Recommendations

The County Kildare Community Network Position Paper was drawn up in March 1998. It's contents covered 4 main areas:

1. Background - How the initial "kildare.ie" website was set up, The Information Capital 2000 Project and the initial partnership discussion between ASK & Kildare County Council

2. Community Networks in the USA - Evaluative Research relating to Community Networks in the USA over the last 20 years

3. Community IT Policy for Kildare - The need for IT public based information provision for County Kildare particularly emphasising access to IT and training

4. Future Development - Considerations relating to the ongoing operations and administration of the network and the website, including the following issues:
- Staffing
- Financing
- Legal Status
- Medium and Long Term Requirements

The Position Paper included the following 9 Recommendations:

1. Kildare County Council will continue to develop an integrated, co-ordinated, technological approach to information provision policy, in effect, an electronic one stop shop.

2. Action South Kildare will continue to focus on the issues of access, participation of community groups, training for community groups and people with special needs, long-term unemployed, lone parents and other areas as outlined in its Action Plan

3. The Kildare Community Network will be maximised to enhance democratic participation by easy access to Local Authority information and improved two-way communication and electronic interaction between public representatives and the community.

4. The Community Network be managed by a partnership between the Local Authority and the Local Community, which has been demonstrated to be best practice over the last twenty years in the U.S. and elsewhere.

5. The Voluntary and Community Sector will be facilitated with free access and free web space.

6. That the Community Network be run as a community business based upon the philosophy outlined in this position paper.

7. That the principles of training, education, equity of access and community participation in the design, delivery and management of the Network, be explicitly framed in the memorandum and articles.

8. That any monies accrued in the design of the Network be recycled back into the running and the development of the network itself.

9. That a voluntary user panel be set up, composed of members of the public, to advise on the delivery and design of the Network from the perspective of members of the public.