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Tourism grants
The Oregon Tourism Commission will award $60,000 through its Matching Grants Program to advance 10 tourism development projects across the state, including two on the coast. Created in 1986, the annual program supports new projects that improve local economies and communities by enhancing, expanding and promoting Oregon's visitor industry. "The grant dollars provide seed money to projects that will increase Oregon destinations' visibility among potential visitors." said Carole Astley, Industry Relations Manager at Travel Oregon. "The 10 applicants we selected are thinking about long term return-on-investment for developing and promoting tourism in the regional areas their organizations serve." The Matching Grants Program selection committee, representing private and public sector organizations, selected this year's grant finalists from a pool of 29 applicants. The 10 commission-approved projects are located throughout the state and, when complete, will fulfill a range of local, regional and state needs for improved tourism capacity. The coastal grant winners and their projects are: $10,000 Coos Bay – North Bend Visitor and Convention Bureau, for television advertising in the Medford market and on Fox Sports Northwest for the Chowder Bounty promotion. Brookings-Harbor Chamber of Commerce, for advertising the Southern Oregon Coast Partnership with Travel Oregon's interactive opportunities: "Trips We Love," and e-newsletters.
North Bend Library Debuts Brand New Internet Computers
With the difficult economic times, the North Bend Public Library's internet computers are busier than ever. Everyday, people come to the library to check their email, write resumes, look for jobs, conduct research, connect with friends, and do many other activities. Last year, over 22,000 people used the computers for over 18,000 hours. Fortunately, the Library has brought in reinforcements. Thanks to a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Library has added seven new public internet computers and created an improved software environment. This is on top of the twelve they already had. The Library now has seventeen computers for extended web surfing and word processing as well as two “express” computer for people who need to quickly check their email. The seven new computers include 19” LCD monitors, CD/DVD burners, and easily-accessible headphone and USB connections. The Library District's network administrator also worked hard to make the computers simpler and more useful. The computers run on Ubuntu, a version of the computer operating system Linux. They feature the office suite OpenOffice as well as software for photo viewing/editing and CD/DVD burning. Google Earth and a variety of games for children and adults are also available. Emphasis is placed on using “open source” software on the computers, software in which the underlying code operating it is publicly viewable and usable. The philosophy of open source software meshes well with the Library's mission to promote access to information. These changes were made possible due to the generosity of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of Seattle, Washington, and the estate of Raymond O'Daniell here in North Bend. As a part of their “Staying Connected” grant program, the Foundation gave $10.9 million to libraries around the nation to help them replace aging computers and maintain internet access. The Library received $2,600 this year, with a match of $2,600 from the O'Daniell estate, to improve computers for the public. Also thanks to the O'Daniell estate, the Library purchased brand new furniture for the express computers and catalog stations used to search the Library's collection. This new furniture has made the computers more accessible and improved the aesthetics and flow of the Library. Anyone who would like to try out the new computers is welcome to visit the Library during regular open hours: Monday through Wednesday 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, Thursday and Friday 11:00 am to 6:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday 12:00 to 5:00pm (closed on Sundays during the summer). For more information, please contact NBPL at 541-756-0400,
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, or visit http://northbendlibrary.org.
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