Digital divide « Thoughts of a [wannabe] librarian

E-Government and the Digital Divide

November 17, 2008 at 8:27 pm | In Digital divide | 5 Comments
Tags: Broadband, Digital divide, e-government, government, information, internet, internet resources, Public libraries, public PCs, UK, United States

I read with interest today that President-Elect, Barack Obama, intends to deliver weekly updates to American voters via YouTube. Although this is a laudable attempt to reach out to the American people, it will present issues in terms of the growing divide between those that are described as ‘information rich’ and the ‘information poor’. Not only is this a dilemma facing the future US president, it is a dilemma faced in all Western nations as e-government becomes an increasingly popular method for bringing the electorate and government closer together.

Despite being one of the most developed nations on Earth, the United States rather lags behind other countries when it comes to broadband access. According to one estimate, 57% of American households have broadband access (this compares to 65% of UK households) making the United States 15th out of the top 30 industrialised nations. This presents a major problem for countries such as the US and the United Kingdom that are keen to develop e-government. If broadband coverage remains at such low levels, it is hard to imagine how any government could substantially increase the role of e-government in the political process.

The UK government has already introduced a range of services for those that have a broadband connection. Provided you do have such a connection, you can purchase car tax discs, access information on public services at Directgov, interrogate statistics at the website for the Office for National Statistics, watch YouTube clips from Number 10 Downing Street and you can even create an e-petition on the official website of the Prime Minister’s Office. If you do not have broadband (or, for that matter, a computer) then you do not have access to these services, effectively rendering a two-tier system and therein lies the problem with the growth of e-government. There will be a sizeable proportion of the public that do have access to these resources and a sizeable proportion who do not. This is where internet access in public libraries becomes so vital. For many, this is the only way that they can freely access information that is otherwise unobtainable. If the digital divide is going to be tackled, public libraries must be at the forefront of the drive to address the imbalance between the information rich and the information poor. It is only when this divide is suitably addressed that e-government can be successful in bringing government and people closer together.

Whilst it is encouraging that the future President sees opportunities to use modern technology to bring the people closer to the workings of government, one wonders how those who do not have access to the internet will benefit. According to the previously quoted statistics, 43% of Americans do not have access to broadband and, therefore, will be unable to view these broadcasts. Instead, they will rely on rather more traditional ways of receiving such information (newspapers, broadcast media etc) which tend to be filtered and lack the personal nature of an internet clip. As the future President also plans to

put videos of government meetings online, have officials hold online ‘town hall meetings’ and create an accessible internet database of government spending so that the public can track their tax dollars themselves, [Guardian]

it is vital that the digital divide is addressed if e-government is to be a serious proposition. If not, the divide will be entrenched and a considerable percentage of the population will be excluded from the political process. Public libraries can play a massive (and vital) role in addressing this imbalance, but it also requires action taken by government. Only then can the digital divide be closed and universal e-government can be a reality.

Broadband ‘failing customers’

September 3, 2008 at 11:47 am | In Broadband | Leave a Comment
Tags: BBC, Broadband, Digital divide, government, information, internet, internet service providers, Ofcom

Been a bit slow to pick up on this report by the BBC on the problems associated with poor service standards amongst internet providers. Of course, this is a very serious problem in an age where more and more people rely on the internet as a primary source of information. It is up to Ofcom and the government to ensure that information is accessible for all, as well as ensuring that internet service providers are censured for failure to deliver their contractual obligations. Without putting meaasures in place, there is a very real danger of an increased divide between the digital haves and the digital have-nots.

A Trip to the Library

September 2, 2008 at 3:31 pm | In Public libraries | Leave a Comment
Tags: beer time, customer services, Digital divide, enquiry desk, internet, libraries, Public libraries, public PCs, Seville, shelving, Spain

Today I finally took the time to check out the public library here in Seville. I have been coming here for around six years now and, until now, I had never been (not helped by the fact that my wife – a Sevilliana – didn’t know where it was!). So I decided to have a look around and see the similarities and differences with my library back home (which is perhaps unfair as this is one of the largest cities in Spain), particularly in terms of layout and facilities.

After obligingly dumping our bags in the lockers provided, we took a stroll into the main library area. One of the things that struck me straight away was how clean everything looked. This was perhaps helped by the fact that the fixtures and fittings were all white (which is presumably a requirement given the fact that Seville hits the 40° mark in the height of summer). Back home, we have wooden shelving that probably dates from around the 60s. Although, this is an unfair comparison due to where the library is situated. It certainly looked quite impressive on first glance, with plenty of seating, as well as a variety of newspapers and magazines for the public.

There were also a couple of things I noticed that are part of what we are currently trying to achieve in our library. Firstly, the general shelving. For a long time, our shelves have been jam-packed with stock that barely shifts. There has been a general reluctance to weed stock effectively and this has had a knock-on effect with presentation standards. As a result of a major re-organisation we have managed to get our shelves to be a little more spacious and, consequently, making it easier for users to find the books that they want. We have particularly tried to keep top shelves free wherever possible to enable us to present front-facing stock, as well as ensure that as much stock as possible is within easy reach of the borrower. Although our shelves don’t quite look like those pictured from the public library in Seville, the layout is not entirely dis-similar.

As well as the shelving, I also noticed that they had one main desk for dealing with new joins, issues and discharges. I am of the belief that, from a customer point of view, this is preferable to the layout at my current library of a main desk at one side of the library with an attached enquiry desk, and a reception desk near the front door. Personally, I believe this leads to confusion as a member of the public unfamiliar with the layout is not really sure where to go. The reception desk deals only with issuing library cards, the enquiry desk with ordering (as well as the obvious!) and the counter deals with issuing and discharging. Meaning that should a customer wish to join, take out some books and order a book, s/he would need to approach three different desks, each time being re-directed. Not exactly an efficient service.

Finally, and most surprising, was the difference regarding public access PCs. Due to my particular interest in the digital divide and access to information, I was surprised to see only ten computer terminals in the public area that were for general use (ie not simply for the library catalogue). This surprised me because we have as many in our library, and yet our library is significantly smaller. In contrast to my library, there was no children’s terminal in the children’s area whatsoever (although the children’s library did look quite good – if a little sterile with all the white). I’m not sure if this is because computer terminals were trialled and were not overly successful, or whether there hasn’t been the will (or financial capability) to install computer terminals. Whatever the reasoning, it was a little odd to see that a large public library, within one of the largest cities in Spain, has such limited internet provision.

Anyway, having completed my mission to visit the local public library, I can now enjoy the rest of my holiday and forget about libraries for a while longer. I’ve got some sun to catch and some beer to drink!

Customer Services and the Digital Divide

August 20, 2008 at 6:38 pm | In Digital divide | Leave a Comment
Tags: Bookseller, Digital divide, internet, libraries, retail, Waterstone's

I was reminded today of a particularly infuriating article that was recently posted on the Bookseller website. Under the headline ‘Saving our libraries’, Martin Latham wrote an article that managed to infuriate me beyond measure (and that takes some doing). Putting aside for one moment the thought that perhaps Waterstone’s ought to get their own house in order first (yes their performance has improved, but what a sterile environment – oh how I miss Ottakar’s) before they start offering libraries any advice.

Anyway, there were many aspects of the article that irritated me, one of which was the snobbery about the growth in recruiting an increasing number of people with experience in customer services. Now, I have no problem with this whatsoever, although I may speaking with a particular bias in this case. After graduating many years ago, and struggling to obtain the Holy Grail known as a ‘graduate job’, I spent many years working in the retail sector. I didn’t enjoy it, but it paid the bills and got me through a bit of a tough time. Now, despite graduating in English Literature and History, I never believed a career in libraries would be a possibility, particularly as I had been stuck in retail for so long. I thought it required qualifications and experience, how could I gain post-graduate qualifications earning ten grand a year? It all seemed so unobtainable. And then, one day, I picked up the local paper and saw the words ‘Customer Services Officer’ and ‘library’. Well, this looked promising I thought. I met the criteria, why not give it a go? So I did and, as you might guess, I got the job (go me!).

Upon starting the job, one thing became clear to me very quickly. Even though the job was predominantly customer facing, there appeared to be a lack of skilled customer service assistants (mainly because it was not seen as a priority in the past I guess). I actually joined at the same time as another person who had retail experience and we were rather taken aback by the differences. It became very clear to me that the rot had set in years ago, when librarians were holier than thou, all knowing and were to be addressed as ‘Mr’ or ‘Mrs’, whereas ‘frontline’ staff were only allowed to perform limited functions and were pretty much treated with utter disdain by the ‘professionals’. How alien to someone coming from the outside! In short, it was clear that there was a real need to recruit staff with experience in customer services. An imbalance had occurred and needed to be addressed if the library service was to prosper. Consequently, I take issue with Mr Latham. We need customer services in our libraries and we need to up our game. Sure, I believe that there are aspects of retail that we shouldn’t incorporate into the library service, but we should certainly focus on providing a high standard of service. That’s not to say that all there should be no ’specialists’, but the scales need to be balanced somewhat.

But that is not all I took issue with in this particular article. Take this line from the same piece:

They have tried internet terminals: another dead end, as every schmo now has the web at home.

Just how out of touch could you be to make such a statement? Working in a public library, I see what good these terminals do (thankfully, according to the comments thread, I am not alone). There are a great many people out there with neither the skills or the access to make the most of what the internet can offer. These terminals are vital. Particularly given the growth in online applications for benefits, jobs etc. Take away these terminals and suddenly thousands are stranded. If we are to seriously address the growing divide between the information rich and information poor, we need to ensure that there are computers accessible for all. To deny such access, would be a gross dereliction of our duty. After all, should we not ensure access for all, no matter what the format?