Overview of #CheckoutMyDomian

The purpose of this Spencer Small Research Grant is to to help support the local web through the ability of libary patrons to check out a domain registration, which provides a web address (url) for a year. Using a formative design experiment we will seek to see if creating local spaces to support digital infastructure has a benefit for both the individual patron and the community as a whole.

Local or school libraries would allow patrons or students to use their library cards to checkout a domain (side effect maybe able to do interesting things with verified identity connected to library card), after completing a few classes.

For example one session may focus on developing or would reviewing the code of conduct for the local network. Other sessions will review the basic set up of some turn key website solutions and some more do it yourself solutions.After initial training The patron would then be given a domain and a few gigs of storage each year. In order to renew their Domain a patron would have to attend a certain number of events each year.

If a domain isn’t renewed the data gets archived on a subdomain on the libraries local or cloud storage. Storage for archiving local pages would be manageable as these personal pages would not get big.