Slashdot Mirror
Internet Revives Public Libraries
securitas writes "The New York Times' Steve Lohr reports on the effects of the Internet on public libraries, namely that the installation of Internet-connected computers have been largely responsible for a rebirth in public libraries and increasing attendance, particularly by 'teenagers, people age 50 and older and members of ethnic minorities' as well as low-income patrons without computers at home. According to a University of Washington study, 'A year after computers are put in libraries that do not have them, visits rise 30 percent on the average and attendance typically remains higher'. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - which funds PC-based Internet library projects - features prominently in the article, including the criticism that it is 'a Microsoft marketing exercise masquerading as philanthropy.'"
According to the BBC, Britain's public librarires will be out of use by 2020. My local library does have a computer (one!) but the collections (books, CDs, etc) are shocking. Ordering from other libraries takes too long, etc.
This is where the serious fun begins.
the point of a library isnt to increase raw attendance, it's to provide access to a large quantity of books that the majority of people could not purchase or conveniently locate on their own.
With the internet, this dynamic does not occur; I am guessing that the vast majority of people who use library PCs for internet access could reasonably get it (or, more accurately, already have it) in some other fashion at home, but prefer the coffeehouse / social aspect of being out of the house while doing their web surfing.
I hope this newfound popularity doesn't cause the libraries to neglect the books. At my college, this happened. They hyped their new "information center" and talked about how high-tech it was, but all they did was replace the books with connections to the internet. It's hard to write a paper when the best reference you have is the Internet. The information is so sparse on the Internet, compared to a book which tends to have pages and pages on a topic. Luckily, I was on my way out when I transferred there and never needed to write any heavy-duty papers on anything that wasn't computer-related. Books beat out PCs any day.
If Microsoft are being criticised or not... The plain and simple fact of the matter is that the Gates foundation has helped put PC's into the hands of people who would not otherwise use one.
Whether they run nothing but Microsoft software, or something else, is not an issue, IMHO
Call him what you like (and I'm sure some of you will) he's doing a good thing here and I, for one, will take my hat of to the guy
I've never shoed a horse, but I once told a donkey to piss off!
If there is going to be a comment on this story like "This is a secret Microsoft plan to steal your puppies", then could someone please explain what the Gates foundation actually does that could be construed as shady? From what I've seen, the guy, who happens to be one of the richest people in the world, is giving away a lot of his money to help put computers in schools and libraries that can't afford it themselves. OK, so they're not running Linux. OK, so they're not Macintoshes. It doesn't cost the guy a dime to put Windows in these places, does it? Also, remember what desktop operating system has 90% of the market and as a result most people would be familiar with.
Never hit your grandmother with a shovel, for it leaves a bad impression on her mind...
What are the stats on checking out the books? If no one is doing any more reading, then I don't see this as having any beneficial effect on libraries; they're just convenient places to put terminals, sort of like internet cafes without the coffee.
Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.
Seriously, there are hundreds of them in stock, but you never see them on the shelves, because they are ALWAYS out. You have to search the catalog just to see what's available, and place holds to get them.
A woman at the 'checkout' said that she feels like she works at Blockbuster, more than at a library...
I work part-time in the Montgomery County, MD public library system, and we've had internet access for some years now. In order to ensure that everyone gets equal access to the terminals, we do have a sign up process (which is currently in the process of being automated using library card information and session management software, but until that process is complete is done with old-fashioned pen and paper), but no records are kept: we hold onto the sign-up sheets only until the end of the day they are initially filled out, and then they are trashed, for privacy concerns. Similarly, all records of what any individual may have done while using the machines (browser history, cookies, etc.) are deleted upon logout.
As of now, we don't keep track of who was on what machine at any given time, to some extent because we can't: we have a very limited-access guest account (which allows for browser usage, access to a word processor, and not much else) that is used for all patrons. I'm not sure how the upcoming session management software will change this, but there have been ongoing discussions about potential privacy concerns (which, in my experience, libraries take very, very seriously).
As for the card catalogs, they work much the same way as the internet terminals do now: limited guest account for all patrons (which in this case allows only for access to the catalog, and not the broader internet). However, there are none of the usage restrictions that the internet machines have, where we limit patrons to one hour a day, and require a sign-up system.
Sean Daugherty "I have walked in Eternity -- and Eternity weeps."
I regularily take my 8 year old son to our local library. We live in a fairly outlying suburb of Minneapolis.
By my standards, the library is very small (the book selection is poor at best, but you can request books from within the county's system or even the city's county).
For such a small library, they have at least 6 computer terminals, and I'm always surprised they are always in use. Just glancing at the folks using them, it's IM applications to games to research. But they're always being used.
I'm always suprised and pleased to see it. I'm so used to taking the computers I have at home for granted, I can't imagine what life would be like not having one - but to the folks using them, I bet it's a godsend.
If this is the evolution of the public library, it can only be a good thing. The other posters comments about monitoring and tracking library patrons is quite concerning, and if students are using the internet for research, are they aware that everything you read on the internet isn't true?
Meanwhile, people's ability to access certain pages on library terminals is restricted by law. Children who cannot afford computers and internet service in their homes are the ones to suffer most as they're forced to deal with a second-class Internet
"In prison you just have to shut your eyes and take it. Here you have to shut your eyes and give it."
The increase in book loans from drawing in the extra people is probably minimal.
However, so long as it doesn't adversely effect the availability of books then it's not a bad thing. Providing free internet access to people that don't have it is a good thing, as well as the assitance that library staff can provide to people who aren't quite
Many communities in the modern western Europe and the USA lack any real community or cultural centre. If a library can fulfill this role in a greater way then more power to it. I personally would love to see libraries take on greater roles as centres of information, learning and debate. They were once greatly respected by the public.
The introduction of a network of public libraries in the UK in the 1850s was a landmark of progressive thinking and it nearly didn't happen.
One Consrevative MP argued (and had a lot of support in his party for this)that:
"people have too much knowledge already: it was much easier to manage them twenty years ago; the more education people get the more difficult they are to manage."
Society would be much the poorer if the libraries hadn't been approved by parliament, and by the same measure, society will become much richer if they recieve more support in the future.
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
By the way, how often do corporate philanthropies NOT have marketing at their heart?
Seeing bad movies only encourages them. Watch responsibly
Now, as the economy is at an all time low, we've been seeing the same pattern. The usage of the library is increasing. Back when I was a page, the books that I noticed going over the desks very frequently were books on job hunting and resume writing. Now that I am in the IT department, I no longer have the opportunity to see what books are in high usage. However, I would hazard a guess that job boards and career networking web sites are prety high up there in internet usage, as would be e-mail (the top use from our perspective) and blogging. Where else can someone walk in, get access to the internet and begin to post their opinioons on politics, pop culture, business or whatever floats their boat? Free of charge? As an added bonus, many of us are placing wireless access points out there for the public. They are highly restricted to make certain that people can only use the web and read their e-mail (ports 80, 110, 143, https, etc...), but they are free access nonetheless.
Support your public library. They are really cool institutions and if their funding gets better, encourage them to grow their IT departments. I got my start in IT in a library and I've always seen libraries as a great place to start a career in IT. With the right attitude a lot of the smaller places are perfect for a high school graduate with computer skills or a college grad with a Comp. Sci. degree to start out and gain some really good experience.
Un-news
Librarian here, reading slashdot.
/all/ be followed, but the input is valuable anyway.
In fact, I take ideas for collection development* from Slashdot (among other sources) and use the book reviews here as purchasing aids just as I do the NY Times book review and Library Journal.
However, libraries are ALWAYS looking for suggestions on what to buy in specific areas. My specialty is physics (I'm not a career librarian), so I've taken over collection development* in the sciences and maths, plus computer science and technology.
My suggestion: Go to your local library, look at the computer books available (they're right in the beginning of the Dewey numbers for Non-fiction, around 005-006). Look for the "holes" in the collection, and ancient materials. Then go to Amazon.com or your bookstore of choice, pick out some additions and replacement, write down the TITLE and ISBN and (if replacing) WHAT BOOK it replaces in the library.
Now, make a list of the severely out-of-date titles in the collection that should be removed and discarded. Remember that the library still needs to serve the patrons who are still running Win95 with Works 3.0. We, for instance, got rid of six of our eight copies of "Windows 95 For Dummies", but kept those two copies just in case someone needs them. The cutoff point right now was Win95, so anything Win3.11 or earlier was removed.
Now, take your list to the library. Don't just hand it to someone at the desk--ask to speak to the person who is in charge of purchasing non-fiction books in the 005-006 range. Give that person the list, and explain to them what you've done (reviewed the collection, made suggestions) and why it is important to buy those books.
If you do this, and do this in any area of your legitimate expertise (gardening, sci-fi, etc.) you will be a tremendous friend to your librarian. Sure, they'll eventually discard the old, and buy new titles when they see them reviewed--but you can make the process MUCH more efficient. Your suggestions might not
Jim
*collection development: deciding which books to throw away, which books to keep, and what books to buy.