Creativity and Ingenuity at Work:
The Regional Alliance for
Information Networking (RAIN)

The Regional Alliance for Information Networking (RAIN) was founded in 1991 by a group of librarians, teachers, and artists in the region of Santa Barbara, California; the first service of its kind in that region.

The RAIN Network was created for many reasons, one mission being to find a cost effective way for libraries, school districts, non-profit organizations, and several government agencies to gain universal access to the Internet. The RAIN Network strives to establish and maintain a new "community commons" that fosters economical, cultural, educational, and social growth to make the region stronger and united, regardless of age, location, gender, ethnicity, or income level.

About the Community

RAIN's services are primarily intended for the surrounding region: the counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Northern Los Angeles; a region of over 3 million people. RAIN also has a strong national presence, hosting the U.S. Nonprofit's Listserv and participating in The White House Conference on Small Business, among other projects.

Accessibility

RAIN introduced the Internet into its regional public schools and libraries, providing not only the actual Internet connections, but also training and curriculum resources so these services could be used to the fullest. The RAIN Network provides online services to libraries, classrooms and nonprofits outside of its region as well, serving as "an advocate for Public Internet users, helping to guarantee fair pricing and adequate bandwith..." Small nonprofit organizations can also benefit from free Internet/web services and training sessions, also provided by RAIN.

RAIN provides the free public access to the Internet at their CIC, Community Internet Center, located in the heart of Santa Barbara, and is the only place in the region to do so. The CIC also holds classes, exhibits, discussions, festivals and publications for the public, so the community can keep up with the latest issues, trends, and concerns regarding the Internet. Young people are encouraged to frequent the Center;providing them with an educational alternative after school. Notably, the CIC also recognizes the needs of the physically challenged citizens with wheelchair-accessible public access stations. Other services, such as personal e-mail accounts and home/office access to RAIN's Internet services, can be acquired for nominal fees. More detailed information regarding these fees and accessibility issues in general can be found in RAIN's Network Organization Profile.

Funding and Collaboration

The RAIN Network is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization.

RAIN has established major partnerships with Santa Barabara Community College, several national and state parks, the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, ABC affiliate KEYT, and the largest Environmental Science coalition in the region, including the Channel Island National Marine Sanctuary and Jean Michele Cousteau, Inc., among others.

Content

RAIN offers a variety of information that is both informative and entertaining. The best way to become familiar with its content is to spend time exploring the site. As a warning, it is possible to become lost in the site. The organization of the content is such that some information overlaps while other information may never be seen. However, the content of the site is rich and insightful, and this minor possible drawback should not detract from it.

Some content highlights include:

• Camp Internet - A "virtual field trip" with a home-schooling model in mind.
• Coyote Coffeehouse - A forum for individuals to express themselves creatively, and to expose community members to regional culture as well.
• RainWeb - The news and weather source for the RAIN Network, with external connections to Time Magazine, CNN, and The New York Times, among others.
• Smart Village - A place that updates, explains and promotes the latest technologies. On a side note, the Smart Village in particular seems to have some mis-links, which, although frustrating, should prove to be a vital portion of the RAIN Network once worked out.

Special Features

There are several Spanish-speaking services offered by RAIN. La Comunidad offers Spanish language news. AndPrheu (Association Nacional de Directores de Programacion de la Radio Hispana de los Estados Unidos, or The National Association of Program Directors of Spanish Radio in the United States) was formed to improve Spanish radio services to benefit the lives of those in the Hispanic Community in the U.S.

RAIN has had its share of positive exposure. The RAIN Network was featured on the nationally-aired MacNeil Lehrer Report as an example of a "grassroots" Community Network available on the Internet. RAIN has been featured on national television and print media and received The Best 100 Webs in the World award in 1996. They also receive local television exposure through their affiliation with KEYT-TV.

For more information about community networks and their collaborators, please see the Community Connector.