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The KickStart Legacy -- A Year Later

A Report from the Benton Foundation

February 1997

We have been very busy since we inherited the KickStart legacy, and we want to bring you up to date on activities and benchmarks that have occurred over the last year. Through Benton's ongoing body of work in policy and practice and with the help of contributions from National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIIAC) members, here is how we have been supporting the KickStart legacy:

KickStart Reports

Online Distribution

One of the strengths that Benton brings to the KickStart legacy is its experience in electronic publishing. We transformed the two NIIAC documents-- the KickStart Initiative and Nation of Opportunity -- into an easy-to-navigate, point-and-click, fully searchable set of world wide web pages on the Benton Internet site. The site was promoted through a variety of online and print releases. Since the site went up in February 1996, well over 15,000 people have visited the KickStart initiative online. Downloadable versions of the documents are also available in ascii text and Microsoft Word™ formats through the an ftp site.

The advantage of a hypertext version of the documents includes the ability to point to appropriate sections from other, related areas of Benton's web site, transforming the KickStart documents from a static print format to a dynamic set of information interwoven with regularly updated and current online publications, broadening the context in which KickStart "lives."

Fax Distribution

Through a "fax-on-demand" 800 number, people without Internet connectivity could have the documents faxed to them. During the six-month duration of this service, over 250 documents were requested via fax: 70% KickStart, 20% Nation of Opportunity, 10% The National Information Infrastructure and You video transcript. Since initial demand waned, we have terminated the fax-on-demand service.

Print Distribution

There were two major distributions of the printed material. West Publishing graciously donated the printing of 10,000 four-color copies of the KickStart Initiative, and 5,000 copies of The Nation of Opportunity. The bulk of these copies was sent out to various NIIAC members for distribution to their appropriate constituencies. Additional amounts were made available at the White House (where they were distributed at the February 1996 press conference), and to NTIA and Benton for distribution to internally-maintained lists. It is our understanding that most, if not all, of this initial printing has been distributed.

A second printing and distribution was coordinated by NTIA, who printed 5,000 black and white copies of each document for on-demand requests, at no charge, available from NTIA. The Government Printing Office printed additional copies of each document for the purpose of distributing to depository libraries and also making available to the public at cost. To order copies of Kickstart Initiative (Stock #003-000-00682-4; $12.00 per copy) and/or A Nation of Opportunity (Stock #003-000-00681-6; $7.00 per copy), please mail your order with a check or money order to: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Or call 202-512-1800 with your order and credit card information. Prices quoted above include shipping and handling.

Benton continues to publicize the availability of the printed documents through a variety of means, both online and off. And while requests have dropped off, both Benton and NTIA continue to make printed copies available at conferences and meetings.

In addition, Benton has a small number of copies of the video produced by NIIAC, "The National Information Infrastructure and You," which it has made available for a $10 shipping and handling fee. Send your request with a check or money order, made payable to the Benton Foundation, to the address at the bottom of this page. (No credit card orders are possible.) The script of the video is available in text format on Benton's web site.

New Publications

The topic of libraries and their efforts to incorporate the NII into their communities was a large concern of KickStart. Benton has continued a focus on libraries through two publications:

Buildings, Books & Bytes reveals what library leaders and the public have to say about the future of libraries in the digital age.
What's Going On At Libraries, currently at press, looks at what can be learned from libraries' experience implementing the NII. A web version will be available from Benton's Library in March 1997.

[What's At Stake] Another Benton publication, What's At Stake I builds on the KickStart Legacy by highlighting its three main concerns -- education, libraries and communities -- taking examples from the KickStart documents and putting them into brief, but accessible, format. The KickStart documents are also highlighted as a source for more and deeper information. What's At Stake was distributed to several thousand press, funders, and others interested in or involved with NII issues. Hundreds more have been distributed to education, community and library leaders through organizations such as the Urban Libraries Council, the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, the National Education Association, and the National Community Builders Network. Additional copies are available from Benton for $6.00 each. What's At Stake II will be published in May 1997.

Benton also published last year , a snapshot of the planning processes and infrastructure commitments that states are instituting in regards to telecommunications. Our inquiry focused on two areas: initiatives to expand citizen access and increase civic participation and efforts to enhance economic development. While this publication is not comprehensive, it provides a starting point for state leaders to assess their state's progress in the context of all 50 states. The document is available in both print and online formats.

Our paper on wiring the schools, The Learning Connection, has been widely distributed by state education groups, relied upon by Department of Education officials, and repeatedly distributed by the National Education Association for use with their own state leaders. NEA staff have told us that it is a survey that no one in the education community itself had done and was of higher quality for its length and approachability than anything they had seen on the subject. Learning Connection II: Making the Grade is an upcoming update of this important work scheduled for a June 1997 release. It will include a survey of current education technology efforts, various governmental and commercial funding initiatives, research and assessment efforts, and available resources to help teachers and school administrators make thoughtful, prepared transitions into the digital age.

New Partnerships

The work embedded in KickStart Initiatives and A Nation of Opportunity also lives on through two new partnerships developed in 1996:

[Open Studio: The Arts Online] In its effort to define and encourage public space in the new digital environment, the Benton Foundation created a joint effort, entitled Open Studio: The Arts Online, with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to establish public points of access to the Internet at arts and cultural institutions throughout the country.

In addition, associated training programs will enable artists and art institutions to become effective information providers on the World Wide Web. The initiative is specifically designed to serve as a laboratory for the exploration of the tools and techniques that will serve arts and cultural organizations as they prepare for the networked environment of the next century. These efforts will both increase the amount of cultural material online, and expand the audience for that kind of content. This project expands the scope of the KickStart initiative by adding arts and cultural institutions to the mix of schools and libraries that were the initial focus of the Initiative. Proposals for access and mentor awards are currently under review; awards will be selected in March 1997.

[KidsCampaigns]

The Benton Foundation has teamed with the Adverstising Council, one of the nation's top ten advertisers, to bring public service campaigning into the age of interactive media. With major support from AT&T and The Packard Foundation, this multi-year initiative called KidsCampaigns features public service advertising with the aim to inspire Americans to act on behalf of children, and an integrated communications hub that helps people find meaningful and appropriate ways to do so. The partnership is rooted in a shared understanding that any attempt to stimulate social awareness must be linked to an equivalent effort to expand people's repertoire of civic engagement. The project recognizes nonprofit organizations as important information providers, and looks at the connection between individual citizens and the organizations trying to solve community problems. The KidsCampaigns communications hub can be accessed either by the World Wide Web (www.kidscampaigns.org) or through a toll-free phone number (1-888-544-KIDS).

"Up For Grabs" Conference

On June 10, 1996, Benton co-sponsored with NTIA a conference that brought together NII practitioners, funders, policy makers, corporate partners and academics to share the challenges of implementing the NII in their community and to learn about the benefits and impacts of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

We were pleased to see representatives from NIIAC attend the conference, including Jane Smith Patterson of the North Carolina Governor's Office, John Kenny, Hal Ponder, Marilyn Cade, Barbara Stein, Randy Ross and Debra Deegan. In addition, Esther Dyson and Marilyn Cade appeared in a video prepared for the event. Many practitioners highlighted in The KickStart Initiative also attended, including: John Anthony Butler, Vice President of the National Urban League; Richard Bryant of La Plaza Community Network in Taos, New Mexico; Diantha Schull of Libraries for the Future; Willem Scholten of Seattle Public Library; J. Maurice Travillian of the Maryland State Department of Education; Judi Steele of Clark County, Nevada; Alan Shaw of MUSIC; and Maxine Rockoff of United Neighborhood Houses of New York, Inc.

The "Up For Grabs" conference and the resulting relationships represent a very clear continuation of the KickStart Legacy. Participants shared their experience, benefitted from the experiences of others, and came away with a greater understanding of their own role in shaping the NII. As part of the registration process, we asked participants to share their experience using and implementing the NII. This was compiled into a piece handed out at the conference, entitled "Your Voices," and complemented the KickStart Initiative and Nation of Opportunity documents that were also distributed at the conference. Selections from this document may be found on Benton's Lessons Learned area of Benton's Policy and Practice web site.

Benton's Communications Policy and Practice Project

We at Benton learned as much from the "Up For Grabs" conference attendees as they did from each other. The lessons learned that were shared will join the information from the KickStart documents on Benton's web site, which was recently redesigned into two major areas:

A frequent request from both conference attendees and others in the nonprofit community is help in understanding opportunities for policy involvement by community members. The Policy section of Benton's web site includes information and advice concerning involvement in local NII policy making and partnership building. Sections of the Legacy publications are highlighted here as well.
Another clear need that's been expressed is a hub that collects the lessons learned from efforts to implement the NII in our communities and organizations. Practice highlights these experiences and offers a toolkit and other helpful information. Visitors to the web site are encouraged to join Benton's Community of Learners by sharing lessons learned and by becoming a Benton Best Practitioner; this information will feed a searchable database of best practices (available later this year). KickStart Initiative and A Nation of Opportunity are included as resources.

Leading Benton's best practices initiative is Jillaine Smith, who came on staff March 1, 1996. She brings to Benton ten years of experience helping nonprofits use communications technologies appropriately and effectively.

Continuing Activities

Please consider supporting our efforts to promote the KickStart legacy in one or more of the following ways:

If you are an NII practitioner, including those of you highlighted in the KickStart documents, we hope you will share your lessons learned and consider becoming a Benton Best Practitioner so that others might benefit from your experience.
Review the various projects of the Benton Foundation and send us any feedback.html about what you see and what you'd like to see from us.
Check out the various Benton Publications and use or distribute them. Hard copies may currently be ordered, at cost, directly from Benton.
Help us promote the KickStart documents and related materials available from Benton.

The Benton Foundation is proud to house the legacy of KickStart, and we look forward to building upon the successes of NIIAC's work.

www.benton.org/Library/KickStart/update96.html
Last updated: 20 February 1997 jss

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