Tag Archives: e-government

Training and education for e-government services in libraries

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In the February 22 blog post we introduced findings from the 2010-2011 Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) regarding E-government and job seeking. Figure 38 in the PLFTAS report clearly documents significant amounts of E-government service provision from US public libraries.

But Figures 39-42 also describe the challenges that affect the ability of the public library outlets to help patrons meet their E-government needs.  The figures provide overall assessment of the importance of selected challenges as well as an assessment of this importance analyzed by rural, suburban, and urban public libraries.

The top two challenges assessed in overall importance in meeting public library E-government needs are:

  • 56% of respondents assessed as “most important” or “important” that the library does not have enough staff to effectively help patrons with their E-government needs; and
  • 51% of respondents assessed as “most important” or “important” that the library’s staff does not have the necessary expertise to meet patron E-government needs.

Thus, E-government staffing issues constitute the greatest challenges faced by public libraries in meeting patron E-government user needs.

To some extent, addressing these two challenges requires additional resources to both hire more E-government library staff and then to engage in ongoing training of the staff regarding E-government services and resources (print and web-based). One study (Section 6.3) regarding public librarians as E-government providers concluded:

Librarians expressed concern and anxiety that they are unprepared to provide the [E-government] services requested by users….  As a result, libraries that embrace the role of E-government service provider must pour significant resources into training staff, most often without assistance from local agencies.  In short, librarians that engage in the provision of E-government services and resources are self-taught and can often lack an essential programmatic perspective.

The irony, however, is that in difficult economic times, such as those we are experiencing now,  the extensive needs of users for E-government and job seeking assistance comes at a time when libraries are least able to hire E-government staff or provide training support.

A quick search on the web and asking selected colleagues found very few formal job descriptions for an E-government librarian (staff or professional). Neither did the search identify many continuing education (CE) opportunities for E-government training, nor formal E-government classes at the various Library Information Science programs outside of the innovative program launched in Fall 2010 at the University of Maryland Center for Library & Information Innovation (now the Information Policy & Access Center).

But there must be more librarian E-government CE opportunities or formal E-government classes or other instructional materials available – perhaps these are in-house and just not publicly available? It would be GREAT if anyone who might be aware of such instructional materials intended to provide basic or updated E-government instruction to librarians would post that information as a comment to this blog.

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

E-government services from public libraries

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As the United States continues to experience difficult economic conditions, public libraries continue to provide a significant range of E-government services and resources to its users.  The 2010-2011 findings from the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) regarding E-government and job seeking support paints a very active  picture of how public libraries have been an important contributor to helping folks access E-government and find job opportunities.

Additional summary and analysis of the PLFTAS data suggests the following key points:

  • 90% of public libraries help people understand and use government websites;
  • 89% of public libraries report that providing access to government information and services is important to their community;
  • 80% of public libraries help people apply for E-government services; and
  • 68% of public libraries help people complete E-government forms.

The report summarizing the PLFTAS data goes on to state that while public libraries are heavily engaged in E-government services, the library also faces many challenges – which the report further describes. But oftentimes, the demand for such E-government services outpaces the capacity of the library to meet those demands.

A number of local, state, and federal websites have language similar to that at the US Department of Education (FAQ 7) that directs individuals who do not have a computer to the public library.  Indeed, my experience in dealing with E-government services provided by local, state, and federal agencies suggests that many of these agencies regularly refer people for both assistance and computers to their local public library.  In short, these agencies regularly promote the use of public libraries for E-government services, in some instances because the agency has inadequate staff to do so itself.

An important resource for assisting libraries with E-government services is an E-government Toolkit developed by the American Library Association (ALA). Another good example is the Pasco County Library System (FL) Online Government Services Website.  But a key issue in the provision of E-government services and resources to the public is the library’s ability to meet the demand and cost for these services – many of which are described in the ALA Toolkit or at the Pasco County website.

We’d look forward to hearing the experiences of readers in the provision of E-government services from their libraries – what are some of the critical success factors that need to be in place for successful E-government services? How can libraries best meet these E-government needs given the difficult economic times we have currently?  Please offer your comments (“reply”) below to share with others.

We’ll explore these comments, some of the issues raised, critical success factors in the provision of E-government services, and especially consider the costs, benefits, and broadband needs for successful E-government services in the next blog.