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August 1999 LibraryNet Monthly LIBRARIES HELP TO NARROW DIGITAL DIVIDEAs Canadian households become more connected to the Internet, income, education and age inequities are still present in the use of these communications. Public access in libraries and schools, however, narrows the usage disparity between high- and low-income households. According to Statistics Canada's 1998 Household Internet Use Survey, released last month, Canadian households increased their use of computer communications from all locations. The most notable increase was in use from home; while 16.0% of all households in 1997 included someone using the Internet from home in a typical month, this rose to 22.6% in 1998. Work use still ranked first at 23.3%, while connectedness through schools, colleges and universities, ranked third (12.1%). Library use continues to grow at a consistent rate. The higher the household income, the more likely that Canadians used the Internet in 1998. The largest disparity occurred in the workplace, where the number of highest-income households including someone who regularly used the Internet at work was over 12 times the level for lowest-income households. Disparities in usage were much narrower at schools and public libraries where the highest-income households were only two to three times more likely to be using the Internet. Last year, 4.3 million households used computer communications from one location or another, up 24.6% from 1997. These connected households accounted for 35.9% of all households in 1998, compared with 29.4% the year before. For more
information: ANNOUNCING LIBRARYNET SITE BUILDERSLibraryNet is proud to announce a new addition to its Internet Training section - LibraryNet Site Builders. Designed to help libraries create their own presence on the web, Site Builders provides links to online resources for planning, building and maintaining websites. Check out
Site Builders at: "ACCESS.CA" CARD PILOTED IN PEILast month, a new type of card was delivered to households across Prince Edward Island to help Islanders harness the potential of the information highway. The cards were delivered by the federal and provincial governments as part of a pilot project to help Island residents increase their Internet use for both business and communication purposes. Stamped "access.ca", they are free and come with an invitation to visit any local Community Access Program (CAP) site to learn more about the Internet. Upon visiting a CAP site, users swipe their cards through a computer to connect with the Access network on the World Wide Web. With free on-line registration, users receive a "portal," or personal opening page, they can build from a number of recommended Web links. Once built, the portal can contain channels for communicating with friends and relatives, finding news and other information, or connecting with government and community services. The portal can be saved for future use, and adapted later as the user's computer skills develop. The goal of the pilot project is to attract more novice users to the Internet and to help them organize jumbles of Web information in a more convenient way. The pilot project runs until October, when feedback from users will be collected to enhance the service. Costs are being paid by Industry Canada's Connecting Canadians program. Roll-out of the Access network to other provinces and territories is expected by next spring. For more
information: LIBRARIES' ROLE IN HERITAGE ACKNOWLEDGED IN STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT"A Sense of Place, A Sense of Being: The Evolving Role of the Federal Government in Support of Culture in Canada" was released by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in June. Based on a two year study of the evolving role of the federal government in support of Canadian culture the report focuses on the exponential evolution of communication technologies, the globalization of economies and trade, and the rapid pace of demographic change in Canada. It points to public libraries as examples of institutions using communications technology to make their collections and holdings more widely accessible. The report recommends that the federal government continue to provide public libraries with "among other things, resources to install and sustain what librarians refer to as community access points, that is, a computer terminal with on-line access to the Internet." Of 43 recommendations in the report, several others are of some interest to libraries:
The full
report is available online at: E-PUBLISHING REPORT RELEASEDA revised StatsCan report on the Electronic Publications Pilot (EPP) is now available online. The report describes the EPP, which was conducted from September 1996 to September 1997 as a joint initiative of Statistics Canada and the Depository Services Program (DSP), to assess the impact of replacing some print government publications with electronic equivalents via the Internet in depository libraries. Some of the major conclusions of the report cover resources and training, selection of publications for conversion to electronic format, publication functionality, and access and archiving. Training was identified by the majority of EPP participants, public libraries in particular, as an essential element for successful transition to electronic dissemination. There was also overwhelming support from EPP participants for a centralized and permanent electronic archive. The full
report is available at: NEW COMMUNITY NETWORKING DATABASEWhat sort of education network projects are underway in Canada? How are telecenters being set up in Africa? Are there any telemedicine projects in Australia? Are manuals available that describe how to run a community network in the United States? Tachyon's Community Networking web site will provide descriptions of significant sites, projects, papers, and events relating to networks serving schools, libraries, public access sites in non-profit organizations, health centers, and cultural institutions around the world. So far, about two hundred projects worldwide are profiled, including Canada's Community Access Program and LibraryNet. The editors are soliciting suggestions for other projects to be included. Search or
browse the database at: BBC RADIO LOOKS AT THE NET"The Net Result" is an 8 part series currently being broadcast by BBC World Service Education. Aimed at intermediate level English speakers, the series looks at how different communities are using the Internet. Stories featured include telecabins in Peru, where people use the Internet to search for jobs and keep in touch with their families; Cyberstreet in London; a new telecentre in Africa where farmers and non-literate people are taught to use the net; residents in a retirement village learning to use the web at 75 and older; and Kosovan refugees reunited with their families through a website. For more
information and links to some of the projects listed above: ADAPTIVE INTERNET TECHNOLOGY IN BCBlind and sight-impaired library patrons can now surf the Internet at Greater Victoria public libraries, thanks to a grant from Industry Canada's Community Access Program (CAP). Over sixty thousand dollars' worth of new equipment, including voice-controlled software, large-screen monitors, and a magnifying system, was installed at three library branches. The equipment can also be adjusted for wheelchair access. Oriano Belusic, a member of the Canadian National Federation of the Blind, said that Greater Victoria is home to four to six thousand blind and severely visually-impaired people. For more
information: RICHMOND LIBRARY CONTINUES INTERNET EXCELLENCEThe Richmond (BC) Public Library continues to provide innovative Internet services to its patrons and community. Besides being included (for the second time) in this year's LibraryNet "Best Practices" report, the library's web page was named top local website by the Richmond News in April of this year. The RPL also offers Internet workshops targeted at specific patron groups. For example, in May, girls 11 to 16 years old learned how to set up email accounts, find web sites and chat groups, and apply "street smarts" to the Internet in a 90 minute session. For more
information: LIBRARYNET TIG SUBSCRIBERS GET DISCOUNT ON SEARCH TUTORIAL"Mastering Web Searching" is an online distance education course for building skills in using Web search tools and applying Web search strategies offered through Continuing Education at the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto. The next session begins September 6 and continues to October 18, 1999. This course is offered to all LibraryNet TIG (The Internet Guide) subscribers for $215 Cdn - no tax. (The regular price is $290.) This course will help you find the information you need faster. It covers subject guides and directories, search engines, meta-searchers, desktop software, and teaches you how to apply syntax in keyword searches, mine newsgroups and mailing lists, locate specialty services, and find people. Registration and payment are required by September 6, 1999. Please quote your TIG Username. For more
information or to register online: DIGITAL COLLECTIONS HAS MOVEDCanada's Digital Collections (formerly SchoolNet Digital Collections) and Aboriginal Digital Collections recently moved to a new server. Change your bookmarks and pass this message on to anyone who might be interested in visiting the site. Remember, the next competition for proposals to digitize content closes October 1, 1999. The new URLs
are: CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTSDigital
Resources for the Humanities 99 This is an annual conference whose goal is to bring together the creators, users, distributors, and custodians of digital resources in the humanities. For the three days of the conference, 22 publishers, data providers and researchers will exhibit 45 products ranging from works-in-progress to well-established resources. These products are for teaching and research across the humanities and social sciences, ranging from "Electronic Beowulf" to "Glacial Analysis: An Interactive Introduction." To view the
online catalogue for the exhibition: For more
information or to register: Virtual
Reference Desk 1999 Annual Digital Reference Conference Digital reference is quickly becoming a popular way for libraries and other organizations to provide subject expertise and information referral to their users. However, digital reference service providers find that as numbers of inquiries rise, they must struggle to provide timely, quality responses in an efficient manner. This conference explores the challenges involved in providing quality digital reference service. It will present solutions to prepare organizations with the information and skills necessary to provide quality, efficient digital reference service. Scheduled speakers include representatives from AskERIC, the Virtual Reference Desk, KidsConnect, the Internet Public Library, and other cutting edge practitioners and experts. For more
information or to register: 26th
Annual General Meeting of ASTED (Association pour l'avancement des sciences
et des techniques de la documentation) How can information specialists make use of developments in information technology while taking into account user services, human resources, and financial and technical constraints? Sophisticated tools allow for location and consultation of documents around the world; information without borders is nearing reality. The role of a specialist in documentation and information is increasingly essential. Be sure to drop by Industry Canada's booth where Christine Belle-Isle, Librarian and project officer for Canada's Digital Collections, will be delighted to greet you. For more
information or to register: If
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