Press Release

WEBJUNCTION LAUNCHES TO SUPPORT PUBLIC ACCESS COMPUTING IN LIBRARIES

Isoph Provides Online Courses and Learning Management System for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Web Site

Chapel Hill, NC (May 12, 2003) - Today marks the official launch of WebJunction (webjunction.org), a new Web site offering public librarians a broad range of resources, including information on policies and practices, advice for purchasing hardware and software, message boards, and online courses.

OCLC Online Computing Library Center, in partnership with Isoph, TechSoup, the Benton Foundation, and the Colorado State Library, was awarded a three-year, $9 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create and support WebJunction. The site builds on the foundation’s five-year old U.S. Library Program, which has provided computers, Internet access, and training to more than 10,000 libraries across the United States.

Isoph provides the technology that forms the core of the learning center, one of the five main areas of the site. The learning management system component of Isoph Blue--Isoph’s integrated Web-based platform for managing Web content, collaboration, and online learning--is delivered to the WebJunction site via cutting-edge Web services. “The power of Web services is in their transparency and flexibility,” says Celisa Steele, Isoph’s chief creative officer. “OCLC is able to harness our expertise in the world of online learning and integrate our technology seamlessly with the other pieces of the site. The benefit for the end user is that she’s able to access and transparently interact with a wide array of resources, from a variety of sources, from a single site.”

Although almost all U.S. public libraries now offer public access computing, many library staff lack the know-how to effectively support it--and they are hard pressed to find the time to learn new skills. According to Christian Oliver, Isoph’s director of learning communities, “In such a situation, online learning makes sense. It offers library staff anytime, anywhere access to resources that will help them get their job done.” At launch, the new site offers 28 free online courses, grouped into four series: Managing Public Access Computers, Applications, Basic Computing, and Using the Internet. Isoph developed three of the courses specifically for WebJunction and is engaged in ongoing development of additional WebJunction-branded courses to be added to the site at regular intervals.

About Isoph Corporation

At Isoph, we know learning. Our innovative technology, Isoph Blue, enables the creation of Web communities driven by learning. Our expertise in instructional and graphic design, application development, and data integration helps mission-driven organizations achieve their fundamental goals. For more information, please call 866.969.9260, or visit www.isoph.com for product and company details.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Started in 1997, the U.S. Library Program was Bill and Melinda Gates' first major philanthropic venture. Since that time the program has made grants to more than 8,000 libraries. The program is dedicated to providing increased public access to computers, the Internet, and digital information to library patrons in low-income communities throughout the United States. By the end of 2003, 10,000 libraries in 50 states will have benefited from the $250 million investment from the foundation.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dedicated to improving people's lives by sharing advances in health and learning with the global community. Led by Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates, Sr., and Patty Stonesifer, the Seattle-based foundation has an asset base of $24 billion.

About OCLC

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit organization that provides computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, and preservation services to 43,000 libraries in 86 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.oclc.org.

About TechSoup

TechSoup (www.techsoup.org) is a comprehensive technology Web site just for nonprofits. TechSoup is a project of CompuMentor, a leading technology assistance organization serving the nonprofit community. This well-respected resource provides content evaluation, syndication of TechSoup content, and helps in developing low-cost technology replacement strategies for WebJunction.

About the Benton Foundation

The mission of the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org) is to advance a public interest vision for the digital age and to demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems. Its focus is on accelerating digital opportunity for all people. The Benton Foundation recommended governance and advisory structures and is assisting with online community building strategies for WebJunction.

About the Colorado State Library

The Colorado State Library (www.cde.state.co.us/index_library.htm), part of the Colorado Department of Education, encourages and supports the development of public, school, and college and university libraries to improve library services. CSL also develops and supports the Colorado Virtual Library providing access to library resources and quality Web resources statewide. The state library has conducted a thorough needs assessment and is responsible for ongoing evaluation of WebJunction. It also facilitates communications with other state libraries.

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