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LibraryNet
Reports
- Libraries in the online Environment
- This report,
produced by the Australian Senate's Environment, Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts References Committee, does not break any new ground
but does forcefully state and advance the relative positions of public
libraries, ICTs, and the government in modern Western democracies.
- Connecting Canadians: State of the Art at Due North
- Due North
was a pre-CLA/ALA joint conference event held June 19 - 20, 2003. This
report presents a snapshot of Canada's current connectivity and highlights
the role that libraries play in modern Canadian society.
- The Impact of GOL on Public Libraries: Findings from a Probe
- This study on GOL impact by de Stricker Associates emphasizes the need for both libraries and governments to conspire and consult with one another to maximize library deliverance of GOL initiatives and programs. The information detailed was obtained though interviews with library leaders and self-report surveys returned by public libraries across Canada, and the report focuses on the particular issues libraries face in GOL delivery on behalf of governments. As well, options are presented that would allow both parties the opportunity to facilitate current circumstances and benefit from e-government programs.
- Study of the Library Book Rate - Heritage Canada
- This study by Heritage Canada includes a historical analysis of the Library Book Rate (LBR), an examination of library development over the last sixty years,
and a survey of previous LBR studies and recommendations. Drawing on the fore-mentioned history as well as surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions, the report emphasizes the value of the LBR noting that it
greatly contributes to knowledge sharing and dissemination and has value, in particular, for individuals in relatively under serviced remote and rural areas.
- Access
of GOL in Public Libraries
- This study
was commissioned by Industry Canada and prepared by the Canadian Library
Association with the assistance of ASM Advanced Strategic Management Consultants.
It examines Government online (GOL) initiatives on a global basis (with
special emphasis on Canada) and focuses in particular on the effects of
GOL on public libraries. The report notes that Canada continues to be
among GOL leaders worldwide and that the Canadian public library community
will best serve both itself and its patrons by adapting itself to the
realities of GOL service delivery. The article also includes a copious
bibliography.
- The Canadian Information Highway Debate and The Experience of Public Access in Rural Communities, 1993-1999
- This document represents a Master's thesis submitted to Dalhousie University's School of Library and Information Studies by Leo J. Deveau. It explores the process behind the development of the information highway in Canada, beginning with the government's initial fact-finding and consultation process though the implementation of SchoolNet and the Community Access Program (CAP). The thesis puts particular emphasis on the experience of rural Nova Scotian communities during the debate, consultation, and ultimate implementation of these Industry Canada programs.
- U.K.
Report
- This report
on the UK library scene outlines some of the issues, policies, and government
and non-governmental program support designed to enable UK libraries to
be key players in the information economy. It analyzes similarities and
differences between Canada and the UK on issues such as the "digital divide,"
infrastructure (including broadband access), lifelong learning, and content
development.
- The
"Tornos Report" on Tourism
- The Windsor
Public Library's Tourism Research Team developed this report for the purposes
of determining what public libraries are already doing to support tourists
and the tourism industry, and in turn discovering what else libraries
could be doing to welcome tourists to and within Ontario.
- What
are Public Library Users Viewing on the Internet?: An Analysis of the
Transaction Logs of Burnaby, Brantford, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Halifax
Public Libraries
- This report
by Dr. Anne Curry of the University of British Columbia School of Library,
Archival and Information Studies builds on her previous report (below)
by analysing public library Internet usage in 5 public locales across
Canada. The Internet sites visited were recorded, classified by genre
and subject, and the results were analyzed and tabulated for clarity.
The report emphasizes the importance of public Internet access in Canadian
libraries and reveals the diverse range of Canadian informational requirements.
- An
Analysis of Internet Use in the Public Library
- How much
do we really know about the way in which the Internet is being used in
public libraries? What sites are actually being visited? This pilot study,
by Dr. Ann Curry of the School of Library, Archival, and Information Studies
at the University of British Columbia, uses transactional log anaysis
(TLA) of data gathered from web server logs at the Burnaby (BC) Public
Library in an attempt to discover just what patrons are looking at.
- Survey
of CAP Web Sites in Canada
- This study
was commissioned by the Information Highways Applications Branch of Industry
Canada from C.J. Howse and Associates. A survey of a limited number of
CAP-affiliated sites was undertaken to provide Industry Canada with a
clearer sense of how to assist the web site building process across the
country.
- Canadians,
Public Libraries and the Internet
- This study
was commissioned by the Canadian Library Association (CLA) on behalf of
an informal consortium made up of Industry Canada, Provincial and Territorial
libraries, the National Library of Canada, Association pour l'avancement
des sciences et techniques de la documentation (ASTED) and CLA to provide
information on how public libraries are being used across the country.
- Public
Library Internet Use: Best Practices
- An annual
report showcasing Canadian public libraries which use the Internet to
provide services in new and innovative ways. Includes links to all of
the library web pages discussed.
- Government
Information Pilot Project
- In 1996,
LibraryNet was involved in a pilot project exploring the success of providing
government information (federal, provincial, and municipal) over the Internet
in Nova Scotia libraries. This report provides quantitative data on what
information was most requested, as well as some qualitative conclusions
about the prospects for public access to government information online.
- Community
Access and the Small-Town Library
- A good overview
of how Internet access is changing the way smaller and rural libraries
serve their patrons. Originally published in the November-December 1996
issue of Feliciter.
- Digitization
of the Book
- This 1996
report gives an overview of the present state of electronic text technology,
and discusses possible advances in the near future, from the perspective
of providing access to textual information for the print disabled.
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Statistics
& Initiatives
Industry
Canada's SchoolNet, through its partnerships with provincial and territorial
ministries of education, library authorities, education and library associations
and the private sector, has successfully made Canada the first nation
in the world to connect its schools and libraries to the Information Highway.
On this page you will find statistics illustrating the connectivity of
libraries in Canada.
Links to provincial and international programs which are designed to encourage
libraries to connect to the internet are also available on this page.
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Connectivity
Statistics
For Canada
by province, as of April, 2000.
On August
19, 1999, John Manley, Minister of Industry, announced
that Canada has become the first nation in the world to connect all its
public schools and libraries to the Internet.
For Canada
by province, as of April, 1999.
For Canada
by province, as of June, 1998.
For Canada
by province, as of June, 1997.
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By Province
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International
Initiatives
United Kingdom
United States
- The 1998
ALA National Survey
of U.S. Public Library Outlet Internet Connectivity presents an
overview of connectivity and Internet issues facing American public
libraries.
- The Schools
and Libraries Corporation administers the Universal Service Program,
established as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 with the express
purpose of providing affordable access for all eligible schools and
libraries, particularly those in rural and inner-city areas. The Program
provides discounts of 20% to 90% on telecommunications services, Internet
access and internal connections.
- An evaluation
report on a project to connect Pennsylvania public libraries is
available online in PDF format. [You must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader to be able to view this.]
Europe
Elsewhere
- The report
of Australia's Broadband Expert Services Group recommends that broadband
links be provided to all their schools, libraries, medical and community
centres by the year 2001.
- The report
Public Libraries and their use of the Internet collects statistics from
New Zealand showing that 68% of large urban public libraries there are
connected to the Internet, and 27% of them provide public access terminals (no longer available).
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