By T. Scott Boatright
Internet and phone issues that have plagued the Lincoln Parish Library in recent months will soon be problems of the past.
That news came as the LPL Board of Control held its monthly meeting for February Thursday in the Jack Beard Community Room of the library.
During last month’s LPL Board of Control meeting, library director Jeremy Bolom told the board about the problems and the board approved member Bill Jones’ motion to bring Lincoln Parish GIS IT office personnel to the February meeting to try and resolve the issues.
GIS office IT manager Brent Kennimer and GIS communications/IT specialist) Mike Rainwater were both on hand for Thursday’s meeting, but Bolom began the discussion surrounding the issues, saying that he feels significant headway has been made in resolving the problems.
“We’ve had a couple of meetings since our last meeting here with y’all (the board) between (Parish Administrator) Courtney (Hall) and (the) IT (personnel) and (LPL Board of Control President) Jan Canterbury and (board member) Richard Pyles went to the (Lincoln Parish Police Jury Meeting Room) a couple of weeks ago and met with them and then we also had a follow-up meeting, so everything is going down the pipeline really well to understand what each side is doing now,” Bolom said.
During last month’s meeting Bolom said the problems started when the IT specialists created a new WiFi network for the library without his knowledge.
But since their two meetings, Bolom said it now appears both sides are on the same page.
“We’re better off now,” Bolom said. “We won’t lose our domain, so the public will know who we are and that kind of thing. And there should be some money saved in the long run because they’ll be our internet service provider without paying an outside service. So, I won’t have to do E-Rate ever again, and that’s good.”
E-Rate is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that makes telecommunications and information services more affordable for eligible schools and libraries.
Also in the works is a new phone system for the library, hopefully by this time next week.
“Fiber Unity (a global technology consulting and outsourcing company) will hopefully get here Wednesday to install the fiber (optic system) that is going to be kind of integral,” Rainwater said. “If we cut the phones before that fiber is installed, we’re going to lose the (two) phones in the Events Center. If we cut the phones without that fiber being installed, we’d lose those two phones until we did get the fiber installed.
“I have been on the phone for three calls with Unity today and they’re supposed to be here Tuesday or Wednesday of next week to get that done so that will be ready for the actual phone cutover — the port date — next week.”
The upgrade will include new phones for the entire library.
Rainwater said it will take three or four hours for the fiber to be installed.
“It takes us about two-and-a-half to three minutes to actually plug it in,” Rainwater said. “Right now, the phone port (change) is set for next Thursday at 9 (a.m.). So, for about a minute and a half you’re going to lose phone service. That’s when it ports from one company to another.”
During Thursday’s meeting the LPL Board of Control also discussed three date conflicts for board meetings slated for next month, June, and September.
The scheduled March 20 meeting date conflicts with a Louisiana Library Association Conference,which three board members plan to attend, so that meeting has been moved up a day to March 19. And June 19 is the Juneteenth holiday, on which the library is closed, so that date was also moved up a day to June 18.
Bolom and LPL Assistant Director Jessica Barrilleaux will both be out of town in New Mexico for an Association of Rural and Small Libraries Conference on the Sept. 18 meeting date, but the Board of Control moved to keep that meeting date as planned with library business manager Maria Goree representing the library during that meeting.
“Maria has done it before and she probably wouldn’t mind doing it again,” Bolom said.
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