The Changing Face Of The Public Libraries (ju)

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Digital Public Libraries: The Changing Face of the Public Library in the Developed Countries Kanchan Kamila Senior Librarian Kulti College Kulti

Subal Ch. Biswas Professor, Dept. of Library & Information Science, Banaras Hindu University

Abstract: Discusses about the digitisation projects of public libraries in developed countries; the terminological change and mode of services of public libraries in the age of Information Technology.

1 Introduction Capturing the hearts of library users is what public libraries aim to do in the 21st century, but it doesn’t stop there. Developing new services and reaching out to local communities is not enough – libraries must be able to demonstrate this. Libraries have to prove that they can change lives, that they are relevant to 21st century society, and that they do listen and respond to the people they serve [10]. It is the hearts and minds of local authority chiefs and national politicians that need to be ‘nurtured’ when it comes to securing vital funds. With computers and web sites to maintain and electronic services to deliver, libraries need budgets to cover replacement costs, upgrades, software licenses, subscription fees, etc. Lottery funding may provide the necessary kick-start, but sustaining new equipment and systems requires forward planning and flexible budgets. Public libraries and elected members must act to raise the profile of public libraries; they must convince council leaders and politicians that libraries play a key role in delivering national agendas; if libraries raise their profile they will attract bigger slices of local authority and national budgets; funding for libraries is low and does not reflect their contribution to national agendas; funding is low because libraries have a low profile, and politicians and council chief executives do not acknowledge the contribution libraries make; libraries are not recognised for what they do because librarians do not shout loudly enough and politicians are unaware of the contribution libraries make [5][13]. 2 New Shapes of Public Libraries The library as a quiet place full of books is, in many cases, giving way to the multi purpose community centre featuring multimedia resources, cyber cafés, ranks of computers, and even crèches. However, this trend, as exemplified in Idea Stores [11] and Discovery Centres [6] is not welcomed by everyone. The new centres

2 tend to be busier, noisier places, and there are those who cherish the quiet space, books on shelves and solemn dignity of the traditional library. The ‘Idea Store’ brand was launched in 1999, and has been hailed as ‘a grandbreaking concept’ and ‘the future of urban libraries’. The flagship store is in Whitechapel, East London, and is conveniently placed for shoppers in front of a Sainsbury’s food store. The ‘Idea Store’ in Bow has been a success; it averages around 1000 visitors a day, compared to 250-300 in the old library building. In ‘Idea Store’ the visitors will not encounter ‘stern librarians’ or ‘shelves of books’, but a café. Books do exist, but they are located ‘around the corner, en route to the children’s play area. ‘Discovery Centres’ are Hampshire County Council’s version of the London ‘Idea Store’. The ‘Discovery Centre’ [12] concept is described as follows: Young people-friendly, with an entertainment zone – a thriving environment to meet friends and choose from the latest collections of DVDs and CDs, and a study area for those who want to read or do their homework in peace. When possible cafés and crèches will be introduced encouraging customers to take a leisurely approach to using the array of facilities. Technology will play a big part in making services accessible. Where limited space prevents the physical presence of some facilities, virtual access will be provided via the computers of the People’s Network. As for books, there are claims that they are being marginalised in these new community centres; bookshelves are being removed to make space for cafés and rows of computers and book budgets are being cut to pay for electronic resources. These arguments tend to go round and round. But public libraries have to modernise; because libraries should not be defined by the equipment they provide or the stock of materials on their shelves; libraries should be measured by the services they deliver, the experiences they enable and the environment they create [1]. 3 Public Libraries and Grids for Learning David Cheetham, project manager for the East Midlands Broadband Consortium (EMBC) [7] gave a speech on the role of the broadband consortium, one of 10 regional networks in England established to deliver high speed network connectivity to all Britain’s schools to broadband by 2005/06. The consortium aims to add value to teaching and learning by fostering collaboration in the region. The consortium has already established a region-wide managed learning network for schools, adult learning centres, libraries and museums. Users in schools can retrieve the information they want far more quickly than if they were using an internet connection, removing the ‘dead time’ sometimes associated with internet use. The local access node may be a public library or a secondary school. EMBC is aiming for 2Mbps (Megabits per second) symmetrical connectivity to all schools by June 2005. Connected schools already link to SuperJANET 4, the higher education network and other regional grids for learning.

3 The strategy for developing content is to foster a practice-oriented approach to develop and support e-learning. Each local e-learning access point has purchased its own e-learning platform which facilitates the posting of content by teachers. David demonstrated some of the learning content that had been created and was being held on one such e-learning platform. He also impressed upon the audience the innovative uses to which technologies such as flash were being put in order to enhance the learning experience. Although schools can limit access to this content, it is hoped that most schools will choose to release it to the wider community. It is only through making this content widely available for reuse that good practice can be encouraged. The scheme also makes available to all schools content that was previously difficult to obtain. For example a partner, Channel 4, makes available learning and teaching content. Master classes are also facilitated – if a visiting US professor gives a lecture at one school, the lecture can be made available to all schools. David sees the initiative bolstering mobile learning for the many adults who do not undertake adult learning or visit libraries. As part of the ‘wider aggregation agenda’, the consortium makes available free laptops with wireless connections to host organisations. From a public library perspective, mobile learning is an exciting development because it is developing the infrastructure to connect libraries, museums and schools. Schools (or museum visitors) will be able to view Web-based library OPACs (Online Public Access Catalogues) from the e-learning platform and to view videos, CDs, books or journals which complement their curriculum. 4 Critical Literacy and Reader Development Bob Parson and Mark Williams of Coventry City Libraries [4] gave a lively overview of their efforts to promote reader development and to engage socially excluded youngsters in reading activity – and showed that initiatives don’t have to be digital to be effective. Bob outlined the strategy for reader development for adults which included setting up reader groups outside libraries – in art galleries and coffee bars, for example by putting ‘funky’ postcards in these venues advertising the groups. Groups have been established thanks to this initiative and Coventry aims to facilitate these groups, not run them, so that they become self-sustaining. The library service also aims to support people in their choice of reading, whether they borrow books or buy them. 5 Digital Citizenship in Gateshead Rachel Peacock, reference and information manager for digital citizenship at Gateshead Library Service [9] outlined Gateshead’s ‘AskaLibrarian’ and WebLog initiatives to engage citizens in digital interactions with the library.

4 The ‘AskaLibrarian’ scheme is currently in pilot phase and receiving around four enquiries a day although it has not yet been formally launched. It is a live help service offering answers to enquiries in real time. A UK library first, it uses ‘page push’ technology to offer reference enquiry information in a new format for users in the library, at home or outside the Gateshead area. If there is a virtual queue for the service, library members have priority over non-members. The pilot has been running since June 2002 and the enquiries generally fall into these groups: council-related, tourist information related or obscure. Rachel highlighted that the breadth of queries demonstrated that users feel the library is a real reference source – not just a place where they can borrow books. 6 Action Plan for More Library Orientation Andrew Stevens, senior policy advisor (libraries) for Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries [13] focused on Resource’s role in drawing up an action plan from the DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Support) Framework for the future strategy. The strategy included: devising a high level national route map; implementing a national framework with local delivery responsive to local needs; introducing a three-year plan working towards a 10year vision, (distributed by Resource in September 2004); aims for sustainable improvement; and establishing credibility in improving services. The transformation of public libraries is the first and principal area of work for national public libraries, comprising: • • • • • • •

Having a marketing approach – to give libraries improved visibility and to communicate their role and value Leadership – helping to ensure that the £800m spent yearly by local government on public libraries is allocated as effectively as possible Measuring the vale and impact of libraries – helping to improve libraries’ relevance to people’ lives – communicating that libraries can offer more than borrowing books Effective advocacy of libraries – starting with local authority chief executives and national policymakers Developing and sharing best practice – through mentoring, case studies and partnerships Linking library performance into local authority assessments Improving services

Andrew Stevens not only had responsibility for developing the action plan but for driving all the interlinked work packages, (bar digital citizenship which is led by David Potts). The themes are: • •

Building capacity to transform public libraries through better quality of leadership and workforce skills Books, reading and e-learning – working with services from the Early Years Library Networks for the under-5s and their parents through to the University for Industry/Learndirect

5 • •

Digital citizenship – helping libraries to deliver e-government initiatives Community and civic values – libraries can expand their roles to help overcome social exclusion

Upcoming related key programmes are: • •

Public Library Fund Analysis 2003/2004 Revised library standards 2004/2005, which will comprise a review and update of public library standards and research into the impact of standards on performance and external assessment

7 E-Books and E-Audio services in Public Libraries Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and MP3 players are already being piloted in several public libraries to deliver e-books and e-audio [3] [8]. Handheld devices provide an excellent vehicle for the delivery of mobile portable services to specific groups of users, such as people with disabilities or who are housebound. It is too early to predict how widespread ownership of PDAs and other mobile devices will become, or whether the loaning of these devices by libraries will be success. Converged technologies like third generation (3G) mobile phones may prove more popular as they offer the portability, versatility and freedom users expect and value. 3G phones are available but they are expensive, whereas PDAs have dropped in price. Libraries will have to bide their time, and respond to demand if and when PDAs and 3G mobile phones reach critical mass in ownership. Texting or SMS (short message service), for example, has been adopted by some public sector departments as a means of communicating with the public or to provide news [15]. Texting offers a cheap, effective and nonthreatening method of contacting or informing citizens, particularly young people for whom texting is a popular and often first choice means of communication. 8 Conclusions Michael Morpurgo felt the change of name to ‘Discovery Centre’ was ‘pretty silly’, and he seemed the Audit Commission’s (UK) line that libraries did not offer enough choice of books. Budgets were a problem, he acknowledged, and when money was tight computers were likely to take precedence over books. The ideal solution, he suggested, was for libraries to be allocated bigger budgets to enable them to buy computers and books in equal measure. The world we inhabit is a different one and public libraries cannot stand still, they have to evolve to survive. Striking a balance between the traditional and the new is a difficult task and trying to provide something for everyone, irrespective of age or social group, is a hard task. Libraries should be for everyone – but again this is an ideal that can be hard to realise. However, Michael Morpurgo referred to the library model adopted in France, which he thought offered the best of both worlds. In France there are ‘bibliothéques’ and ‘mediathéques’; the former offers books and a quiet place to read and study, whilst the latter has IT facilities and multimedia resources. The Bibliothéques de Reims [2] provides information in French and English, and

6 although the English is a bit quirky in places, the message contained in the mission statement is clear in either language: Our missions are: to maintain and develop the practice of reading for children and adults, to ensure access to the various forms of cultural expression, to help discovering the pleasure of learning, to guarantee free access for all to the new supports of information and new technologies as well multi-media, to ensure conservation of the written inheritance and particularly local patrimonial collections, to support the initial and permanent formation, to allow everybody the possibility of updating his scholarly or professional assets, to be a place of discovery, meeting, exchanging ideas and promoting well being in the city. Our observation is that public libraries are increasingly treading the same path as academic libraries in their support of learning and the provision of ‘hybrid services’ i.e. electronic and traditional print resources. The library is becoming a place where reading and quiet studies co-exist with the hurn of computer –use and group activities. In the hybrid model, collection management becomes more complex, and staff need a mix of new skills, ranging from the negotiation of site licenses for e-collection development through consortial approaches, to managing digitisation projects, and training and supporting users in the networked environment. As 2003 drew to a close the spotlight was on the use and abuse of Information Technology (IT) and infection of viruses, worms and trojan horses invaded international networks although the contribution of IT was so much havoc. So we have to protect the viruses, worms and trojan horses to get the routes of knowledge [14].

7 References 1. Audit Commission (2002). Building Better Library Services. ACKnowledge. Learning from audit, inspection and research. Available: http://www.auditcommission.gov.uk/ 2. Bibliothéque de Reims: http://www.bm-reims.fr/ 3. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Library and Information Services: http://library.blackburnworld.com/ 4. Coventry City Council Libraries and Information Services. http://www.coventry.gov.uk/cocoon/services/educationlibraryservices/ librariesandinformationservice 5. Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (February 2003) http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/publications/archive2003/frameworkfuture .htm 6. Discovery Centres, Hampshire County Council. http://www.hants.gov.uk/rh/discoverycentres/ 7. EMBC http://www.embc.org.uk/ 8. Garrod, P. Ebooks in UK libraries: where are we now? Ariadne Issue 37. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue37/ 9. Gateshead Library Service http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/libraries/ 10. Hearts and Lives: public libraries nurturing local communities. Public Library Authorities Conference 2003. 16-19 September. Palace Hotel. Torquay. 11. The Idea Store Web site: http://www.ideastore.co.uk/ 12. Radio Four. The Today Programme. Presented by Edward Stourton. Available as an audio clip on Listen again, broadcast on 27 February 2004 at 0843a.m. 13. Resource (September 2003). Framework for the future: Action Plan 20032006.http://www.resource.gov.uk/ 14. Roberts, P. Security worries for 2004. PC World.com. 2 January 2004. http://www.pcworld.com/news/index.asp 15. Wills, D. Do it by text. Government Computing. December 2003. pp. 1416. http://www.kablenet.com/