but I'm pretty excited about it, so
sharing it here.

                                  —DY


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: marshams--- via ARPA-OH <arpa-oh at lists.library.ohio.gov>
Date: Thu, Oct 7, 2021 at 12:43 PM
Subject: [ARPA-OH] State Library of Ohio Board Awarded $60, 000 ARPA Grant
to OPLIN For A Digital Literacy Training Program
To: arpa-oh at lists.library.ohio.gov <arpa-oh at lists.library.ohio.gov>


*Please excuse multiple postings…*



[image: Logo Description automatically generated]The State Library of Ohio
Board recently awarded a $60,000 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
<https://library.ohio.gov/arpa/> grant to Ohio Public Library Information
Network (OPLIN) to provide statewide access at public libraries to a
digital literacy training program. Federal ARPA funds, received from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), will be used to purchase
licenses to Northstar Digital Literacy
<https://www.digitalliteracyassessment.org/> for all Ohio public libraries.




Northstar Digital Literacy begins with assessments, identifying the
necessary competencies that individuals should meet concerning different
digital tools and tasks. Those competencies are supported by instruction,
whether online or in a classroom setting, depending on individual learning
styles and needs. After guided study, learners can take proctored tests to
earn certification showing mastery of the necessary competencies. The
program then guides each learner through building on what they’ve learned,
encouraging continued learning.



“To succeed in the information age, people need the digital skills to make
use of online services and computer resources, and public libraries have
long worked to meet the particular needs of their communities,” said Don
Yarman, OPLIN Executive Director. “Northstar will be a valuable resource,
helping library staff develop their expertise and confidence, providing
proven resources for in-person and on-line instruction, and empowering each
library to reach out to its community as a leader in digital literacy
education.”



To ensure successful implementation within libraries, OPLIN will utilize an
open staff position to hire a program manager. OPLIN will also fund
web-based training sessions by Northstar Digital Literacy for local public
library staff at the onset of the program launch in early 2022. Additional
training will be conducted by OPLIN staff.



“The program manager will help local libraries integrate Northstar into
their current services,” Yarman said. “Each community has different needs,
and the program manager will help libraries use Northstar’s many resources
in ways that are most productive. Ohioans will be able to participate in
Northstar learning at the library or remotely through library websites,
whichever is most convenient for them.”

“While libraries have worked to bridge the digital divide for many years,
the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered the depth of the divide in Ohio,” said
Wendy Knapp, State Librarian of Ohio. "Using ARPA funds to provide the
tools of Northstar Digital Literacy to all of the state’s public libraries
will bolster the great work already being done by so many and provide a
proven framework for implementation throughout the state."



“The State Library of Ohio is committed to allocating ARPA funds for
statewide programs that benefit all types of libraries,” stated Evan T.
Struble, Associate State Librarian for Library Development. “I want to
express my gratitude to the State Library Board for supporting this
proposal, geared toward the public library sector, as it will have a true
statewide reach. I’m excited to see the launch of this digital literacy
initiative—it dovetails well with our Governor’s broadband/workforce
development initiatives, while serving as a nice complement to the State
Library’s own Guiding Ohio Online
<https://library.ohio.gov/services-for-libraries/library-programs-development/guiding-ohio-online/>
program.”

_______________________________________

OPLIN provides broadband internet connections and related information
services to Ohio public libraries. OPLIN’s primary mission is to ensure
that all Ohio residents have fast, free public internet access through the
251 independent local public library systems in Ohio, as well as the use of
high-quality research databases not freely available online. OPLIN is an
independent agency within the State Library of Ohio.



###



Marsha McDevitt-Stredney, Ph.D.

Public Information Officer
Director, Marketing & Communications

Pronouns: she, her, hers



State Library of Ohio

274 E. 1st Avenue

Columbus, OH 43201

Tel: 614-644-6875

library.ohio.gov


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