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July 2000 LibraryNet Monthly TABLE OF CONTENTS
GOVERNMENT DECISION ON CRTC APPEALOn June 28, John Manley, Minister of Industry, made several announcements concerning the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The first announcement was in regard to an appeal of CRTC Decision 99-16, on High Cost Serving Areas. This decision defined basic telecommunications service objectives for all of Canada, including eliminating party lines and ensuring that all Canadians can connect to the Internet without long distance charges. The CRTC ordered telephone companies to deliver this level of service where it is not already available, and decided that no new subsidies would be necessary to meet this level of service provision. The governments of Manitoba and Saskatchewan appealed this decision on January 14, 2000, asking that a new national universal service fund be created which would subsidize advanced telecommunications and information services in all rural areas. The federal government upheld the CRTC's decision. However, the CRTC must provide an annual report on the state of advanced telecommunications services at affordable rates across Canada, to help the government determine whether further initiatives are required to achieve the access objectives. The Minister also announced Canada's second spectrum auction, to take place in November 2000. Both existing players and new competitors may participate in the auction for four blocks of 10 megahertz each. These blocks will be made available in each of 14 areas for 56 licences that will cover all regions of Canada. The availability of additional spectra in these bands is expected to foster a more competitive environment for the provision of wireless broadband services, including mobile Internet access. Minister Manley also presented a "report card" on the success of the government's Connecting Canadians agenda. To read the
Minister's speech: To view the
report card in slide show format: To read the
full text of CRTC decision 99-16: HELSINKI CITY LIBRARY AWARDED BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION FIRST ANNUAL ACCESS TO LEARNING AWARDThe Helsinki City Library has been awarded the first annual Access to Learning Award, by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The library has been recognised for its outstanding practices in increasing access for all people to computers and the Internet. The award includes a $1 million grant, which will allow the Helsinki City Library to develop new initiatives to expand existing public services. "This award means we can improve our current services and reach even more people," said Maija Berndtson, Director of the Helsinki City Library. "We appreciate that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given us the opportunity to share our experience with members of the global library community. This begins a conversation that will help all of us achieve the common goal of providing increased access to technology for patrons worldwide." The Helsinki City Library, one of the first public libraries in the world to offer Internet access to the public, provides many innovative programs and services to its patrons. Among these include the Cable Book Library, which is located in the center of the city, and provides free Internet access. Patrons can sign up for one-hour timeslots, or utilize one of the "walk-up" terminals to conduct quick searches. The Library also provides numerous workstations and training opportunities throughout the city, that also target patrons who are multilingual or who have special needs. To read the
full text of the press release: LIBRARYNET YOUTH EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVEThrough Industry Canada's LibraryNet, public libraries are eligible to apply for funding to hire youth for up to 16 weeks, to work on projects that promote the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT). Public libraries have used LibraryNet funds to digitize local content, provide public Internet training, develop web sites and prepare for electronic delivery of Federal government information and services. Libraries are required to match Industry Canada's contribution with cash or in-kind funding, which can be allotted towards topping up salaries, or to paying for administrative costs of training and supervision of the youth. To be eligible for the program, youth must be unemployed or underemployed, and fall between the ages of 15 and 30. For more
information please contact: PUBLIC USE OF THE INTERNET AT CHESTER LIBRARY, UKA study on the use of the Internet at the Chester Library has been published in the electronic journal Information Research. This paper reports on quantitative as well as qualitative research into the use being made of the Internet facilities at the library, between August 1998 and May 1999. Katherine Turner (a librarian) and Margaret Kendall's (an academic) survey of 178 users reveals substantial use of the facilities by non-library members, mostly aged between 16 and 35, with only slightly higher use by men than by women. Most of the sample had received no formal training in Internet use and the most frequently used application was e-mail. Users of the Internet facilities are charged a half-hourly rate for access and are allowed to use a full range of Internet facilities on a self-service basis, including unrestricted use of e-mail and chat rooms. Cheshire Libraries do not use filtering software, however, all members of the public wishing to use the resources must first complete an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) declaration. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data about Internet users and their use of the facilities. Interviews were then conducted with nine users who had indicated their willingness to participate. These qualitative results provide examples of the value to the users of the types of information retrieved and the Internet facilities available. They indicate strong support for Internet provision in public libraries, due to the presence of trained staff and the relationship between networked information and more traditional formats provided by the library. More active promotion and publicity for the service, more training and support from library staff, and reduced charges were amongst the recommendations. To read the
full-text of the paper: SCHOOLNET AND LIBRARYNET ON-LINE CONNECTIVITY SURVEYSSchoolNet along with its provincial/territorial partners launched a connectivity survey to probe the level of Internet connectivity in Canadian K-12 public schools. Specifically, the survey was designed to collect base-line data on the number of computers connected to the Internet and the quality of connections in schools and classrooms as well as provide national benchmarks on school connectivity. Highlights from the results of the survey indicate there are 425,234 Internet connected computers, expressed as an 8:1 national ratio of students per Internet connected computer. Fifty-five percent of these connected computers are located in designated areas such as computer labs, while 34% are found in classrooms, and that 79% of the schools are connected via a dedicated access line. LibraryNet will be conducting its own connectivity survey in partnership with the LibraryNet Board and SchoolNet, from mid-August until mid-September. Respondents will be asked to complete the survey on-line, which will allow libraries to monitor results while the survey is in progress. After the completed survey has been submitted, respondents will be able to choose among reports that will allow them to compare their library to others within the province, or from other provinces. For more
information: NEW SURVEY OF CONNECTED AMERICAN LIBRARIESThe Library Research Center of the University of Illinois recently published a new "Survey of Internet Access Management in Public Libraries," prepared for the American Library Association. The survey presents information about how American public libraries are managing various aspects of public Internet access, including complaints received about Internet content, current policy or guidelines regarding Internet use, and the prevalence of filters on public access terminals. Among U.S. libraries which reported access to the Internet, 96.3% have terminals providing public access. Both the the number of terminals and the volume of Internet use in public libraries correlates to the size of their service area population. Nearly all libraries (94.7%) providing public Internet access said they have a formal policy or set of guidelines to regulate public use of the Internet. Internet use policies contained the following common elements:
One-fifth of libraries which offer public access to the Internet have a formal procedure for complaints about Internet content accessible in the library. Formal complaints about content were reported by less than 20 percent of libraries, but they were much more common in larger libraries. Complaints were received by more than half of libraries serving over 100,000 persons, in contrast to only 5.9% of those serving under 25,000. The majority of formal complaints about content (87.5%) concerned sexually explicit material. The survey asked libraries how many of their terminals used for public access were equipped with filtering software. 83.2% of libraries responded "none". Among libraries that do use filters, two in five (40.2%) said filters were installed on all of their Internet public access terminals. To read the
full report in PDF format: ONLINE CATALOGUE OF GAELIC-LANGUAGE RESOURCESTwo Cape Breton libraries have brought their Gaelic language records together into one on-line catalogue, LeughSeo. The rich Celtic culture of Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island is well known, and the Cape Breton Regional Library and the University College of Cape Breton Library have collected Gaelic materials for many years; now these diverse Gaelic collections of both adult and children's materials can be searched online. Each bibliographical record on LeughSeo provides basic information about the material and at which institution they can find it. The simple-to-use, bilingual (English-Gaelic) interface allows users to search by author, title, or subject. "We hope that both native and non-native Gaelic speakers will take advantage of this rich resource," says Ian MacIntosh, Regional Librarian for the Cape Breton Regional Library. LeughSeo was made possible through support from the Canadian Library Association and Heritage Canada's Young Canada Works in Heritage Institutions. LeughSeo is the first project completed between the Cape Breton Regional Library and the University College of Cape Breton Library under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Future plans include combining the on-line catalogues of both institutions, so that residents can view all materials available at either library. To search
LeughSeo: For more
information: NEW CONSUMER INFORMATION WEBSITESTwenty-seven federal departments and agencies have partnered with Industry Canada to make all their consumer-related information available quickly and easily through a new portal, the Canadian Consumer Information Gateway. The Gateway is designed to help Canadian consumers be informed, find money-saving tips, and check for recalls and fraud alerts. Information on the Gateway is organized by familiar topics like money, housing, food, and health. "We decided the best way to help get the information out is to create a site where even if you don't know which department is responsible, you can go to this site and find the information right away," said Michael Jenkin, director general of the Office of Consumer Affairs. "We've tried explicitly to present the information in a common sense way for people." The Gateway will be expanded in the near future to include information from provincial governments and consumer associations. Another new consumer service, the Mutual Fund Fee Impact Calculator, is a joint project of the Office of Consumer Affairs and the Ontario Securities Commission. The calculator allows investors to measure the impact of service charges and management fees on their investment returns. Visit the
Canadian Consumer Information Gateway at: The Mutual
Fund Fee Impact Calculator is located at: RICHMOND PUBLIC LIBRARY'S SPEAK, READ, SUCCEEDThe Richmond Public Library has added a diagnostic tool to its website that helps parents identify children who may be at risk for speech and language difficulties. This web site is designed to help parents determine if their child's speech, language and hearing skills are developing properly, ensuring that they have the communication and cognitive skills necessary to become fluent readers. The best indicator of a child's success in school at age 18 is the strength of their language skills when they enter school at age five. Parents can gauge the development of their children, from the time they are newborns to when they reach the age of four, using the Talking, Hearing & Understanding Checklist. The site also contains links to resources that help children become successful readers, to Canadian Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Associations, and community health networks. For more
information visit: MANITOBA BROADBAND REPORTOn June 6, the Broadband Project Office of the Manitoba Innovation Network released its white paper on "Accelerating the Deployment of Manitoba's Broadband Network Infrastructure," intended to serve as a basis for discussion on the development of affordable broadband network access throughout Manitoba. The paper surveys the different approaches available to governments in order to accelerate the deployment of broadband network infrastructure. It looks at Canadian initiatives in the provinces of Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as international examples such as the national-resource model of Sweden, and municipal infrastructure in three American cities. The Manitoba Innovation Network (MIN) is a not-for-profit consortium comprised of Manitoba's leading information technology companies, chambers of commerce, associations, universities and colleges and the three levels of government. MIN is focused on the new digital economy and in advancing Manitoba's position within the new business and social environment of global connectivity. To read the
full text of the report in Word or PDF format: NEW REPORTS ON CHILDREN AND MEDIA USEParents remain more concerned about children's television use than any other medium, according to a series of studies released on June 26 by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The three new studies examine how families use media and explore the implications of two major U.S. public policy initiatives (the three-hour rule and the V-chip ratings). For the first time in the five years that the Policy Center has tracked media use in the home, online subscriptions have surpassed newspaper subscriptions by 10 percent. The number of families with Internet access has more than tripled, going from 15% in 1996 to 52% in 2000. Across all media, use among children is growing. However, the researchers found that despite the fact children are likely to spend 4.5 hours per day in front of a television, computer, or video game, parents are more concerned about media content than they are about the time children spend using media. The Annenberg Public Policy Center was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg in 1994 to examine the role of communications in public policy issues at the local, state and federal levels. All three
studies are available on the Annenberg Public Policy Center website: CLA INTERNET STATEMENT REVISEDThe Canadian Library Association's Position Statement on Internet Access was revised in February of this year and ratified at the CLA's Annual Conference in Edmonton last month. The statement is intended to provide guidance on Internet access policy for public libraries, based on the principles of intellectual freedom and public access. To read the
full statement: E-RATE ACTIVITIESAfter an extended period of relative political slumber, the debate over the role of the government in wiring schools and libraries to the Internet has picked up steam again in Washington. Recent actions by both Congress and the Supreme Court may have long-standing consequences for the federal program known as the E-Rate, as well as for similar government programs at the state level. The E-Rate and its state counterparts have subsidized thousands of schools and libraries with billions of dollars in funding in order to connect these institutions to the Internet. The U.S. Senate has voted to pass two amendments that, if enacted into law, would add new child safety requirements to recipients of federal E-Rate funding. The McCain Amendment would impose Internet filtering requirements on all schools and libraries that receive E-Rate subsidies. If a school or library refused, they would be disqualified from receiving federal E-Rate subsidies. Currently, there are no such filtering requirements of any type associated with the E-Rate. A second E-Rate-related amendment, authored by Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), is an alternative to the McCain Amendment. This proposal would allow schools and libraries to choose between imposing filtering software and implementing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) in order to receive E-Rate funding. For more
information: PRINT-DISABLED USERS TASK FORCEOn June 19, the National Library and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind announced the formation of a task force to address the need for a public policy on providing access to information for print-disabled Canadians. While the Internet has increased timely access to information for many Canadians, standards are required on converting electronic files to the alternate formats necessary for some users, such as audio, Braille or large print. "All Canadians, including those who use alternate formats like Braille and audiocassette or voice output, have a right to the information they need to participate fully in our society," said Roch Carrier, National Librarian. The Task Force will consult with print-disabled Canadians, alternate format producers and service providers, publishers and organizations representing the print-disabled, the information sector, and government officials. By the end of October 2000, a public policy framework and a plan to ensure that print disabled Canadians can get timely, affordable and usable information should be developed. For more
information: TWO NEW E-GOVERNMENT STUDIESA study released last month by Andersen Consulting found that governments around the world have been slow to initiate online service delivery. Of 157 services which national governments could offer over the Internet, only about 10 percent are being handled electronically. Even the top five connected governments have reached only 20 percent of their online service delivery capacity. The study says that early adopters are those governments where the executive leadership has set directives for establishing services online and quickly translated this vision into action. These governments also took an "intentions-based" approach to online services, considering how the average citizen or business might want to interact electronically with government, rather than a traditional agency-by-agency approach. For more
information: Another global study on e-government, released by Deloitte Research on June 13, concludes that successful online government initiatives need to focus on "the citizen as customer" and build long-term relationships with citizens. The report sets out stages that public sector entities should go through to achieve integrated e-government, and gives recommendations for the e-government planning process. The study claims that by 2002, nearly 34 percent of citizens will use the Internet as their primary access point for government services - nearly three times the current level of approximately 12 percent. For more
information: FREE ACCESS TO SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS COMING SOONBeginning on January 1, 2001, the government of Canada will provide free access to the journals published by NRC Research Press, part of the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI). The peer-reviewed journals, covering a wide range of scientific disciplines, will be free to anyone with a Canadian IP address. (Previously, the journals were available only by subscription, site license or on a pay-per-view basis for individual articles.) The fourteen journals included in this initiative are: Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, the Canadian Journal of Botany, the Canadian Journal of Chemistry, the Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, the Canadian Journal of Forest Research, the Canadian Journal of Microbiology, the Canadian Journal of Physics, the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, the Canadian Journal of Zoology, Environmental Reviews, and Genome. Free access to these journals is made possible by funding from the Depository Services Program of Public Works and Government Services Canada. Further details will be available in fall, prior to the launch of the service. For more
information: DIGITAL SCOTLAND REPORT RELEASEDDigital Scotland is the initiative of the Scottish government which aims to ensure that Scotland obtains and retains maximum economic and social advantage from new information and communication technologies. The Digital Scotland Task Force has recently released its report setting out proposals for achieving that vision. With regard to libraries, one of the relevant recommendations is that local authorities should aim to provide affordable Internet access in community based facilities, including public libraries. The report also discusses the fact that the wealth of information available on the Internet can be overwhelming. The Task Force recommends that the Scottish Library and Information Council and other educational bodies should investigate how web sites might be signposted and accredited, and how metadata standards should be applied to content held on Scottish education-related web sites. To read the
full report in PDF format: ALBERTA LIBRARIES BRANCH RE-ORGANIZEDThe Libraries Section of Alberta Community Development has been moved from the former Arts & Libraries Branch into a newly-created Strategic Information and Libraries Branch. Punch Jackson has been appointed Director of the new branch. Repositioning public libraries for the future is a key element in the provincial government's business plan. The restructuring is intended to facilitate stronger liaisons with cross-government network initiatives, such as the Knowledge Network project to link colleges and universities with public libraries. The new branch will also be responsible for divisional business planning, strategic long range planning and information management issues. For more
information: USEFUL INTERNET RESOURCESThe American Library Association's Libraries and the Internet Toolkit has been designed to assist American librarians in managing the Internet and educating the public about how to use it effectively. The toolkit also responds to concerns about privacy, fair use and particularly children's access. The toolkit offers tips and advice on designing, implementing, and promoting an Acceptable Use Policy, discusses filtering issues, teaches children and parents how to evaluate and use technology properly, and provides examples of helpful online resources. To access
the Internet Toolkit: Current Cites is a current awareness citation journal on library and information technology. A team of librarians and library staff monitors information technology literature in both print and digital formats, each month selecting only the best items to annotate for a free publication. The resulting issue can be viewed online, or users can subscribe to a monthly mailing list. For more information: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/ Innovative Internet Applications in Libraries created by the Wilton Library Association in Wilton, Connecticut, highlights library websites that offer innovative applications to their users. Libraries from around the world are recognised, including the Winnipeg Public Library, Richmond Public Library, Thompson Nicola Regional District Library System, the National Library of Canada, the Toronto Public Library and the Wheatland Regional Library. LibraryNet's annual Best Practices list is also featured. This site is an excellent addition to any librarian's bookmarks! To visit the site: http://www.wiltonlibrary.org/innovate.html SUBSCRIBE TO LIBRARYNET MONTHLYDon't forget that you can sign up to have LibraryNet Monthly delivered automatically to your inbox every month. Just visit our website at http://www.schoolnet.ca/e/index.asp and enter your email address in the subscription form. If
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