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FYI,<br>
<br>
Suzanne L. Sager<br>
Oregon ALA Chapter Councilor<br>
<br>
-------- Original Message --------
<table class="moz-email-headers-table" border="0" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="baseline">Subject: </th>
<td>[alacro-l] FCC releases new report highlighting role of
libraries in bridging broadband divide</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="baseline">Date: </th>
<td>Tue, 2 Mar 2010 17:18:16 -0500</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="baseline">From: </th>
<td>Don Wood <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:dwood@ala.org"><dwood@ala.org></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="baseline">To: </th>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:alacro-l@ala.org"><alacro-l@ala.org></a></td>
</tr>
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<div class="Section1">
<p class="MsoNormal">Good afternoon, everyone. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am writing to alert folks to a new report the
FCC released
today that confirms and complements (and cites) many of the findings
from
recent Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study reports.
With
library budgets being discussed and decided as we speak, the study may
provide
information you can use to inform decisionmakers (with the caveat that
public
library limitations also are referenced).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“<b>Broadband Adoption in Low-Income Communities</b>,”
conducted by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), draws on
roughly 170
interviews of non-adopters, community access providers, and other
intermediaries – including library patrons and library staff. Primary
research was conducted in Philadelphia, Albuquerque, upstate New York
and
Minneapolis-St. Paul in late 2009 and early 2010. <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://webarchive.ssrc.org/broadband_adoption.pdf">http://webarchive.ssrc.org/broadband_adoption.pdf</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Key findings (verbatim) are: <o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="">Broadband access is increasingly a
requirement of socio-economic inclusion – and residents of low-income
communities know it this.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="">Price is only one factor shaping the
fragile equilibrium of home broadband adoption, and price pressures go
beyond the obvious challenge of high monthly fees.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="">Libraries and other community
organizations fill the gap between low home broadband adoption and high
demand, and provide a number of other critical services, such as
training and support.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The full report is worth reading, but the first
and third
findings are of the greatest value to libraries in communicating the
need to
support and fund public libraries in the Digital Age, and specifically
to support
improved technology infrastructure in libraries to meet community
demand. The
report also describes the constraints and limitations of public
libraries,
including time limits, computers in disrepair, wait times for
computers, and
– in many cases – diminishing staffing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the first finding, the SSRC details how
broadband access
is critical for job searches, education and online government
interactions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<b>Work<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">“With remarkable
consistency,
respondents described the importance of the Internet to job searches
and other
employment-related activities, even at the low end of the skill and
wage
ladder. Finding and applying for jobs, maintaining contact with
employers,
training to find better jobs, and other basic aspects of employment are
increasingly
Internet based—leaving those without access or only intermittent access
at a serious disadvantage.” (p. 17)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">“The problems facing
those
without regular Internet access…are obvious and can be exacerbated by
low
Internet proficiency and limited English literacy. Large employers with
online
hiring portals typically recommend reserving at least 30 minutes to 1
hour to
complete electronic job applications—a length of time that bumps up
against typical time limits for Internet access in many public
libraries and
community centers.” (p. 19)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b>Education<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">“For many parents who
lack
home connections, sending or bringing their children to libraries and
other
third spaces for homework-related activities is part of their weekly or
even
daily routine. The libraries we visited were consistently packed during
after-school hours with children and teenagers using the computers and
printers, getting homework help, and hanging out with friends. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">For other families
among our
respondents, trips to the library to use computers are more difficult.
A
frequent complaint of working adults was that library hours were
inconvenient
for their work schedules.” (p. 20)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">“Students of all ages
in our
sample reported relying on computers at public libraries to complete
their
schoolwork.” (p. 22)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b>E-government<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">“The shift to online
[government] services represents a huge challenge for many social
service
recipients, and it disproportionately affects people at the low end of
the
socio-economic ladder. Those who require social service support the
most are
consistently the least likely to be able to afford either a working
computer or
home access and the most likely to need help accomplishing tasks
online.”
(p. 23)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the third finding (pp. 37-48), the SSRC
describes the key
roles libraries (and other “third spaces”) play in helping bridge a
persistent digital divide in the United States. This entire section is
very
relevant to the library community. “In every community we visited,
libraries were the most frequently mentioned sites of broadband access
outside
the home” (p. 43). The report describes the need for formal and
informal
skill-building and its impact on staff, and the funding and
infrastructure
pressures libraries are under in meeting demand for technology services.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Technology assistance and staffing</i></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The report references the need for human support
in helping
many computer users gain the essential skills they need to navigate
online.
Often these skills must be learned within a high-pressure context of
applying
for work or government benefits and within a funding and
staff-constrained
environment. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">“Many intermediaries
observed
that as essential activities move online, users with the lowest
technical
proficiency and general literacy are increasingly motivated to connect.
Invariably, this population needs more help to complete online tasks
than more
proficient groups.” (p. 44)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">“Staff time was almost
always
described as the scarcest resource…and staff expansion the most
often-cited way of improving third-space support for constituents” and
“Staffing problems extend to maintenance of the computer
infrastructure.” (p. 45)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Funding and cost shifting</i></b>: The
report
acknowledges and describes many of the pressures libraries work under
in
meeting growing demand. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">“Libraries have been
shifting
resources to accommodate the ever-growing demand for online services,
but
governments have generally not recognized or funded this expansion of
service.” (p. 47)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">“Field Report Excerpt
#5” shares a conversation with library staff from the Albuquerque and
Bernalillo
County library system in New Mexico about cost-shifting to libraries.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Among the study conclusions: “Cost-shifting onto
community organizations needs to be met with additional funding of
those
organizations” and “Fuller funding of these intermediaries is the
best means of assuring a meaningful broadband safety net and a stronger
pathway
to adoption in these communities.” (p. 51)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Full report: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://webarchive.ssrc.org/broadband_adoption.pdf">http://webarchive.ssrc.org/broadband_adoption.pdf</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The <b>FCC</b> also released survey data last
week on
broadband adoption and use in America, which many of you may already
have seen.
If not, it’s here: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://wiredpen.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/fcc_broadband_survey_feb2010.pdf">http://wiredpen.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/fcc_broadband_survey_feb2010.pdf</a>.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The <b>Public Library Funding & Technology
Access Study</b>
provides additional national and state-level detail on all of the
issues
referenced above, including briefing reports on job-seeking, education
and
lifelong learning, and e-government. The reports are available at: <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/plftas/issuesbriefs/index.cfm">http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/plftas/issuesbriefs/index.cfm</a>,
along with preliminary 2009-10 findings released at the ALA Midwinter
Meeting:
“A Perfect Storm Brewing: Budget Cuts Threaten Library Services at Time
of Increased Demand.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The <b>ALA Washington Office</b> videotaped
today’s
study announcement with the FCC and SSRC researchers, which should be
up at <span style="color: rgb(15, 36, 62);"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://vimeo.com/user1958572">http://vimeo.com/user1958572</a>
t</span>omorrow. And here’s a link to the District Dispatch just
posted: <span style="color: black;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://bit.ly/d8iKX3">http://bit.ly/d8iKX3</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Best, Larra<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Larra Clark<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Project Manager<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ALA Office for Research & Statistics<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">800-941-8478 x8213<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.ala.org/plinternetfunding">www.ala.org/plinternetfunding</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<img alt="Portland State University logo"
src="cid:part1.06010205.09000405@pdx.edu" align="left" height="35"
width="165"><br>
<br>
<p
style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Suzanne
L. Sager<br>
Library East, Cataloging<br>
Portland State University<br>
<br>
503-725-8169<br>
503-725-5799<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:sagers@pdx.edu">sagers@pdx.edu</a></p>
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