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January 2001 LibraryNet Monthly TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. LIBRARIAN APPOINTED TO BROADBAND TASK FORCEOn January 11, Brian Tobin, Minister of Industry, announced the appointment of members to the National Broadband Task Force. The arm's-length task force will advise the federal government on how to make high-speed broadband Internet services available to all Canadian communities by 2004. The task force includes members from every region of Canada, representing industry stakeholders, digital content producers, rural communities and aboriginal groups, as well as users in the education, library and health communities. Professor David Johnston, President of the University of Waterloo, will serve as Chair. Wendy Newman, CEO of the Brantford Public Library, is Head of the Social Issues/Digital Divide/Culture and Education subgroup of the task force. "Libraries are well positioned to inform the work of this Task Force," said Ms. Newman. "They have unique strengths in providing public access, conducting user orientation, and developing useful content. They understand the nature and the impact of the 'dual digital divide' in this country. There is a compelling case to be made for sustainable national access to broadband applications, for health, lifelong learning, and a healthy democracy. I look forward to the work of the Task Force." The task force's mandate includes consideration of the needs and characteristics of communities which without government involvement will not likely gain access to high-speed services by 2004; the barriers which could delay the delivery of such services by the private sector; the roles governments might play in overcoming these barriers; and the companies and other organizations who may consider delivering these services in such communities and what the government would need to engage them. The task force will also consult with provincial and territorial governments to learn from innovative Internet deployment and usage already underway in their jurisdictions. "Canada has always faced the challenge of connecting all the citizens in its vast territory," said Minister Tobin. "We must ensure that all Canadian communities, no matter where they are, can reap the benefits of broadband Internet services." For more
information: How to participate: 2. CALL FOR "BEST PRACTICES" NOMINATIONSLibraryNet will soon be preparing our fifth annual "Best Practices" Report on Innovative Internet use in Canadian public libraries. The report is written to provide trail-blazing libraries with recognition for their efforts, and to inspire other Canadian libraries to create their own Internet applications. If you know of a library (yours or another) using the Internet in fresh ways to deliver information to assist patrons and/or staff, email LibraryNet at ln-rb@schoolnet.ca with details of the project and its URL. Look for this year's Best Practices report at LibraryNet's booth at the CLA Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, June 13 to 17. Past editions are available on the LibraryNet website. For more
information: 3. QUEBEC ANNOUNCES $2 MILLION IN NEW INTERNET FUNDINGOn January 8, David Cliche, Québec's information highway minister, announced a new phase of the provincial government's information highway fund. This new three-year program targets both Internet use in the province's 360 youth centres and the creation of content by young people in the centres. The first initiative aims at supporting the Internet access of youth centres. It envisages financial assistance for new computer equipment, Internet access and training. Youth centres can also apply for up to five free recycled computers. The second initiative will promote the development of French-speaking content on the web. Youth centres are encouraged to develop online content related to their mission or that of the local community. These projects can be in the fields of social, cultural, or technological development. Funding of up to $50,000 per project will be available. For more
information: 4. BURNABY PUBLIC LIBRARY OPENS PUBLIC-ACCESS COMPUTER LABThe Burnaby (BC) Public Library opened a new Computer Lab to the public in December 2000. Located on the lower floor of the Kingsway Branch Library, the facility provides 18 Internet terminals and 10 PCs for use by the public. The facility will be open for individual use 20 hours a week at the outset. At other times, it will be available to non-profit community groups to use as a computer training facility for their membership and staff. A range of software, including Word, Publisher and Excel, is available. The Library has received support from three levels of government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the lab. Industry Canada's Urban Community Access Program provided funds to assist with the lab costs, as well as increasing the number of public access Internet workstations at other branches. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded the computer workstations and much of the software available in the lab, as well as new Internet workstations at other branches of the Burnaby PL. Library Board Chair Brenda Wagg stated, "Public access to the Internet has taken a huge step forward in Burnaby. Thanks to the financial support of all levels of government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, our residents, irrespective of income, will have access to the wealth of content and opportunities on the Internet." For more
information: 5. GATES FOUNDATION GOES INTERNATIONALIn its first expansion beyond North America and the United Kingdom, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently announced a partnership with Chile to provide its more than 300 public libraries with computers, Internet access and training. Only a few public libraries in Chile currently have computers or Internet access. The partnership between the Foundation and the Chilean library system is expected to provide more than 1,200 computers to libraries throughout the country. The Foundation is working with the Chilean government, its Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums (the country's central library organization), and corporate and philanthropic partners to finalize program details. Hands-on training is tentatively scheduled to begin July 2001. Computer installation will follow the training. The estimated value of the partnership will be a grant of more than $5 million (US). Microsoft Chile will donate software with a retail value of $1.2 million. "This donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is making a dream come true: the creation of public libraries without physical limits, open to all. This virtual library will be able to offer equal access to knowledge and recreation to all Chileans, allowing us to build a better, more democratic society," said Clara Budnik, Director, Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums. For more
information: 6. MICROSOFT LAUNCHES AUSTRALIAN CONNECTIVITY PROGRAMOn December 6, 2000, Microsoft announced a new philanthropic program to provide education, skills training and access to technology for disadvantaged Australians. Microsoft has joined with the Inspire Foundation (a non-profit organization working with youth) to create the Digital Bridge program, which aims to ensure that all young Australians have easy and affordable access to the Internet and associated technologies. The program involves initiatives in both rural and urban Australia to provide free Internet access and training, as well as the development of local websites to profile young people and the communities in which they live. The Digital Bridge program also includes the Reach Out! Bush Network - supported by the Australian government's Networking the Nation program - which provides equivalent connectivity opportunities for people in rural areas. "While record numbers of Australians are accessing the Internet, we need to ensure that the entire community, including disadvantaged sectors, has ready access to the Internet," said Senator Ian Campbell, Parliamentary Secretary for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. For more
information: 7. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CONCERNED ABOUT DIGITAL DIVIDEThe digital divide is greater than any other inequity in health care or income between developed and developing nations, says a new World Health Organization (WHO) study entitled "Disseminating health information in developing countries: the role of the Internet". Limited access to the Internet concerns the WHO because it means no access to the potentially life-saving health information available online. "The potential of information and communication technologies still has not been harnessed systematically to bring about important improvements in the health of populations, particularly among those who are poor and isolated in developing countries." The contrasts are stark. According to the study, one of six people in the United States have access to the Internet, compared with one of 5,000 in Africa. Lead researcher Tessa Tan-Torres Edejer says even accessibility on a community level could make a big difference. "We're obviously not thinking of one computer in every home, but simply having access within a defined geographic area. There are initiatives for community way stations or kiosks where there is a computer with Internet access available to everyone in a village," she says. However, even those types of situations have obstacles, because in some regions so few people have computer skills, and those with the skills often leave for better paying jobs. To read the
full report: 8. ANGLOPHONES AND FRANCOPHONES DIFFER IN INTERNET USE PATTERNSA recent survey highlights the differences in use patterns between English and French-speaking Canadian Internet users. Of the 12.3 million web users in Canada, just 2.8 million are Francophones. According to Media Metrix Canada's report into home Internet use, between May and October 2000, the number of Anglophone Canadians online increased by 22 percent while the number of Francophones online rose by only 2 percent. Media Metrix also identified a number of differences in the way each group uses the Internet. Francophones use the Web primarily to visit government, news, education, and business-related sites. In contrast, the top three site categories for Anglophones were health, auctions, and travel. Internet users are less likely to visit government, education, and business sites during the summer, which may explain why the number of French-speaking visitors to websites dropped during that period. Another suggested factor affecting the rate of web use is Internet connection standards in Québec. While subscriptions to high-speed connections are increasing rapidly in the province, broadband is still not widely available there. For more
information on the survey: 9. WINNIPEG LIBRARY LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE INITIATIVEThe Winnipeg Library Foundation (WLF), in collaboration with an American website, has launched its own online shopping mall to support its fundraising campaign for the proposed Millennium Library expansion. Library supporters can choose to buy from over 140 merchants, including Amazon.com, Disney, Lands End, and many more popular online retailers. With every purchase, a commission of three to 14 per cent goes to the Foundation. Todd Pennell, executive director of the WLF, says "We are the first library to be listed on npsmall.com, and I believe we are the only Canadian link too." The response to the program so far has been positive, although since the mall was launched at the end of December it is too early to know what the results in terms of sales will be. "With the increase in Internet shopping, this is an ideal thing to be involved with," said Pennell. The Non-Profit Shopping Mall is a non-profit shopping website that allows non-profit organizations to raise funds through purchases. The site calls it a "win-win situation," as consumers get quality, brand name goods at regular prices, while supporting the organization of their choice with the commission. Most of the merchants involved are American, but prices are available in Canadian funds. The WLF is a non-profit registered charity working on behalf of the Winnipeg Public Library. Coming soon, visitors to the WLF website will also be able to make a donation on-line. For more
information: To visit
the mall: 10. TWO QUEBEC COMMUNITIES CREATING HIGH-SPEED NETWORKSLast month, the Laval School Board, in conjunction with the City of Laval and QuébecTel, launched a new high-performance fibre-optic network that will connect over one hundred educational and municipal establishments. The project, unique in North America, will provide the 45,000 schoolchildren and 2,500 teachers of the Laval School Board with universal access to the new educational infohighway and to the Internet. "This network helps create the new educational infohighway, an indispensable tool for our students and teachers," declared the School Board president, Pierre Bourgeois. The fibre-optic network has two unique characteristics: its extent (approximately 20,000 total km), and the fact that it integrates the various organizations based in its coverage area. The network will serve 160 educational and municipal establishments, including the Bibliotheque de Laval and other municipal services, English-language schools, hospitals, research centers, and eventually private companies. The network will also connect with neighbouring school boards, thus contributing to the development of truly regional teaching applications. For the City of Laval, the new system will offer a more efficient delivery of services and will result in savings estimated at nearly $1-million annually from the significant reduction in telephone and Internet access expenses. For the School Board, it will offer teachers and managers such possibilities as the creation of an electronic portfolio for students, computer-based training, the automatic archiving of digital data, and a host of other potential applications. For more
information: Meanwhile, the town of Brossard has launched a leading-edge project to develop a new residential, commercial and industrial zone equipped with fibre optics telecommunications infrastructure alongside its electrical power grid. Each of the 3000 private homes to be built will benefit from a broadband telecommunications link capable of transmitting voice, sound and images. It is hoped that the initiative will attract high-tech businesses to the region. "An advanced telecommunications network integrated with the electrical power grid will have a major impact on the development of the South Shore," said the mayor of Brossard, Paul Leduc. "Roads and sewers might have been the basic municipal infrastructure in the 20th century, but the 21st century will be defined by the 'infostructure' of leading telecommunications and information services. Our economic and social future will rely on efficient links and networks connecting citizens to schools, hospitals, businesses and their homes." The ground-breaking for the residential aspect of the Brossard project is planned for March 2001 and the properties will be ready to move into in July 2001. For more
information: 11. MILLIONS OF U.S. INTERNET USERS LOGGING OFF?A recent study by Cyber Dialogue found that the growth of the Internet in the U.S. has slowed significantly, based on an analysis of online growth since 1995. The drop in use is due to three major constraints, according to Cyber Dialogue. The most important of these is the digital divide - simply being unable to afford a PC or Internet access. However, one third of American adults believe they have no need for the Internet and have no intention of getting online. As well, a significant number of US adults have tried the Internet and found they have no use for it. These "former users" number 27.7 million, up from 9.4 million in 1997. The report claims that one-third of these Internet defectors are young people under the age of 25, the largest single demographic group to log off. Sally Wyatt, a researcher for the international Virtual Society organization, agrees that the main reason younger Americans are no longer logging on is cost. "Often their primary source of access was through universities or schools and they can't afford it in the real world," she says. Interestingly, the research also suggests that self-taught Internet enthusiasts are more likely to turn off than those who have had some formal training in how to use the web. For more
information: 12. CANADA WEB SITE RE-LAUNCHEDThe new and improved Canada Site was released on January 2, 2001 with major changes and improvements, particularly in the areas of faster access to commonly sought information. The most significant change is the development of three sub-portals or gateways to information. Each of these gateways contains clusters of links to information of relevance to a specific group of users. The "Canadians" gateway provides information for Canadian residents on subjects as diverse as public safety, the environment and Canada's economy. It also contains clusters of information of particular interest to specific communities such as seniors, Aboriginal people and youth. The "Canadian Business" gateway is the access point for links to government services and information, as well as resources to support Canadian businesspeople. The gateway for "Non-Canadians" contains links that will be of value to Canadians living or travelling in any country except our own, to visitors who have chosen to discover Canada, to students who wish to take advantage of the learning opportunities that Canada offers, and to future Canadians, who have chosen our nation as their new home. To visit
the newly redesigned site: 13. DIGITIZATION POLICY PAPER FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES"Going Digital: issues in digitisation for public libraries", is the latest in a series of issue papers published by the UK government's Networked Services Policy Task Group. It explores policy issues that public libraries need to consider when developing digitization projects or services, as well as providing references to more detailed sources of advice and guidance for managers. Among other topics, the paper covers:
The Networked Services Policy Task Group has also established an online archive of materials and briefing papers on key issues affecting the successful development and delivery of networked services in public libraries, including Acceptable Use Policies, filtering and copyright. The archive is intended to help inform library authorities as they develop their own networking strategies. For the full
text of the issue papers: For more
information about the papers: 14. FRANCE'S INTERNET POPULATION CONTINUES TO GROWAccording to the latest findings from Médiamétrie, reported in December 2000, Internet penetration in France continues to grow steadily. The number of adult French Internet users over the age of 18 has increased by 45 percent in a year, to 7.56 million from 5.21 million. About 16.3 percent of French adults are now online, compared with last year's figure of 11.6 percent. The percentage of women going online has also increased. Last year, only 38.7 percent of French Internet users were women but that figure has now increased to 40.5 percent. Almost 35 percent of Internet users connect every day or nearly every day, up from 28.1 percent last year. A further 37.1 percent go online more than once a month. Over half of users (54.2 percent) go online at home, while 34.9 percent log on to the Internet at work and 34 percent use the Internet from another location. Other locations included libraries, schools or universities, and cyber-cafés; however, a breakdown by location of access was not available. For more
information: 15. GLOBAL JUNIOR CHALLENGE AWARDED TO BEST DIGITAL PROJECTS FOR YOUTHThe Global Junior Challenge 2000 was a great success, with more than 580 projects from over 50 countries world-wide entered. The jury selected 90 finalists in 5 categories, and a total of 14 awards were given out at the awards ceremony held on December 4, 2000. The international competition, sponsored by the Municipality of Rome, was developed to recognize the best projects using Internet and other new technologies in the education and training of young people. These projects focus on dialogue and multicultural co-operation, the development of new teaching methodologies, and the interactive possibilities of the Internet in the education of under-privileged young people. Three projects of possible interest to Canadian students and libraries are:
To view the
complete list of winning projects: 16. AFRICAN DIGITAL LIBRARYThe African Digital Library (ADL) project aims to provide a broad, basic collection of e-books to all lifelong learners across the continent. The library opened in November 1999 with approximately 3000 titles and has already expanded to 8000 titles. The ADL is available free of charge to any resident of Africa. If the user's domain name can be identified as being in Africa, users may register immediately. If the domain does not appear to be African, users complete a short application and email it to a staff member who will manually create a user account. Titles can be downloaded and read offline, using a proprietary offline reader. The library is currently able to serve users in all African countries, although it is still seeking additional funding to increase the number of titles available for learners to access. Partners in establishing the African Digital Library included Technikon SA (a distance education institution in South Africa), the Association of African Universities, and NetLibrary (the world's premier provider of electronic books, based in Colorado). For more
information: 17. NEW LIBRARY JOURNALS AVAILABLENew Library
World The Shy
Librarian 18. CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTSPrivacy In
The New Environments The new Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act came into effect on January 1, 2001. Riley Information Services Inc. is presenting a one-day seminar and training session to provide insights into what the Act means, what the role of the Federal Privacy Commissioner will be under the new law, and the impact the law may have (including discussions of health privacy). This seminar is intended for organizations who want to understand how this new law will change the way they deal with personal information. The cost is $575 Cdn (plus GST). For more
information or to register: E-Books 2001 This one-day conference brings together information service managers, librarians, publishers and booksellers to explore the opportunities and challenges created by electronic books. Speakers will examine some of the different hardware and software technologies and standards in use, and offer evaluations of varying business models for the different market players. The conference will also look at how e-books might affect library acquisitions, and consider what service benefits and problems they might create. For more
information: To register: 19. USEFUL INTERNET RESOURCESOSS4LIB is
a website and mailing list which highlights free open-source software
that can be tailored for library-specific functions. 20. CALL FOR PAPERS"Digital
Libraries: Advanced Methods and Technologies, Digital Collections" The principal objective of this series of conferences is to promote the growth of a community of Russian experts involved in Digital Library research. The Conference offers this community an opportunity to discuss ideas and outcomes and to make contacts for closer cooperation. The Conference also promotes the study of international experience and development of international cooperation on Digital Libraries. Original submissions in either Russian or English are solicited. Extended abstracts should be e-mailed to the program committee by March 31, 2001. For more
information on how to submit an abstract: If
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