Accomplishments
Mid-Pen brought the Internet to residents of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by creating an incentive for Merit, Incorporated (a consortium of Michigan universities and Internet backbone provider) to expand the Internet backbone beyond only those communities with institutions of higher education.- Mid-Pen has created a financially sustainable program that provides access to the Internet for member libraries, individuals, and organizations in the region. Mid-Pen operates an Internet host service which generates the income to support information technology initiatives by both Mid-Pen and member libraries for their communities (http://www.up.lib.mi.us/Access/home.html).
- Mid-Pen has developed a model for community network development in an isolated, rural region: The local communities develop their community networks and the Mid-Pen library system provides a range of technical and instructional support services.
- With a private contractor, the cooperative is developing a self-service, interactive Internet Learning Kiosk for use in the public service areas of libraries or other public places. It will connect to the Internet, to local and regional library centers, and to the Michigan Electronic Library (an Internet information service for the state created by the Library of Michigan, the University of Michigan, and Merit at http://www.mel.lib.mi.us/).
- In addition to more traditional library support activities, Mid-Pen has created an infrastructure for technical support of its member libraries and offers training in the Internet and other computer skills. It acquires, installs, and maintains hardware and software for member libraries to automate library catalogs and to provide access to electronic information online.
