To register as a CEDOT panelist, go to http://www.culturaleconomicpanels.msu.edu  

Greetings,

I am writing to request your immediate assistance in completing Phase III development of our state's Cultural Economic Development Online Tool (CEDOT) by inviting you to be a part of our CEDOT online survey panels.  As a part of the state's Cultural Economic Development Strategy, the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) has worked in partnership with Michigan State University's Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies (CARRS) to develop CEDOT because Michigan currently lacks the ability to fully articulate the market and non-market value(s) of arts and culture. 

CEDOT is the first online tool of its kind in the nation designed to provide an accessible, uniform, scientific-based method for collecting, measuring, managing, analyzing and reporting data related to the cultural sector.  We are therefore pleased to let you know the initial planning and survey work have been successfully completed and we are proceeding on schedule toward operation of the online tool later this year.  To get to the next level, we critically need input from a variety of organizations that contribute to Michigan's arts and cultural arena, including those in historic preservation, libraries, museums, galleries, design studios, dance, theater, visual arts, photography, arts education and retail outlets, etc.

CEDOT DEVELOPMENT PHASES

Phase I  Planning
Phase II Midwest Regional Arts and Culture Household Consumerism Survey
Phase III Online Survey Panel Recruitment
Phase IV Online Tool Operation (an interactive internet site to provide high-value user information) 
Phase V Ongoing CEDOT Research and Technical Assistance

We are looking for interested, knowledgeable and enthusiastic individuals like you and your colleagues, who are actively engaged in arts and culture, to be CEDOT panelists.  Panelists will be periodically invited by Michigan State University to complete online surveys related to issues important to Michigan's cultural sector.  Panel participation is voluntary and, if appropriate, you may choose to participate in more than one panel.  Other than a small amount of your time, there is no cost to you to participate.  To recognize and reward panelists' commitment to this process, occasional incentive prizes will be awarded randomly. 

Panelists' privacy will be protected to the maximum extent allowable by law, and e-mail addresses and other contact information will not be distributed to any individual, organization or company.  Panelists may withdraw at any time.

We are trying to recruit a broad cross-section of the cultural community through CEDOT panel registration.  Ideally, panels will consist of hundreds, possibly thousands, of participants.  Panel survey findings will be used to assist policy development, industry growth and program planning.  Panel members will be able to access summaries and results of these surveys.  The panels are listed below:

- Artists Panel  
Artists, amateur or professional, working in any of the following disciplines: dance, music, musical theater, visual arts, design, crafts, photography, media arts, literature, folk/traditional arts, etc.
- Arts Education Organizations Panel  
Organizations with arts education as their primary mission and those who provide significant arts education programming
- Distributors/Retailers Panel 
Businesses and organizations, such as galleries, bookstores, design studios, festivals, museum stores, Web-based companies, etc., that distribute/retail finished visual arts, crafts or photography
- Historic Preservation Panel
Organizations, businesses and individuals significantly engaged in historic preservation
- Library Institutions Panel
Librarians and library administrators representing public, university/college, school or special libraries
- Library Users Panel
Users of any public library, academic library, K-12 school library or special library in Michigan
- Organizations Panel
Arts and cultural organizations and any non-profit organization providing significant arts or cultural programming

Through CEDOT panel surveys, we will generate critical data and information needed to make a more compelling case to our many stakeholders and policymakers about the importance and value of our sector and the work we do.  Your participation is essential to the success of this effort.  To register as a CEDOT panelist, go to http://www.culturaleconomicpanels.msu.edu  

Thank you for your consideration of my invitation and your panel registration.  Please feel free to forward this letter to others whom you feel would be interested in lending their voice to the CEDOT panels.  If there are questions about CEDOT or the online panels, contact the research team, Edward Mahoney or Lori Langone, at MSU by e-mail at rirc@msu.eduor by calling (517) 432-0292.

Sincerely,

William M. Anderson
Director
Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries