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G2S Project Code: 2021-IL-89676
State: Illinois
Fiscal Year: 2021
Grantee
Wabash Valley College Radio Information Service

Project Director
Director Name: Jerry Bayne
Director Phone: 618-263-5120
Director Email: baynej@iecc.edu
General Information
Title: MATCH: Wabash Valley College Radio Information Service
State Project Code: MATCH: 22-2000-RIS
Start Date: 07/01/2021
End Date: 06/30/2022
Abstract: The Wabash Valley College Radio Information Services at Wabash Valley College provided readings by students and volunteers of local and national news publications through radio and internet broadcasts, which enabled people who were blind or print disabled throughout southeastern Illinois to stay connected and self-reliant.  WVJC-RIS broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to connect listeners to their communities and allow them to be better informed citizens, and to gain access to print material that they were otherwise not able to read. This project supported information fluency and lifelong learning and aligned with the federal LSTA priority to target services for persons having difficulty using a library.
State Goal: Goal 2: Lifelong Learning.
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$0.00
$27,185.00
$0.00
$27,185.00
Intent(s)
Improve users' general knowledge and skills.
Community Concerns
Activities
Activity Details
Title: Services for Print-Handicapped Listeners
Narrative: The WVC Radio Information Service is a department within the Wabash Valley College Radio and Television Broadcasting program in Mt. Carmel, Illinois. The service provided information to the blind and print handicapped living in Mt. Carmel and the surrounding area. The purpose of the reading service was to help visually impaired, physically handicapped, and the elderly to participate more fully in our society. Radio Information Service gave them audio access (live and recorded readings) to the printed page: local daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, and different types of books.  It also offered audio (locally produced and national feeds) entertainment programs for their enjoyment and enrichment. The service provided in-depth and detailed reporting, previously found only in the printed medium, via the air waves and over the Internet. The combination made it possible for print-handicapped listeners to be current and knowledgeable about the world around them.

In addition, Wabash Valley College offered a radio and television broadcasting program, which trained students for entry level jobs in electronic media.  Students enrolled in broadcasting were required to read for RIS as part of the curricula requirements. 

One of eleven reading services in Illinois, Radio Information Service is a member of the International Association of Audio Information Services, an association of 96 operating programs of this kind throughout the United States, and the Illinois Radio Information Service (IRIS). 

Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Content
Mode: Other
Format: Digital
Other: Audio recordings of printed news sources for the blind and print-disabled


Quantity


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: Targeted
Geographic community of the targeted group: Urban
Suburban
Rural
For what age groups: 18-25 years
26-49 years
50-59 years
60-69 years
70+ years
For what economic types: Economic Not Applicable
For what ethnicity types: Ethnicity Not Applicable
Is the activity directed at families: No
Is the activity directed at intergenerational groups: No
Is the activity directed at immigrants/refugees: No
Is the activity directed at those with disabilities: Yes
Limited functional literacy or informational skills: No
Is the activity category not already captured: No


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: Illinois Eastern Community Colleges-Wabash Valley College
Address: 2200 College Drive
City: Mount Carmel
State: IL
Zip: 62863
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
Broadcasting 24-7 was a major success this year, with 40 hours a week of locally produced programming. We have been streaming our signal for three years and listenership has increased.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
The RIS continued to broadcast seven days a week and 24 hours a day with 40 hours a week of locally produced programming. Because of the interest by our patrons in the Evansville Courier, a regional newspaper with an Illinois edition, we continued to broadcast the readings from the Courier four hours a day (8:00 a.m. to noon each weekday).
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
The RIS switched audio streaming providers. The new provider offered a more reliable experience for users. Due to recent consolidations of newspapers in Carmi, Mount Carmel, Olney, Newton, and Fairfield, the RIS consolidated readings. All production facilities across the country have been markedly impacted by COVID-19 and government mandates. Many stations have not had in-person program recording productions for the past 16 months. Wabash Valley College followed social distancing and mask mandates, but program productions were mostly in-person after January 2022.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative
Project Tags: radio, blind, print disabled