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Oklahoma Department of Libraries Wins National Award Innovation Project
The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) has been awarded the Accepting Proposals
Federal Depository Library of the Year award by the U.S. Government A new program organized by eIFL.net
Printing Office (GPO). The award, which has been given annually since (Electronic Information for Libraries) aims to
2003, goes to a library that creatively and innovatively provides the gen- spread the latest innovations in library prac-
eral public with access to government information. tice and technology across the globe. Thanks
“What we really look for,” says GPO Acting Superintendent of Docu- to funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates
ments Ric Davis, “[are] elements related to outstanding promotion of pub- Foundation, eIFL.net’s Public Library Inno-
lic services. We look for what effect the library has on their community.” vation Project (PLIP) will distribute up to
ODL was given the award for its workshop series, which reached li- $465,000 in grants and awards over the next
braries throughout Oklahoma and the region. 3 years for the purpose of expanding the ca-
“Back in 2001, our reference librarian and I began talking about how pabilities of public libraries in the third world.
the internet was affecting libraries,” says Steve Beleu, director of ODL’s “We are concerned about access to in-
U.S. Government Information Division. “Everything had changed, whether formation in developing countries,” says
we knew it or not. What I remember saying to her is, if [users] aren’t go- eIFL.net director Rima Kupryte. “We are
ing to come to us, we’ve got to start going to them.” trying to position libraries to become a key
Since then, ODL has set up workshops to train librarians on how to nav- and central point of their locations. They
igate the government’s sometimes confusing public information system. do have facilities, and we felt like they were
“If we can’t find something on a government website, and we’re doing this not very well utilized. In our day, there is a
40 hours a week, what chance does an average person have?” Beleu says. lot of opportunity for libraries to play a
Davis says one of the things that made ODL stand out was the sheer more pr