Shush! Survey Reveals State of Technology in the Nation’s Public Libraries

If you’re of a certain age, you remember the local library of old. The wooden card catalog cabinet sat in the middle of the floor and you dared not approach it without a thorough understanding of the Dewey Decimal system. Bespectacled librarians were stationed at the reference desk, ready to answer any question and they didn’t hesitate to shush you in a stern but kind way if necessary. Occasionally, you may have had to wait in line for a few minutes to check out a book or magazine. Once you got your date-stamped materials in-hand, you were on your way. There were no computer workstations and the Internet was still just a glimmer in Al Gore’s mind.

That was then. And this is now…

Today’s libraries are fundamentally the same, but patron’s needs and expectations have changed. The latest best-seller is still a draw, but broadband access is equally important – particularly for job-seekers in these tough times. In January 2009, the Wall Street Journal reported that an average of 230 people were lining up to use only 27 computers at Randolph County Public Library in Asheboro, N.C. Across the country, libraries are working to keep up with connectivity demands while facing enormous challenges. The state of technology in the nation’s libraries is articulated in a recent study from the American Library Association. The study, titled Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study, “assesses public access to computers, the Internet and Internet-related services in U.S. public libraries, as well as the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment and sustainability in FY2008-2009.” Key findings from the study include:

• More than 98 percent of public libraries offer public Internet access.
• 71.4 percent of public libraries represent the only source for free public access to computers and the Internet in their communities. In rural communities that figure is 78.6 percent.
• 81 percent of libraries do not have enough computers to consistently meet patron demand.
• 60 percent of public libraries report Internet connection speeds that regularly fail to meet patron demands.
• Roughly 23 percent of libraries report a desire to increase their current Internet speed, but cannot afford to do so.
• 35 percent of libraries offer formal technology training and 52.6 percent offer informal technology assistance.
• Rural libraries offer an average of 7.6 public access workstations versus 18.7 at urban locations.
• Over 94 percent of libraries impose time limits on public access workstations. Of those, 70 percent have time limits of 60 minutes or less.
• In 2004, 17.9 percent of libraries offered Wi-Fi access; in 2009 that number stands at 76.4 percent.

These figures underscore the everyday struggle of libraries across the U.S. Funding cuts have put a strain on technology infrastructure and some librarians have had to add IT maintenance to their workload. Unfortunately, doing more with less has become the norm. Meeting future broadband capacity needs will require continued utilization of the federal E-Rate program, collaborations, partnerships, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars, and a lot of creative thinking. Solutions may not come easily, but libraries will find a way.

Broadband Rigor in North Carolina – Mapping as an Essential First Step

You can’t know where you are going unless it’s clear where you are now and how you came to be here. As simplistic and obvious as that may sound, it captures the driving principle behind one of this organization’s primary activities. Since 2001, the e-NC Authority has acted on its legislative mandate to develop and maintain a map that depicts the status of North Carolina’s broadband availability. The map evolved over time from a static, county-based representation that was updated annually to its current interactive format. Today, this map provides users with information on the availability of DSL, cable-modem and wireless broadband service at any address in a GIS-based searchable format. Based on this map and related citizen surveys, it is easy to understand the great progress that North Carolina has made in terms of deploying broadband technology. And while we can generalize about levels of connectivity for the state as a whole, circumstances in individual communities are sometimes hazy. To add a jumbled metaphor to the mix, we can see the forest clearly, but not always the trees.

Sometimes, the “look” of any broadband map can be challenging. While advances in the technology used to develop, display and update maps have made it more generally useful, problems in the collection and verification of underlying provider-supplied information can limit its true value. Inconsistencies in type, accuracy, completeness and currency of information from some sources can make it difficult to determine with confidence the true level of broadband access in the state at the street/address range level.

The need for better information about broadband infrastructure led U.S. Congress to enact the National Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA), directing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to develop the first national broadband availability map. The need for precise information about where service is and isn’t available was made even more acute with the release of funding guidelines for programs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (often referred to as “the stimulus”) dealing with broadband deployment. Both the U.S. Department of Agriculture Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) and the NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) will target awards to applicants who can document extension or enhancement of service to regions with inadequate broadband service at the street or census-block level. With better broadband mapping information the e-NC Authority will be able to:

1) meet obligations as the state’s designated mapping entity to comply with the BDIA mandate
2) fulfill the order from the N.C. General Assembly to regularly monitor and report the status of connectivity in this state
3) facilitate more competitive North Carolina-based BTOP and BIP applications

The e-NC Authority has proposed an innovative and exciting proposal to the NTIA entitled N.C. Broadband Rigor in Mapping (N.C. BRIM), which will ensure delivery of broadband data that is complete, accurate, timely and verifiable. This will be accomplished through a research method known as triangulation. Originally used in surveying and military target applications where precision and accuracy are critical, triangulation is a powerful technique that validates data by cross-referencing more than two sources using multiple research methodologies that study the same phenomenon. The idea is that you can be more confident in the results of said research if different methods are leading to the same result. If only one method is used, it is possible that the results may be affected by inherent biases or limitations of the technique used. If two methods are used, the results may also well clash. By using three research methods, the hope is that two of the three will produce similar answers. If all three methods create clashing answers, the investigator would then understand the need for revision – be it the research questions or the methods used. The e-NC Authority is pleased to confirm that the NTIA expressed such confidence in this approach. N.C. BRIM was one of four grants awarded in the first round of mapping awards.

Triangulation, as applied in N.C. BRIM, involves capturing and comparing data from different methodologies:

1) Broadband service providers will be asked to supply data that complies with standards established the NTIA
2) Leading-edge Web-crawling techniques will deliver the same categories of information obtained independently of providers
3) Citizen-derived data will be obtained through phone surveys (landline and wireless) or Internet-based e-surveys
4) Surveys of businesses will round out the user-provided data
5) A GIS-enabled wireless propagation study will be the first-ever statewide examination of wireless access (the results of this propagation study will then be validated by field interviews and surveys)

Finally, an expert panel of independent evaluators and data management professionals will convene to analyze results and validate a strategy that will deliver the highest quality result for the state of North Carolina.