Author Archives: Charles R. McClure

Public libraries and the Internet: A twenty-five year perspective

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When I proposed in 1993 to the then National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) a national survey of public library use and access to the Internet, there was some skepticism that public librarians and policy makers needed such a study – despite an earlier 5-6 years of work on libraries and the Internet we had done before 1993.  When the data from this first survey were released in 1994 there was considerable interest in its findings – especially data related to the percentage of public libraries (20.9% as reported in 1994) that provided public access to the Internet.

Since that first national survey, sponsorship changed a number of times to different units of the American Library Association, NCLIS, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  The national survey evolved into a much larger effort and became the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) of which the most recent is the 2011-2012 Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study.

The purpose of this blog is NOT to make statistical comparisons related to public library use and access to the Internet between then and now.  But rather, it is to offer a couple of perspectives on public libraries and the Internet in terms of past and future themes.

Some perspectives from many years of being involved in the survey and the earlier development of Internet use and access by public librarians include:

• Public libraries may have been slow initially to connect to and use the Internet, but adopt they did.  And as they increased their use of the Internet and applications related to it, many innovative services and uses – shared catalogs and resources, interactive video, social media, etc. – have  been discovered and implemented which have revolutionized public library “services” and “access” to information. 

• This revolution, however, is a continuous tsunami that will require ongoing innovations as broadband, networking, digital services/resources, cloud computing, etc. continues to explode.  To some extent these developments appear to be much more challenging and possibly more expensive to implement than those in the early 1990s, when the objective as to simply “get connected” to the Internet.

• The extent to which public librarians have received adequate education in the broad areas of information technology deployment, management, and assessment continues to be problematic.  And the extent to which library staff regularly update their knowledge to stay abreast of information technology developments will only become more challenging. Better use of online education, webinars, etc. may help deal with this challenge.

• The degree to which public libraries can continue a balancing act between providing “traditional” library services and digital services is unclear.  As a result of the economic stress that began in 2008, the “new normal” of public library funding may require considerably different models in the provision of services and access to resources that are likely to be network-based.

• Public library apps (see August 8 blog post) and the use of social media to support public library services and access to digital information are only in their infancy.  As the population grows more familiar with apps and social media (and the demography is in the favor of much more user adoption and use in these areas), public libraries will need to exploit these applications and social media to support library services.  Such may be the next BIG challenge for public librarians… but there always will be the next challenge.

Many of the current public library service and information access/delivery issues are quite similar to those in the early 1990s and are likely to continue to be important in the future: literacy, funding, advocacy, etc.  But exploiting broadband and the digital environment for the benefit of public library users will be a critical success factor that simply cannot be ignored by any public library. 

Planning now, strategically, for exploiting information access/delivery/services with the various information technologies available now and in the future is a given … and one that cannot be ignored by public libraries.  Luck and serendipity will have little impact on whether libraries are able to exploit information technologies successfully in the future.  Vision, leadership, innovativeness, and planning are more likely the necessary ingredients to move public libraries into the next era of digital services and information access.

Dr. McClure is the President of Information Management Consultant Services, LLC, imcscrm@attglobal.net

Plan NOW for mobile apps to access public library resources and services

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The recently released 2011-2012 Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) contains a wealth of information and insights on public library funding and technology applications and uses. Of the many interesting findings, public library use of mobile technology offers a glimpse of “things to come.” Indeed, public libraries need to plan NOW for how to employ these applications in THEIR libraries.

Figure C-17 “Public Library Systems Use of Mobile Technology” from the 2011-2012 PLFTAS shows that overall:

• 14.2% of respondents indicated that the library’s website is optimized for mobile device access;
• 7.2% of respondents said that the library has developed smartphone apps for access to library services and content;
• 11.8% of respondents said that the library uses scanned codes for access to library services and content; and
• 72.7% responded that the library does not make use of mobile technologies.

In all responses, urban libraries had more use and deployment of mobile technology than rural libraries.

The survey questions in the PLFTAS do not provide detailed data on the types of mobile apps being developed in public libraries. Nonetheless, a taste of possible mobile apps that may be of interest to the public can be found at the Mobile (AL) Public Library. A key question here, however, is the degree to which the public can replace public library resources and services with these apps or the extent to which public librarians can create apps that “add value” to public library services and resources.

WebJuction and ALA TechSource held a July 25 webinar on “Bridging the Digital Divide with Mobile Services.” Especially useful were discussions on why mobile services are important to libraries and offering real life examples of mobile services. The instructor, Andromeda Yelton, is the author of the January 2012 edition of Library Technology Reports on the same topic.

A July 23 ALA webinar on the topic “Introducing the Book as iPad App” presents how the boundaries of the book are being stretched with a hybrid mix in elements of film, videogames, and social media with the text traditional to the book. This program is another inroad to better understand the expanding world of library apps. The instructor, Nicole Henning, has a number of resources that are worth reviewing regarding uses and applications for apps. Although the site is academic library oriented, many of the topics can be translated into a public library context.

The results of a March 2012 Pew Research Center survey points to the importance of expanding use of mobile technologies. Nearly half (46%) of American adults own smartphones, and nearly every major demographic group experienced a notable uptick in smartphone market penetration over the last year. A number of folks agree with Dale Lee King, Topeka and Shawnee County (KS) Public Library, that (www.davidleeking.com, April 5, 2012):

“If you haven’t yet started building with mobile in mind, now is definitely the time to start – you are very close to alienating almost half your customers. They are interacting with their favorite sites online using their smartphone (think Facebook, Amazon, YouTube, etc.).”

San Diego Public Library also offers some interesting apps, and it is likely many other libraries also offer such apps. The move to hand held devices and use of mobile apps has been amazing and looks to continue expanding significantly. Is the public library community ready for this next challenge? What is your library developing or planning in the area of mobile apps? Let us hear from you.

Dr. McClure is the President of Information Management Consultant Services, LLC, imcscrm@attglobal.net

What’s so important about broadband? New tutorial and data will inform library stakeholders

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The Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) data offer a remarkable resource to assist public libraries better exploit broadband for their community residents. With the forthcoming release of the 2011-2012 PLFTAS data just prior to the American Library Association Annual Conference (June 21-26), we will have the next installment of this dataset.

Augmenting this dataset are a number of resources, such as the broadband needs assessment studies that the Information Use Management and Policy Institute at Florida State University recently completed. Selected findings from the Florida Rural Broadband Alliance (FRBA) needs assessment and the North Florida Broadband Authority (NFBA) needs assessment offer suggestions that may assist public librarians in leveraging the forthcoming PLFTAS data.

A first finding showed that many rural public libraries are community leaders in broadband public access, use, training, and one-on-one instruction – for both the broadband technology and for accessing broadband resources. Public libraries have great visibility and credibility in their communities… and residents know that they can rely on public libraries for broadband access, training, and assistance.

A second finding was that many community residents and anchor institutions did not understand the importance, uses, and applications of high-speed broadband at their jobs, homes, or in their communities – nor did they understand how high-speed broadband could improve community members’ overall quality of life. The public library can build on its broadband community leadership to help educate and instruct community residents about the basics and importance of the Internet and high-speed broadband.

A third interesting finding was that while some public libraries had a technology plan there were few engaged in community-based broadband planning efforts. The needs assessment showed that it was possible for anchor institutions, (e.g., schools, libraries, county health departments, law enforcement, emergency management agencies, and others) to better coordinate their broadband deployment, training, and applications to leverage broadband services for their local communities.

So, to leverage the 2011-2012 PLFTAS data, public libraries may wish to review two instructional modules on “The Importance of Broadband” and “Community-Based Broadband Planning.” Both of these self-paced tutorials are freely available with supplemental information in the form of a glossary and access to additional broadband resources. These instructional modules can be used on their own and they can be used to leverage and use the forthcoming 2011-2012 PLFTAS data in working with trustees, library staff members, residents, and other anchor institutions.

Dr. McClure is the President of Information Management Consultant Services, LLC, imcscrm@attglobal.net

Score 1 (or more) for the Digital Divide and 0 for Florida public libraries

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We have discussed the digital divide implications between rural and urban/suburban settings noting how rural public libraries struggle to provide adequate broadband and information technology (IT) support. The Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) data demonstrate this struggle. Recent events in Florida suggest that strategies to reduce the rural digital divide – or at least the role that libraries can play in reducing that divide – will remain difficult.

Some background is in order. Last week Governor Rick Scott vetoed $1.5 million that would support multi-type library cooperatives (MLC) covering different regions in the state. Due to the recession, many public libraries in Florida have had budget cuts of 30-40 percent And over recent years, State Aid to libraries has been reduced significantly to the minimum amount that allows the State to qualify for Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Grants to State Library Administrative Agencies.

While the $1.5 million veto may not sound like much money, the pain likely will be felt disproportionately in rural areas since many of the rural libraries depend on their MLC for a range of IT access, training, and support. As part of this blog, I interviewed a number of Florida public librarians for their assessment of the veto on the digital divide in Florida.

One person commented that the veto was an “insult to injury” given previous cuts and listed a range of IT services, staff, training, and support that likely would be reduced in her rural library. Another thought that the support they had been receiving from their MLC “made the difference” between mediocre and above average IT services. Yet another noted that maintaining high-speed broadband and support services may now become a “luxury.” Still another noted that probably 97% of all the training her library staff received came from her MLC. Other stories and testimonials abound.

We have all read the various strategies and heard the exhortations about how libraries can reduce the digital divide, provide public access to a range of broadband and IT services, offer a range of IT and broadband training, work/collaborate with other community organizations and residents, etc. While these strategies are great ones, at the end of the day, resources (i.e., money) are needed to make these services happen.

Data related to the 2010-2011 PLFTAS on the urban-rural digital divide will be updated in the soon-to-be-released 2011-2012 PLFTAS. These will be most interesting in terms of trends and the degree to which this digital divide between rural vs. urban/suburban is being reduced, or not. But since the data were collected in the fall of 2011, the impact of Governor’s Scott veto on funding Florida MLCs and their support for rural libraries’ IT-related services and training, for example, will not be represented.

As many states complete their annual legislative session this month, we’d all like to hear how individual states fared this year in public library funding. So take a moment to post a quick comment to this blog summarizing how the budget wars affected libraries and the digital divide in your state. Will libraries be better off in your state this time next year?

Despite the anguish and teeth-gnashing of many librarians here in Florida, they will continue to fight the good fight and try to reduce the impact of the digital divide as best they can – especially in rural settings. The veto will just make that task more difficult to accomplish.

But there are a number of very clear conclusions as to reducing the digital divide: first, there has to be political will at all jurisdictional levels that recognizes that the digital divide exists; second, cuts in resources to libraries only make the digital divide worse; and third, people without access to high-speed broadband and related services – whether from the library or not – are disenfranchised residents of this country.

Dr. McClure is the President of Information Management Consultant Services, LLC, imcscrm@attglobal.net