LA PLAZA--NEWS FROM THE MOUNTAIN Volume 1, Number 6, September 1994 >From the Editor August has been a busy month for La Plaza personnel. The La Plaza server and modems are being configured, and testing and troubleshooting has begun. Although, the system is up, currently, there is no public access available. The system must undergo considerable testing and configuration before it is opened up to the public. Please be patient--it will be worth the wait. Marty Meltzer and Richard Bryant have started their respective sections of the Basic Internet class offered at the University of New Mexico Taos Education Center. The two sections were limited to 15 students each and as of this writing, 27 students have enrolled. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This newsletter is available online or in hard copy for those in Taos. If you do not already receive "La Plaza--News From the Mountain," please let me know, and I will gladly add you to our subscription list. Richard W. Bryant, Editor, and Director of Projects & Development La Plaza TeleCommunity P.O. Box 1828 El Prado, NM 87579 Direct Tel/fax: 505-758-1919 rbryant@hydra.unm.edu ***************************************************************** Information in this newsletter may be freely distributed, but it must include a reference to the source: La Plaza--News from the Mountain Vol x, No. y, Month, Year. All rights reserved. R.W. Bryant, La Plaza Telecommunity, 1994 ******************************************************************* ******************************************************************* CONTENTS La Plaza Receives State of New Mexico Funding Through UNM Town of Taos Awards Funding To Put Town Information Online in La Plaza Global Village Donates Ten Teleport Modems Fielding Institute and La Plaza Plan Telecommunity Roundtable La Plaza Second Annual Summit Meeting Planned La Plaza Positions Available ******************************************************************** LA PLAZA RECEIVES STATE OF NEW MEXICO FUNDING THOUGH UNM The La Plaza Telecommunity Inc. was awarded State of New Mexico funding through the University of New Mexico to build the first phase of the La Plaza Telecommunity system. This funding will span one year and support the development of public access--both dial-in and public access terminals--to community-based information and the global Internet resources for the Taos community. The much awaited La Plaza system will start providing public access in November and December. Public access terminal access is scheduled to begin operation in November, and dial-in access for the public is scheduled to begin in December of this year. TOWN OF TAOS AWARDS FUNDING TO PUT TOWN INFORMATION ONLINE IN LA PLAZA The Town of Taos Town Council voted to provide first-year funding to the La Plaza Telecommunity Foundation, Inc. to put Town information online in the La Plaza system. This process will begin in about one month and continue over the next year. The system will include information such as ordinances, Council Meeting agendas and minute summaries, information concerning licenses, permits, forms, contact points, and hopefully online access to Town departments and officials. Muchas gracias to our new Mayor, Frederick Peralta, the Town Council, and Town Manager, Gustavo Cordova. GLOBAL VILLAGE DONATES TEN TELEPORT MODEMS Global Village Inc. generously donated ten high-speed Teleport fax/modems to La Plaza last month. These top-of-the-line high-speed modems will allow the first dial-in access to the La Plaza Telecommunity system. These modems and associated fax/modem software are impressive. First, the fax software performs very well and comes with a very well-written manual--yes well- written and clear. Sending faxes and modem use is straightforward and remarkably easy to use. Global Village, your support of the La Plaza Telecommunity is most gratefully acknowledged by La Plaza and the entire Taos community. FIELDING INSTITUTE AND LA PLAZA PLAN TELECOMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE The Fielding Institute and the La Plaza Telecommunity Foundation are planning a telecommunity roundtable meeting to be held on the 9th, 10th, and 11th of September. This meeting will bring experts in a number of different fields to Taos in order to discuss and analyze the plethora of issues facing telecommunity development, operation, and sustainability. The meeting of Fielding experts, local Taos community representatives, and La Plaza personnel should provide interesting and useful insights. A full account of the results of this special meeting will be presented in the next issue of "News from the Mountain." LA PLAZA SECOND ANNUAL SUMMIT MEETING PLANNED La Plaza is planning its Second Annual Summit Meeting for Monday the 6th of December 1994 at the Taos Civic Center. This summit will bring together members of the Taos regional community, representatives from the Town of Taos, State of New Mexico, and the Federal government, and a number of special guests who have greatly contributed to the La Plaza project. This will also provide the opportunity to "flip-the-switch" for the Taos community's dial-in access. This will be a party to which everyone is invited. If you would like to attend and are from out of town, please let us know and we will arrange to have lodging information sent to you. If you would like to help with the festivities, please give Patrick Finn a call at 505-758-1836. LA PLAZA POSITIONS AVAILABLE Business Manager--0.75-time (30 hrs/wk) Must have extensive experience with local, state, and federal financial/granting procedures, budgeting, planning, purchasing, billing, inventory tracking, accounting, etc. Candidates must be familiar with computer spreadsheets, databases, and other business-related software. Pluses include: Apple Macintosh experience, nonprofit (501c3) experience. Send resume, three references, and salary history to: Personnel Dept., La Plaza Telecommunity Foundation, 115 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos, NM 87571. Learning Resource Center Librarian--0.75-time to full time (40 hrs/wk) LRCL must be experienced with K12 and college-level library/information services and online, computer-based resources, including library catalogs and Internet information resources. LRCL will be trained to utilize state-of-the-art online, Internet information resources if necessary. Excellent research skills essential. LRCL must be able to work closely with students, instructors, staff, and the public, requiring excellent interpersonal skills. This is a front-line position. Apple Macintosh experience a plus. Send resume, three references, and salary history to: Personnel Dept., La Plaza Telecommunity Foundation, 115 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos, NM 87571. Information Acquisition Specialist--0.75-time (30 hrs/wk) IAS will acquire and input data and information into the La Plaza state-of-the-art online computer-networking system. IAS will be responsible for system maintenance and updating. IAS must have experience with computer data and information entry procedures, computer graphics, and databases. Experience with gopher, Mosaic, Macweb, or other WWW browser software a plus. IAS must have transportation to travel to organizations to obtain information and data in both electronic and hardcopy formats. Send resume, three references, and salary history to: Personnel Dept., La Plaza Telecommunity Foundation, 115 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos, NM 87571. La Plaza is an Equal Opportunity Employer. .