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.

Disability Should Not Mean Disconnected: Recasting Lifeline/Link-Up Programs

The Internet is sometimes described as “the great equalizer,” capable of overcoming most barriers in the delivery of resources and services to an ever-expanding spectrum of people and organizations. The importance of universal Internet access and the ability to use broadband-enabled information and services is made explicit in the core purposes of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA, section 6001). In addition to providing support to ensure access and stimulate demand for broadband in unserved and underserved areas, public safety agencies, job-creating strategic facilities and anchor institutions (such as schools, libraries, and medical facilities) the ARRA funds target organizations and agencies serving vulnerable populations. In ARRA documents and the related Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), the term “vulnerable” includes those whose Internet access and use is limited due to “low income, unemployed [and] aged” conditions. While persons with physical disabilities are not expressly referenced in the BTOP Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA), they have been singled out for special attention in draft legislation previously submitted to reform federal broadband programs (Benton Foundation example, Hearing Loss Web example).

The Federal Communications Commission, with funding from the Universal Service Fund, administers the Lifeline/Link-Up programs to address telecommunications needs of qualifying low-income citizens. Historically, the Lifeline/Link-Up programs provide discounts for initial installation and activation of telephone services over publicly-switched telephone networks. More recently, discounts have been extended to include wireless services in select areas. As broadband becomes more important in the delivery of basic services, some are arguing that it is time to reform these programs and their funding sources in order to subsidize broadband and Internet-based services. The need to transform the Lifeline/ Link-Up programs to provide broadband service is especially acute in among disabled citizens, where the percentage of persons with Internet access is reported to be only half that of the general population.

North Carolina has long been an advocate and active partner in extending voice service to those who qualify for Lifeline/Link-Up program assistance. Lifeline subsidies subtract $13.50 monthly from the telephone bills of qualifying customers. Of this amount, $10 is the federal portion paid directly to service providers; the remaining $3.50 is treated as a tax credit that offsets corporate state taxes accrued by service providers. According to Hugh Gerringer with the N.C. Utilities Commission, approximately 126,000 customers in North Carolina received Lifeline subsidies on their phone bill even though nearly 500,000 families qualify. Many of the state’s low-income citizens are also disabled. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 21.1 percent of individuals in North Carolina who were 5 years of age and older were identified as having a disability; this figure that is slightly higher than the overall 19.3 percent found in the national population. Among adults age 65 and older, this figure is 45.7 percent.

The e-NC Authority is developing a proposal in response to the available ARRA broadband funding to pilot a program that will adapt the Lifeline/Link-Up programs to support broadband service for low-income and disabled populations in North Carolina. This proposed pilot program will include outreach and training initiatives targeting social service agencies serving as the gatekeepers for qualifying individuals. The pilot will also address training opportunities for those receiving services.

Where the CITIZENS come to ask questions…

Almost on a daily basis, the e-NC Authority hears from citizens that do not have broadband access. Their stories are often born from ongoing frustration with lack of service, being held back at work and school by not having service, and the experience they have had with telecommunications service providers.

When we correspond with citizens, we always try to gather information about their specific experience (ex. do they know others nearby without service, what their experience has been when contacting who they think would be the obvious service provider, how lack of service is affecting their life/home, etc.), but we also encourage them to write to their legislators about the issue. Often, we must also explain the nature of the telecommunications industry and its relationship with regulatory government. Once we gather information about the citizen’s home address and landline telephone number, we ensure that the citizen has contact information for their elected leaders in the N.C. General Assembly.

With address and home landline in-hand, we then forward that information to the closest service provider to inquire about if that citizen’s location is included in any known deployment plans. Getting this answer back from a service provider can take anywhere from a few days to several months. We always forewarn citizens that the e-NC Authority does not hold regulatory authority and that getting information back from the service provider about their specific location can often take a long period of time.

The content of the correspondence is something to behold. From time to time, we plan to post that content to this blog. Here are a few. (Specific information from citizens and their service provider has been removed to protect privacy.)

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Hello, I live three miles from the local university and cannot get broadband. I am a professional therapist and my wife is a professor at the college. A neighbor up the road gets broadband, but apparently we are too far from the source. We are supposedly about the same distance away from the other transfer station, so we will likely never get broadband. Help!

I have had (the telecommunications company) come and check the line on two separate occasions. They never let me know their findings until I called and was routed through several different branches of their service. Then I was told our house was too far away, with no explanation about why our neighbor who lives up the mountain received broadband services.

S.M., Jackson County

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I live in Graham County. For the last two years I have been struggling to get broadband service at my residence. I contacted (the telecommunications company) and they stated that DSL service was not available. After talking to the local technicians, they said it might be possible to get DSL. The current outcome is that the local employees want to provide the service and they say they could, but the upper management of their company did not want to provide a solution. I've called and talked to anybody in (the telecommunications company’s) chain of management that would listen to me. The higher up I go, the less they care about the situation and always more focus on profit issues.

My wife is a full time college student who is a distant learner and her university requires high-speed Internet for school work. She must drive either to the public library or her mother's house to have Internet access. I know of many more residents in my area and in Graham County who would like broadband service to better themselves. It seems my efforts alone will not get the ball rolling, so if there is any help or guidance that e-NC can provide would be greatly appreciated. If this helps any I am a Disabled Veteran, a former Marine, who is still serving (in a public service job) and in the U.S. Army reserves. All I am asking for is for something that many take for granted.

K.T., Graham County

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I took an early retirement package from a newspaper in November and established a business at my home. I have been severely hampered by having only slow, dialup Internet at home. Many Web sites I need to use for research will not open here. PDFs are also very slow to open, if they open at all. Often, I write on my laptop and then drive six miles to another town to e-mail my article to my customer. One offer of regular editing work was rescinded in part because of my "connectivity issues."

Everything I do takes much, much longer than it should. This is a real burden in my business. I live in eastern Stokes County. (Telecommunications company) is my phone provider; they will not bring DSL to my house, even though they have it north of here. (Another telecommunications company) is the local cable provider; they told me I am "unserviceable" even though they come near our road. Someone I met who lives in a remote area of Stokes County right on the Virginia line recommended (a satellite company), but they said that they will not serve my area.

I have a (telecommunications company) air card for my laptop, but their service is not strong enough in my house to use the air card. Once, I wrote an article in my laptop and, because it was raining, had to drive to the top of a nearby hill just to send it out by e-mail. This is not a very good way to run a business.

I e-mailed all my state representatives and some others who I had been told were on crucial committees about rural broad-band back in the winter. I received not a single reply. If there is anything I can do to help this process along, please let me know.

L.B., Stokes County

Technology Reuse: New life for old computers

Many of us have been environmentally conscious for years. We faithfully sort through our trash to unearth newspapers, glass, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles. We take old clothes to Goodwill Industries, buy organic and tend a compost pile in the backyard. But when it comes to that old computer sitting in the hall closet and those ancient monitors gathering dust in the attic, it is difficult to know what to do.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “In 2007, discarded TVs, computers, peripherals (including printers, scanners, faxes), mice, keyboards and cell phones totaled about 2.5 million tons” of waste. When this electronic waste, or e-waste as it’s commonly known, is disposed of improperly, substances like lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants can end up in landfills. Fortunately, there are environmentally-responsible disposal alternatives that can benefit our communities.

First, open your phone book and call a nonprofit – as there are scores of them nationwide that collect donated, second-hand computer equipment. This equipment is often refurbished and offered free or at a low cost to organizations and individuals. This helps to bridge the digital divide in a major way. San Francisco’s City Youth Now has also found that donated laptops can positively influence the lives of some teenagers and young adults who have become involved with gangs and illegal drug activity. Here in North Carolina, the e-NC Authority is exploring how refurbished computers can be used to help economically-disadvantaged citizens gain access to the Internet.

If you are looking to donate or acquire a refurbished or used computer, these organizations could be of assistance.

Earth911.com: Web site offering a searchable database of over 100,000 reuse/recycling centers nationwide.

EPA: The EPA’s Do the PC Thing offers helpful information about clearing data from your computer before making an equipment donation.

Goodwill Industries: Contact your local Goodwill to find out if the location accepts computer donations.

National Cristina Foundation: Accepts donations of used computer equipment from individuals and corporations, and then matches that equipment to non-profit organizations, schools, and public agencies that serve the disabled, at-risk students, and the economically disadvantaged.

Plug-In To eCycling: A partnership program between the EPA and electronic manufacturers, retailers, and service providers, which is designed to provide consumers with options for donating and recycling used electronic equipment.

Kramden Institute: Durham, N.C.-based nonprofit that refurbishes donated computers and awards them to economically-disadvantaged K-12 students in the Triangle area.

Purple Elephant Computer Factory for KIDS!: Raleigh, N.C.-based nonprofit that provides refurbished, operational, Internet-capable computers to individuals and organizations.

Recycles.org: Web site serving as a national and regional exchange network that connects prospective computer equipment donors with nonprofit participants.

TechSoup: Offers discounted and donated technology products to nonprofits. Web site also features a blog, Webinars, articles, discussion forums, and information about upcoming technology events.

Networking N.C. Rural Health Care

On Nov. 19, 2007, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the Rural Health Care Pilot program, which is using $417 million to benefit 69 participants in 42 states and three U.S. territories. The funding is being granted to cover up to 85 percent of costs associated with the following, as they relate to rural health care:

(1) construction of a state or regional broadband network and the advanced telecommunications and information services provided over that network
(2) connecting to Internet 2 or National LambdaRail
(3) connecting to the public Internet.

North Carolina won four of the 69 grants:
Albemarle Network Telemedicine Initiative: max. support $1,583,076
North Carolina Telehealth Network: max. support $6,023,985
Western Carolina University: max. support $3,596,290
University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina: max. support $960,939

To review additional details about these projects, visit:

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/rhcp.html
http://www.usac.org/rhc-pilot-program/#

This networking project will promote telehealth and telemedicine access for rural health care providers (public and free clinics) to medical hubs, which are often located in urban areas. The benefits of telehealth and telemedicine applications that ride over broadband facilities are enormous, and a broadband network that connects multiple health care providers, including a significant number in rural areas, would bring those benefits to areas of the country where the need is most acute.

The e-NC Authority has been contracted as of September 2008 to participate as a major part of the program management effort during the network development phase. Be on the lookout for an RFP from the e-NC Authority by mid-late April.

A Bounty of Technology – Served Local and Organic

Recently, some of our staff attended the 2nd Annual Farmer & Chef Banquet on Feb. 26 in Rutherfordton, presented by the Foothills Connect Business and Technology Center in Rutherford County. It was a celebration of the work of Foothills Connect with FarmersFreshMarket.org – a Web-based food product brokerage that links rural Rutherford County farmers with Charlotte-area restaurant chefs.

Imagine that you are 50+ years old – the age of most of North Carolina’s farmers. Your income used to be subsidized by working at the local textile mill; the farm income added an edge you often needed to pay bills and have a reasonably good life.

Now, your income and lifestyle have reversed. The mills are gone, their looms are silent. The silence you now hear is the deafening and panicked anxiety to find a way to still earn a living. What’s left? The farm. Suddenly, you realize that the farm income must justify your primary chance to flourish financially.

You also realize that this might be a blessing in disguise. Through the Foothills Connect Farmer’s Fresh Market program, you are given the opportunity to learn how to use a computer to exchange orders with the Charlotte-area restaurant chefs. Through Isothermal Community College, participants can graduate from the Farmers Adopting Computer Training (FACT) program and then receive a rebuilt computer.

So – back to the farm, up on the tractor. Eureka! Through Foothills Connect, you have started tilling up the land to grow crops being demanded by chefs in the big city. You learn that others are having success with the program too. Down the road, your friend sold 60 pasture-fed turkeys for $100 each. That’s $6,000 for sixty 28lb. turkeys. That has to be a good omen. There’s also the “Kudzu Lady” Edith Edwards, who does untold, beautiful, succulent things with the plant that we so often otherwise grumble about.

At the Feb. 26 banquet, the farmers joined together with state and community leaders, elected officials and the many Charlotte chefs and sous-chefs that participate in the program, including Charlotte Marriott City Center Executive Chef Jean-Pierre Marechal. Chef Liz Rose of Café on the Mall has prepared a sumptuous meal from crops born out of the good earth of Rutherford County. The tables are also festooned with flowers grown in the county.

DINNER:
Red Feather Farm beef patties
Tiny Myrtle Meadows molasses mashed sweet potatoes
Savannah Red’s cornbread, served w/ “Kudzu Lady” kudzu blossom jelly butter
Yoder Farm microgreens and deviled eggs
Spicy Peaceful Valley grit cake
Shiloh Acres braised BBQ pulled chicken
Moonflower Farm Asian microgreens

DESSERT:
Golden Valley honey cake
Baked Limber Twig apples w/ cinnamon

Presiding over the banquet are Chef Marechal and Foothills Connect Executive Director Tim Will. This celebration is the result of their efforts to use technology to connect farmers and chefs – merging each other’s needs with the Internet to create a new way of life for the people of Rutherford County.

FarmersFreshMarket.org continues to pay all participants back in good wages. The farmers love the fresh air. The chefs love the fresh food. Both parties love the smell of money, success and satisfaction. In this project, technology, the land and its people have come together to create new jobs and good food. It is a win-win, especially for our tummies on that particular evening. We noticed more than a few folks going back for second and third helpings.

Rural community finds success with New Ventures Business Development, Inc.

Ivory Little, proprietor of a forthcoming support home/center for unwed teen mothers in and around Anson County, N.C., talks about how her business plan has come together with vital support from New Ventures Business Development, Inc. in Wadesboro.

The Twittersphere

“As of December 2008, 11 percent of online American adults said they used a site like Twitter or another similar vehicle that allowed them to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others.” (Twitter and Status Updating, Pew Internet & American Life Project)

For the uninitiated, Twitter is a free micro-blogging/social networking site that imposes a 140-character limit on each individual post or “tweet,” as such bite-sized status updates are called. The phenomenon allows you to give “followers” a real-time update, via computer or a mobile device, about what you’re doing at that very moment. So, let’s say you’re at the gym and you just bench-pressed 300 pounds. Now, who wouldn’t want to hear about that? Or, maybe you find it comforting to tweet when you’re having a bad day. You’re certainly not alone. Twitter is staying mum about the number of Twitterers it has snared, but estimates put the figure at between 4 and 5 million – not bad for a site that launched in 2006. And naysayers swore would never make it.

But what if minutia’s not your thing? Well, if you can get past the frivolity, Twitter has potential beyond its stated purpose. Consider fundraising and emergency notification, for instance.

If you blink, you might miss the fact that Twitter is about community-building, and Twestivals really capitalize on this notion. The 100 percent volunteer-run Twestival concept came about in September 2008 after a group of London Twitterers connected and organized a food drive/fundraising event to help a local homeless charity. Word spread quickly, and Twitterers had a hunch that the micro-fundraising concept could be elevated to affect change on a global level. That hunch was recently tested.

On Feb. 12, 2009, 202 international cities hosted a Twestival to unite the Twitter community in support of charity: water, a nonprofit bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. From Asheville, N.C. to Johannesburg, South Africa and beyond, people gathered for an evening of fun and fundraising. Some sold tickets for entry, while others collected $1 or $2 per participant. In the end, the event raised $250,000, which will be used to fund 55 sustainable water projects and provide clean water for over 17,000 people in Ethiopia, Uganda, and India. The first Twestival-funded well will be drilled in Ethiopia at the beginning of April. Imagine how this concept could be used to support causes and projects in North Carolina’s communities.

On the subject of emergency notification, think missing children. @MissingChildren is a Twitter account that was created by web developer Nate Ritter. The account uses data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to tweet about missing, endangered, and recovered children. Twitter is also being used by some cities and colleges as one part of an overall system to make people aware of crisis situations. It’s quick. It’s to the point. And perhaps most importantly in these economic times, there’s little to no impact on the bottom line.

Lacking broadband infrastructure for Alleghany County (N.C.) school children

Dr. Jeff Cox, superintendent of schools for Alleghany County, N.C., discusses the "digital divide" that he sees for area students and why broadband deployment must be a priority for state government in terms of educational advancement.

Lacking broadband infrastructure in western N.C.

Betty Hurst of western North Carolina's HandMade in America (www.handmadeinamerica.org), explains how craftspeople must have access to high-speed Internet services in order to sustain their small businesses and resultant livelihood.

Do People Even Care about Privacy Anymore?

The September 2008 issue of Scientific American led with the banner question “Will Technology Kill Privacy?” Behind this question are a series of articles that address a growing undercurrent of anxiety felt by many people about their ability to control the amount and type of personal information that is available about them online.

In the provocative opening editorial, John Rennie crystallizes what underpins the uneasiness that many people feel with the information fishbowl we all swim in – the connection between privacy and freedom. He cites an idea posited by English philosopher and ethicist Jeremy Bentham for a new form of prison, the panopticon, an all-seeing place where “inside its walls, convicted prisoners would be exposed to perpetual view from a central tower by an unseen jailer who would supervise their behavior, health and menial labor.” Bentham said that this would be effective because inmates would never know when they were being observed, so that out of uncertainty and fear – they would end up standing watch over themselves.




Bentham’s idea is brought forward and connected to the Internet by David Brin in his book The Transparent Society, in which he argues that “the modern conception of privacy is historically transient and made obsolete by new technology.” In the opening editorial, Rennie notes Brin’s central point, in that the only way to prevent abuses is to require that everyone, including governments, must be equally transparent.

Transparency? The Internet has the corner market on that, especially now with the booming vehicle of social networking. It is startling really, the frank disclosures that populate worlds like Facebook and MySpace. This seems to indicate that that millions of people are on some level, consciously or not, accepting a reduced valuation of privacy. Unchecked, the Internet allows for the reduction of ability to protect our reputations. But one could also argue that the thick and well-established lines between our personal lives, our family lives and our professional lives have quickly eroded – by choice.

Benefits of Personal Communication (via the Web) Seriously Underrated

As we work to get more broadband around the state, and around the country, you often hear about the economic impact of broadband – the jobs made possible through access, the training and educational opportunities, the increased possibilities for local governments and healthcare, etc., etc.

But, in taking a break from all the economic stimulus talk, sometimes it seems we skip over the most fundamental aspect of broadband – simply providing a vehicle for personal communication. While this benefit may seldom come up during policy debates about public funding, it is still of valid importance.

In thinking of how we communicate with colleagues, friends and family, most of us have reached a point where our most constant communication is done over e-mail. It is simple really – by e-mail, we can reach a lot more people, in a lot less time. Do you have famiy or friends overseas or on the other side of the country? Well, you probably use VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) to talk with them. In this instance, it’s actually better than phone service because folks can use video as well. (Hey – pictures are great, but how else would you have such a great opportunity to see how quickly your nieces are growing?)

Then there’s Facebook. Talk to almost anyone using this and you’ll hear them go wild over how many unexpected (or forgotten, lost) friends they have suddenly and joyfully reconnected with. You now get to easily keep up with each other day-to-day, even if you haven’t actually spoken to them in years! Maybe these examples are too personal, but we would venture to say that many people would give up their televisions or cell phones before giving up their broadband access.

Some experts have argued that Internet-based communication erodes people’s ability to interact well in-person. But the personal communication aspects of broadband rank tremendously high for many people, above and beyond the obvious economic benefits of connectivity. It’s hard to imagine not having broadband access, and even harder to realize that so many people around the state don’t have this communication tool available.