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Potter County Community Information Network: Connecting communities with information technology By Kerry A. Newman
	The information superhighway is moving into Potter County. Residents are on their way to becoming some of the most connected citizens of Pennsylvania thanks to an initiative developed by Penn State Outreach and Cooperative Extension and the Potter County Educational Council.   The idea for the Community Information Network began in 1998, when representatives from Outreach and Cooperative Extension discussed innovative ways to serve Pennsylvania communities across the state. At the same time, the Potter County Educational Council of Coudersport, Pa., conducted a project to determine the vision of the county and subsequently identified the county’s need for digital connectivity and education about information technology.   The resulting partnership between Penn State and the Educational Council saw the birth of the Community Information Network and other technological initiatives that focus on educating residents of Potter County about the Internet.   According to Ellwood “Woody” Kerkeslager, president of Information Futures LLC, and a key adviser to the Community Information Network, one of the overarching goals of creating a community network is to make a community more efficient, effective and interconnected by allowing all residents to learn about digital technology and use the tools of the information age. Knowledge of digital technology is vital for all people, because of technology’s growing significance in the workplace.   As a consultant to the project, Kerkeslager helped establish a framework for developing the pilot program in Potter County by modeling the Community Information Network after RoseNet, the community network he helped plan for the citizens of Madison, N.J.   Central to the step-by-step framework is educating community members and involving them in the development process. Bringing together key community leaders — and educating them about the significance of digital technology in their daily lives — is the first step in the process. Next, stakeholders from education, business and industry, nonprofit organizations and government are identified and a task force is developed. After identifying the community’s needs, a mission statement and an action plan are written. By developing business partnerships within the community and employing the strengths of the stakeholders, the community network maximizes the role of the citizens in planning, implementing and maintaining their network. The resulting system benefits all with minimal cost to the individual community member.   After establishing the initial Web site and identifying a physical structure — such as a school or library — for housing the community center, volunteers are trained to teach other community members and to maintain the network. Follow-up steps may include developing Web sites for local nonprofit groups, setting up e-mail accounts for local government offices, establishing training programs and using e-commerce within the community.   Developing the community network is an ongoing process; constant change is expected in order to respond to the needs of the evolving community. Kerkeslager emphasized the importance of empowering the community members to customize a system that meets their specific needs.   “People first,” Kerkeslager said. “Technology tools support people. The essence of the way I propose community networking is of, by and for the community.”   Early on, the Potter County Educational Council emerged as one of the community leaders in developing the Community Information Network. Helene Nawrocki, director of the council, served as a catalyst for bringing influential stakeholders to the planning table.   “We have been able to bring a lot of folks to the table because of the relationships we have built and the work that we do,” she said.   Funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Educational Councils exist to help areas that lack institutions of higher education in their communities. They identify common educational needs and find educational entities to partner with and deliver programs to the community. Currently, there are five Educational Councils in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania.   Nawrocki emphasizes the need for the Community Information Network in Potter County due to the rural nature of the region.   “We have 17,500 people spread out over 1,200 square miles,” she said, “and 50 percent of Potter County consists of state lands.”   Progress is being made on the development of the Community Information Network. In addition to establishing a central Web site, which includes information about the county, the history of its townships and a directory of businesses and community resources, the first community center — to be housed at the Northern Potter High School — opened in the summer of 2000. In addition to planning community centers at other area schools and in public libraries, subcommittees focusing on education, government, technology and marketing are busy preparing guidelines and policies for creating Web sites and for instituting future initiatives.   “The idea is to make not only Northern Potter, but all of the school districts, as well as the libraries — and as many places throughout the community as possible — accessible,” Nawrocki said.   In addition to improving the lives of individuals, Nawrocki believes that the Community Information Network offers great potential to help community members become more engaged in discussions that are important to the county as a whole.   “It’s been really wonderful watching people become enlightened and see what it [the network] means to them and the work that they do,” she said. “With people becoming more comfortable with technology, I really believe the network has the ability to impact everybody in a positive way. It’s a chance for everybody to grow,” Nawrocki concluded.   William Shuffstall, senior extension agent for Clearfield County Cooperative Extension, is also instrumental in the construction of the Community Information Network. His background in community development and experience working with local businesses and organizations within the region aided in the launch of the project. Shuffstall recognizes the community members as the crucial players in the project. He described his role as “shepherding the process, providing resources and identifying possible partnerships.”   “It’s as much helping the folks already there come together to get it done,” he said. “It’s a combination of being a cheerleader, advocate, wizard, magician and conduit for information.”   A key aspect of Shuffstall’s involvement occurred when he worked with Dr. Frederick D. Loomis, director of the Solutions Institute in Penn State’s School of Information Sciences and Technology, to organize the Information Sciences and Technology Camp held in Potter County during the summer of 1999. An offshoot of the Community Information Network and a pilot program for the Governor’s School for Information Technology, the day camp immersed approximately 20 junior and senior students from Potter County high schools in a program designed to teach them about the fundamentals of information systems technology. An important focus of the camp was to teach the students about the Internet and Web design. One of the purposes of the curriculum was to develop a Web site for the Potter County Community Information Network.   In addition to learning about digital technology, the students focused on improving their communication, teambuilding and leadership skills. Other highlights included field trips to area businesses such as Adelphia Communications Corp. and Penn State campuses. These daylong trips gave the students real-life examples of how technology is used in different disciplines and exposed them to potential career opportunities, too.   The camp made a lasting impact on the students’ lives. After it concluded, students worked with teachers from their school districts to maintain the Community Information Network Web site and develop other Web sites for area businesses and nonprofit groups. Participants of the camp are profiled on the Potter County Community Information Network Web site.   “The camp has made a real difference in the kids’ lives,” Shuffstall said.   The success of the program resulted in the development of future camps to be held during the summer of 2000. In addition to organizing the 2000 camps, Shuffstall is currently helping the task force write a technology plan to explain the initiative to the members of the community.   Like Kerkeslager and Nawrocki, Shuffstall also expressed his enthusiasm for the project.   “The Web site will grow community by community, business by business,” Shuffstall said. “On the whole, this technology is taking our society and the world into a new age.”   Other Penn State Community Information Network team members include Samuel Crossley, senior extension agent for Cooperative Extension in Potter County, and Dr. Chad Hayton, Internet developer and Web instructor during the Information Sciences and Technology Camp.   Opportunities exist for developing networks in other Pennsylvania communities. For more information about the Potter County Community Information Network, visit the Web site: www.pottercountypa.net. Find out more about RoseNet at www.rosenet.org.
© 2002 Outreach Communications,   Outreach & Cooperative Extension,   The Pennsylvania State University phone: (814) 865-8108,   fax: (814) 863-2765,   e-mail: outreachnews@outreach.psu.edu