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November 1999 LibraryNet Monthly TABLE OF CONTENTS
JACQUES AND JILL AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY"Jacques and Jill at VPL," a pilot study by Ellen Balka and Brian J. Peterson of the Assessment of Technology in Context Lab at Simon Fraser University, questions some common assumptions about the impact of public Internet access on citizenship. As Balka points out, "much is proclaimed about the potential of internet public access points, but little is known about how members of the public use the internet." She observed internet use at the Renfrew Branch of the Vancouver Public Library for one week, during all hours the library was open, and performed a brief survey of patrons after their internet use session was over. Two thirds of the internet users were men, one third were women. The majority (62.7%) of internet users were under the age of twenty, and 38% of users were under fifteen. The most commonly cited reasons for using the internet were (in order) email, computer games, and chat. Most internet use that the researchers observed could be classified as entertainment. The results of this preliminary study suggest that internet users in public libraries are not engaging in activities related to the broad goals of citizenship, although social cohesion may be enhanced through the formation of local social groups. Balka suggests that "if it is determined (as our data seem to suggest) that some groups simply do not use the internet, in light of current enthusiasm about the use of the internet to promote citizenship and social cohesion, it would be prudent to determine why those absebt from public access settings are absent." She makes several recommendations to monitor the extent to which public access sites are serving all Canadians, including requiring government-funded public access sites to collect data on the age, sex, and ethnicity of users; spending a dollar on social programs related to internet use for every dollar spent on infrastructure; and developing programs aimed at teaching critical information skills and exploring the citizenship potential of the internet. For more
information: FRANCOMMUNAUTÉS VIRTUELLES COMPETITION RESULTSThe results of the second competition of the Francommunautés virtuelles program were announced on October 29. Francommunautés virtuelles is a federal program, created by Industry Canada, with a budget of approximately $1 million per year until 2000-01. The program is designed to help Canada's Francophone and Acadian communities take full advantage of information and communications technologies. The objectives of the program are to increase content, applications and services in French on the Internet and to promote networking among Francophone and Acadian communities throughout Canada. Since 1998, French-speaking and Acadian communities in all parts of Canada have initiated over 50 projects creating new networks, enhancing information technology skills among their citizens, and contributing to the growing body of on-line content in French. Ongoing projects include developing an electronic commerce application for French-speaking regions, creating a web site for adult literacy trainers in French-speaking regions, and creating a French-language e-mail interface for young people. The Francommunautés virtuelles program contributes up to $75,000 per project, or up to 50% of eligible costs. Applicants must be Canadian not-for-profit legal entities. An invitation to submit projects for the third Francommunautés virtuelles competition will be issued this winter. The deadline for submitting new project proposals is February 18, 2000. For more
information: PARENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE NETA recent U.S. survey of parents in computer households suggests that parents are deeply fearful about the Web's influence on their children. Joseph Turow of the Annenberg Public Policy Center's study "The Internet and the Family" showed that 78% of parents are "strongly" or "somewhat" concerned that their children might give away personal information on the Internet, and an equal percentage fear children might view sexually explicit material. Nearly two-thirds of parents (64%) believe the Internet can cause their children to become isolated, while only 35% say the Internet can have a community-building influence. Half of the parents interviewed (49%) claim using the Internet might interfere with parents' ability to teach values and beliefs, and 42% believe too much Internet use can cause children to develop anti-social behavior. The poll focussed on households with computers to determine what factors contribute to having an online connection. It found that despite high hopes and strong fears about the Web's potential, attitudes towards the Internet are not strong predictors of whether households will get an online connection. The data suggest that a strong determining factor of online use in the home is parents' use of the medium outside the home. The report also contains an analysis of one year of news stories about the Internet drawn from twelve major U.S. newspapers. Sex crimes regarding children were featured in one of every four articles about the Internet, and two of every three stories focussed on the negative aspects of the Internet, mainly sex crimes, pornography and privacy invasion. "The press' portrayal of the Internet is particularly significant because it directly reflects the attitudes of parents, and it may help create them," said Turow. For more
information: GATES FUNDING FOR NOVA SCOTIA LIBRARIESOn November 16, Nova Scotia regional libraries announced that they will be receiving a grant from the the Gates Learning Foundation, headed by Microsoft owner Bill Gates. $809,000 will be donated to 56 of the province's public libraries. The money is part of an initiative that has seen the Foundation award more than $35 million to libraries in the United States and Canada since 1997. The grant will fund 114 Internet workstations to increase Internet access in libraries across Nova Scotia, especially those in low-income areas. It will also pay for fully-equipped regional library training centres in Halifax, Truro, Yarmouth and Sydney, starting next spring. In addition, Microsoft Canada will make a separate gift of software worth about $327,000 to Nova Scotia libraries. For more
information: CHILDREN IN SLUMS TEACH THEMSELVES TO USE THE INTERNETA project in India has provided some fascinating findings about the potential of children to make use of computers. Slum children in New Delhi taught themselves basic computer skills and how to surf the Internet, after they were given access to a computer without a teacher or even any instructions. The findings were recently reported in the Journal of the Computer Society of India by two researchers from the Cognitive Engineering Research Centre of a prominent Indian computer-education firm, NIIT. A computer was housed in an outdoor kiosk, accessible from both the NIIT office and an adjoining slum colony, and the computer's use was observed through a video camera. Initially, the computer, which had access to the Internet through a dedicated connection, was linked to the Altavista site. Keyboard access was not given, nor were instructions provided. The earliest users were young boys from the slum colony, in the 6-12 age group. At first, they played with the touch pad. In a few hours, they learnt to manipulate and click the mouse. Barely a week after launching the experiment, the children found a teacher of their own - a second year Bachelor of Arts student, who had done a basic course in computers. Reported the researchers: "It must be realised that the 'intervention' here is situational. The children found the best resource they could." Most local children did not attend school, and had only a very limited understanding of the English alphabet. In spite of this, they learnt basic browsing and file manipulation feaures within a few days. Children invented their own vocabulary to describe some aspects of the working of the computer and formed impromptu classes to teach one another. The experiment shows that it is not just middle-class children from urban areas of the Third World who are able to self-instruct and obtain help from the environment when required. "It is imperative to repeat such experiments in other locations before one can generalise from these observations or come to any conclusion regarding the educational benefits of such a non-invasive method," the researchers caution. But they suggest that it might be possible to question apprehensions "that the ability to access and the quality of training provided will hinder the use of the Internet in the (Indian) subcontinent". ONLINE PRIVACY LEGISLATION RE-INTRODUCEDOn October 15, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act was reintroduced in the House of Commons. The Act introduces measures to protect personal information collected, used and disclosed in the course of commercial activities. The legislation outlines the concept of secure digital signatures that can be used in electronic transactions with the Government of Canada, and clarifies how the courts are to assess the reliability of electronic records used as evidence. It also gives official status to the electronic version of the consolidated Statutes and Regulations of Canada. The privacy provisions of the Bill will first apply to the federally-regulated private sector, such as banks and airlines. Three years after coming into force, they will apply to all personal information collected, used or disclosed in the course of commercial activities. Where a province or a territory adopts substantially similar legislation, the organizations covered by the provincial or territorial legislation will be exempted from the application of the federal law within that jurisdiction. Quebec already has substantially similar legislation covering the private sector, so organizations collecting, using or disclosing personal information within the province will be exempted from the application of the federal Bill. The federal legislation complements Quebec's private sector privacy law by covering federally-regulated organizations, as well as interprovincial and international data flows. For more
information: E-COMMERCE PRINCIPLES LAUNCHEDOn November 9, Industry Minister John Manley spoke at at the Toronto Public Library for the launch of the Principles for Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce. Minister Manley recognized the role of libraries in innovation on the Information Highway, saying "It is particularly appropriate that we should be holding this electronic commerce event in a library setting. I say this because Canada was the first country to connect all its schools and public libraries to the Information Highway. In fact, Industry Canada's LibraryNet has recognized the Toronto Public Library's achievements in all three of our annual Best Practices awards for innovation in the delivery of information products." The principles for the protection of consumers shopping on-line were developed by the Working Group on Consumers and Electronic Commerce, involving both consumer and business groups. They are a first step towards assuring consumers who purchase on-line from Canadian suppliers that their interests will be protected. The Principles call for: clear disclosure of a business's identity, the goods and services it offers, and the terms and conditions of sale; a transparent transaction confirmation process; payment security; protection of personal data; restriction of unsolicited commercial e-mail (spam); a fair balance of liability in the event of transaction problems; timely and affordable means of complaint handling and redress; and effective consumer education. They are designed to be consistent with consumer law governing traditional forms of commerce. The Principles are intended to provide guidance to business, consumers and governments as they adapt to the use of on-line transactions. The Canadian Association of Internet Providers and the Canadian Marketing Association already have Codes of Conduct consistent with the Principles. Other merchant groups are expected to adopt the Principles as well. For more
information: NEW LEARNING RESOURCE WEBSITECanLearn Interactive, an Internet site designed to help Canadians access information on learning, was launched last month. CanLearn is a one-stop resource that provides users with information on a range of topics including current information about loans, grants, learning opportunities, as well as career and labour market information, to help individuals plan their personal learning goals. The CanLearn initiative stems from the Canadian Opportunities Strategy announced in the 1998 federal Budget to provide Canadians with greater opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills they need for the 21st century. The site was developed in partnership between the Government of Canada, provincial and territorial governments, over 25 non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.. To visit
CanLearn: ONLINE GUIDE TO DOING BUSINESS ON THE INTERNETWant to know more about the origin, tools and trends of e-commerce? Check out "Net Gain: Doing Business on the Internet." This online guide is been designed to help businesspeople understand the opportunities that exist on-line and determine where they should start to develop an effective Internet operation. It provides a range of tips, from the basics on what and how to publish, to the costs and the latest applications and practices. Canadian case studies provide concrete examples on how best to market businesses to the world and suggest ways in which the Internet might be integrated into current operations. For the complete
text: GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO HERITAGE RECOMMENDATIONSThe Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage's report on the Information Highway "A Sense of Place, A Sense of Being" made 43 recommendations to encourage Canadian presence and content of the world wide web. Heritage Canada has just released "Connecting to the Canadian Experience," the government's response to the Standing Committee's report. The report claims that of the recommendations in "A Sense of Place, A Sense of Being," action has either already been taken, is underway or will be considered in depth for 42. The government's strongest response has been to Recommendation 3.1: "Existing federal programs should also support the creation of traditional cultural materials (books, music, films, and images) in electronic formats. In addition, the Department of Canadian Heritage, in consultation with the Department of Industry and the Department of Finance, should encourage investment in enterprises that market and sell access to these products." . Industry Canada is currently operating a number of successful initiatives to digitize Canadian content for distribution electronically. Since 1995, the Digital Collections Program (CDC) has supported over 350 multimedia Web sites. The program awards contracts to pay youth to digitize Canadian content. The CDC's success established the pilot Aboriginal Digital Collections Program (ADC) in 1998-99, which partnered with Aboriginal Business Canada to fund 40 projects that encourage greater participation by Aboriginal individuals, organizations and institutions in developing Web sites. These two components of the Digital Collections Program are important suppliers of multimedia content, with some 260 Web products available, including such cultural products as digitized versions of books or selections of literary materials, photo collections, artefact collections, oral histories, local history, geography, archival documents, Royal Commissions and other research tools. The Francommunautés virtuelles Program supports the creation of French applications, services and content on the Internet. It also promotes networking and connections among francophone communities in Canada, stimulates the growth of a French language multimedia industry, and helps to develop a francophone multimedia industry and market. A new program, GenerationCanConnect, introduces seniors to the Information Highway, helps students to develop computer and multimedia experience, and fosters intergenerational relations. For the full
text of the report: NEW MAILING LIST FOR E-CONTENT DEVELOPERSE-Collections is a new mailing list especially for those involved in developing electronic collections of information. Whether you are an archivist, a librarian, a museums professional, or another type of educational service provider, feel free to join and share experiences/information about ongoing e-collection development activities. Topics include collection development strategies, identifying/assessing/acquiring content, collaborative collecting at local/regional/national levels, and other topical aspects of electronic collection management. To join,
send the message: For more
information: VIRTUAL COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT COURSEEvery day, new resources (both free and licensed) become available in electronic format on the Internet. How does this impact traditional library collections? The School of Library & Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is offering its continuing education course on Virtual Collection Development via the Internet. In this on-line course, you'll learn how to select and evaluate these resources, what policies should be in place, how libraries are delivering electronic resources to patrons, and how to use the Internet as a collection development tool. The next session of the course will be offered January 31-March 10, 2000. The fee is US$285. For more
information: CRTC DECISION RAISES CONCERNSOn November 10, Isabelle Butters, President of the Saskatchewan Library Trustees Association and Chair of the Southeast Regional Library, commended Industry Canada for the funding which resulted in computers in almost every public library in Saskatchewan. However, she questioned the CRTC decision which may jeopardize that investment. If local public libraries, which already are finding it difficult to fund-raise the on-going costs of Internet access see a significant increase in those costs, many local libraries will no longer be able to provide the public with free access to the Internet. Telephone rates in Saskatchewan are not regulated by the CRTC, and any increases in telephone rates would have to be approved by the provincial regulatory agency. However, SaskTel, the telephone carrier in the province, is scheduled to come under CRTC jurisdiction in July, 2000 at which time local rates will be subject to CRTC regulation. Representatives of the Saskatchewan Federation of Indian Nations noted the contradiction between Industry Canada's funding of the Aboriginal Network and the CRTC decision. Representatives of other organizations also outlined their concerns about the impact of this decision on their organizations and committed to work with their national organizations to protest this decision. The decision also attracted attention at the mid-term meeting of the Saskatchewan Rural Municipalities Association attended by over 900 delegates from rural areas. LIBRARYNET REPRESENTED AT ASTEDIndustry Canada was well represented at the 26th ASTED Congress held last October in Sherbrooke. Two spokespersons for LibraryNet, Canadian SchoolNet and Canadian Digital Collections programs were present in the exhibition hall. Numerous information kits on the programs were distributed. Judging by the volume of requests for information, Quebec and other-than-Quebec Francophone libraries displayed a keen interest in incorporating computer-based knowledge processing in their environments. This year's theme of "The virtual library: between reason and passion" was entirely consistent with LibraryNet's objectives. Various workshops dealing with topics of current interest touched on such critical questions as charging for services, copyright and the new technologies, evaluation of information disseminated on Internet sites and the organization of collections in the virtual library. The full
versions of some of the presentations will be posted in the near future
on the ASTED Web site: CANADIAN WEBSITES ATTRACT RECOGNITIONOn October 18th, the online Interactive Business Planner of the Canada Business Service Centres was awarded a Silver medal for "Serving Canadians Better Through IM/IT Innovations : Improving Service Delivery to Citizens and Businesses" at the GTEC awards gala. The GTEC awards celebrate excellence in the management of information and technology in the public sector. For more
information: On November 15, the NRG Group's GirlsAreIT! initiative was named as a finalist for a Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Award in the Children category. GirlsAreIT! was created to foster an environment that allows girls to freely develop their entrepreneurial, technical and teamwork skills. The winners of the GII Awards, presented by Ziff-Davis for innovative use of technology to improve business and society, will be announced on December 14 in San Francisco, in conjunction with ZD Studios' Nextravaganza conference. For more
information: The Media Awareness Network's web site will appear in Web Feet: The Internet Traveler's Desk Reference. Web Feet is a subject guide to the best Web sites for students, researchers, and the general public that sits alongside Internet terminals in public and school libraries across the U.S. It's the first comprehensive Web guide that is interactive and updated monthly. Web Feet's recommended web sites are chosen and reviewed by a team of American librarians, educators and editors. For more
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