Bob Bocher - Library Technology Consultant
Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning

Bob Bocher, Technology Consultant

Federal Broadband Grant
The BadgerNet fiber grant has been funded! See the above link for more information. Background: In August 2009 the state's Department of Administration filed a grant application under the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). The application is to bring fiber connectivity to the school districts and public libraries in the state that are on the BadgerNet Converged Network (BCN) but still do not have fiber. The application includes: 74 schools or school districts; 385 public libraries; 8 higher education campuses.

E-rate
Each year Wisconsin schools an libraries receive about $25 million in federal E-rate discounts. This is a complex program but it is an important source of funding. I help coordinate the E-rate program for the state. I'm a member of the State E-rate Coordinators Alliance (SECA) and the ALA's E-rate Task Force. Related to this, see my FAQ on CIPA (the filtering act).

BadgerNet
In 2006 the State of Wisconsin, in cooperation with the education and library communities, implemented the next generation of BadgerNet, the statewide telecommunications network. A key purpose of the new BadgerNet Converged Network (BCN) is to build the next generation network that will converge data and video onto one network. All K-12 schools and public libraries in the state can use BadgerNet. As of January 2010, all public libraries can get a 3Mbps BadgerNet circuit for $100/month and up to a 100Mbps circuit for only $250/month. I am a member of the BCN Advisory Council representing schools and libraries.

Gates Grants
Wisconsin has received several grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The latest grant is the Opportunity Online PC Grant Program. In July 2009 the foundation awarded the division $738,400. This funding will go to one hundred of the state's public libraries to purchase a total of 447 PCs. The grant includes sufficient funding for libraries to also purchase software, peripherals (e.g., printers) and to provide technical support for the PCs.

Shared Integrated Library System (ILS) Cost Study - PDF
The division used LSTA funds to conduct a study to determine the costs of shared ILS. Some of the key questions this study addressed included: What are the actual costs of operating a shared ILS? Who pays for what costs? What are the different funding models used to support shared ILS? By January 2007, 86% of the state's 388 public libraries were in shared ILS.

LSTA Technology Grants

State Library Technology Plan
The Wisconsin Library Technology Strategic Plan was initially developed as a result of a 1998 conference on library technology. A key conference recommendation was that the state library contract for statewide access to full-text databases. This was the genesis of the BadgerLink program that now provides access to over 7,000 periodicals and other information to libraries and directly to residents statewide.

LITAC
LITAC, the statewide Library Information Technology Advisory Committee, provides guidance on implementing the goals and objectives in the library technology plan and provides advice to the division on other technology and resource sharing issues. I co-chair this committee.

Status of Automated Systems and Net Access (to be posted October 2010)
This page will provide an update on the status of automated systems and Internet access in the state's 387 public libraries.

Other
I review regional library system plans to make certain they comply with the state statutory requirement that systems engage in "Planning with the division and with participating public libraries and other types of libraries in the area in regard to library technology and the sharing of resources."

I serve on various state committees and am a member of the WiscNet board, the state's not-for-profit ISP.

In addition to being on the ALA's E-rate Task Force, I am a past member of the association's Office for Information Technology Policy Advisory Committee (OITP) and am currently on the subcommittee on Telecommunications. In 2009 I accepted an OITP fellowship. I was a primary author of the January 2010 ALA filing with the FCC on Net Neutrality and have assisted OITP in responding to numerous requests from the FCC on information related to the National Broadband Plan which was released in March 2010.