E-Rate Navigator 

The federal E-Rate program provides vital discounts that make it possible for many U.S. schools and public libraries to afford broadband services and equipment. But the application process can be challenging. As manager of E-Rate Services for the Arkansas State Library, Amber Gregory has helped libraries throughout the state navigate the complex process, securing millions of dollars in discounts during the past 10 years.

Last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gregory addressed one of the root causes of E-Rate underutilization by small and rural libraries—insufficient IT knowledge. Adapting the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s You Can Do I.T.! hands-on tech training program, Gregory created four three-day, six-hour virtual workshops held last fall to guide groups of librarians through PC hardware with full teardowns and rebuilds, best practices for backups and security, and network technology.

She “has an all-in focus on reducing, even eliminating, the barriers that exist, particularly in small towns and rural areas, to information access because of inadequate connectivity,” Arkansas State Library Director Jennifer Chilcoat wrote in Gregory’s nomination. “But her passion might be fruitless if she didn’t have the ability to be a calming and encouraging voice in tackling a process that is so daunting, especially to the non-techie library staff in some of our smallest communities.”

Gregory’s expertise and skills have led to major, national roles within the field. She currently serves as chair of the American Library Association’s E-Rate Task Force, and in December 2019, she was selected to serve on the board of the Universal Service Administrative Company—the Washington, DC, organization that administers E-Rate—as the representative for libraries.

“One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is that I have this opportunity to work so closely with public libraries in my state and see the real-life, boots-on-the-ground” impact of E-Rate on individual applicants, and the challenges of the application process, says Gregory, “and communicate ‘what does this look like to local libraries?’ at the national level to make sure those library voices are heard.” She adds, “It goes the other way as well. It gives us an opportunity to share with our local libraries a lot of these opportunities that may come from funding on a federal level.”