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There seems to be some confusion despite repeated Service Provider notifications:
The Consortia expects SLD payments to be in the nature
of a discount applied to the applicant's bill upon receipt of the
Form 486 notification letter from the SLD.
July 1, 2005 — Consortia
Director
RFP for NEILSA Consortia Libraries
NOTE: Libraries in the NEILSA Consortia serve primally communities of less than 10,000 people. The average library serves less than 500 people. You should be aware that price is the major consideration in every telecommunication decision and that the telecommunications budgets reflect the population - low. Very few of these libraries have a yearly budget that reaches $10,000 for all telecommunications/computer/software et. al. You may have THE very best product or service in the world and be able to prove it but you will not be selling it to an Iowa rural library if the library can not afford to buy it.
WARNING: Libraries are NOT schools and just because your product
or service works in a school does not mean it is right for a public
library, so do not confuse the two. A public library is not a school
or school media center and you will not do yourself any favors if
you do not know the difference.
WARNING TOO: We automatically reject any and all bulk, spam, or
other contacts that are not specific to a library or group of libraries
- do your research before contacting the NEILSA Consortia Director
listed below.
Having read the above, we will be VERY happy to look at and discuss ANY affordable service or product that has a chance of "leveling the playing field", "bridging the digital divide" or whatever current phrase is being used for equal access to information by the people we serve.
We do not serve "stakeholders" we serve sledge-hammer wielders.
To discuss your product/service/idea for service to a public library
in the NEILSA Consortia you should be familiar with the Form 470
as posted and should be able to explain how your offering fits into
the SLD guidelines, examples of other small & rural serving libraries
who have used your offering would strengthen your appeal. It will
be expected that you will also be familiar with the realities of
libraries, library staffing, and library budgeting in libraries
serving rural and small town Iowa. Vendors MUST HAVE currently valid
S.P.I.N.'s and be able to service the account on either a discount
(preferred) or reimbursement basis at the sole discretion
of the Consortia. Vendor submissions will be evaluated on price
(major screen), value to the public to be served, track record with
similar libraries elsewhere, upgrade ability and such other criteria
as the Consortia director brings to bear on the offering. Libraries
use taxpayer funds and we take the proper use of the funds of our
friends, neighbors and ourselves very seriously.
Category II Services
While we have indicated an interest on the Form 470; we have done
so not to solicit services, which under the current program are
an unrealistic goal for a public library, but to indicate to vendors
that such services are of interest to the library members of the
Consortia.
In practical terms what this means is that we will accept general
materials, flyers, brochures, etc. for review and circulation to
our member libraries when, and if , they indicate need and interest.
For further information or discussion contact:
Ken Davenport - Consultant
NEILSA - Consortia
Phone v (319)233-1200 f (319)233-1964
415 Commercial St.
Waterloo, Ia 50701-1317
E-mail davenport@neilsa.org |
Additional documents
NOTICE:
The Consortia expects SLD payments to be in the nature
of a discount applied to the applicant's bill upon receipt of the
Form 486 notification letter from the SLD.
July 1, 2005 — Consortia
Director
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