community libraries and the digital divide

To what extent do community libraries

address the concerns of the digital divide?

- ian clark

Let me take you back to 2010...

Let me take you back to 2010...

...this may make you a little angry (sorry, not sorry).

Canary Wharf in the dark | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/24557420@N05/6340395135/Author: *Psycho Delia* https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

‘…where some councils have handed the library back to the community, they have often turned it into a much more vibrant community organisation and space. Giving councils total freedom on libraries could mean that they create huge social value from engaging a community in running its own library, backed up with some modern technology, whilst also saving large amounts of money on overskilled paid staff…’


‘…where some councils have handed the library back to the community, they have often turned it into a much more vibrant community organisation and space. Giving councils total freedom on libraries could mean that they create huge social value from engaging a community in running its own library, backed up with some modern technology, whilst also saving large amounts of money on overskilled paid

staff…’


Dear KPMG,

Dear KPMG,

I read with interest your report about public services. Kindly **** up your ******* **** until your **** turns blue you bunch of total ******* parasitic *****. Your faithfully, Me xx

It gets better

It gets better

...it really doesn’t

I don’t believe that you just sort of roll back the state and the Big Society springs up miraculously. There are amazing people in our country, who are establishing great community organisations and social enterprises, but we, the government, should also be catalysing and agitating and trying to help build the Big Society.

Special Address: David Cameron gestures | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/8410102641Author: World Economic Forum https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

UK-Russia Year of Culture 2014 unveiling | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcouncilrus/10856653386/Author: British Council Russia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/


Approximately 88 libraries now volunteer run...



Approximately 337 mobile and static libraries closed.




Number of volunteers has increased from 17,550 to 35,818.




Number of volunteers has increased from 17,550 to 35,818.

Number of full-time staff has decreased from 24,746 to 19,308.

Obviously, these changes have implications for

users as well as for us.

the digital divide

Keyboard | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroenbennink/3382865257/Author: Jeroen Bennink https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

86% of households (22.5 million) have internet access.



10% of adults have never used a computer.




20% of UK adults lack the four basic online skills.




20% of UK adults lack the four basic online skills.

69% of C2DE lack skills.

Four key benefits...

1. Engagement in democratic process.

2. Economic benefits for the individual.

3. Healthcare advantages.

4. Educational benefits.

THE PEOPLE’S NETWORK

library commons_1456_PBurch | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pburch_tulane/4193799746/Author: Tulane Publications https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

THE PEOPLE’S NETWORK

library commons_1456_PBurch | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pburch_tulane/4193799746/Author: Tulane Publications https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

‘a vision for public libraries where they support people in reading, learning, finding information, and connecting to government and other online services, free of charge’

TWO LIBRARIES CHOSEN FOR THE STUDY...

ONE URBAN...

London(23) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/tulliodainese/17820873561/Author: Tullio Dainese https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

One rural

Amersham Spring field | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/andyburke/14193059506 Author: Andy Burke https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/


A “very deprived” area, “notorious” across the locality.



Primarily populated by first generation immigrants who ‘often don’t speak English’.




Community group established to save from closure.




Community group established to save from closure.

Required to raise £70,000pa to ensure that the library remains operational.


Operated under a Direct Services Organisation (DSO)



Council still effectively runs and owns the library.




Without the support of the volunteers, “it wouldn’t be possible to keep it open”.




Without the support of the volunteers, “it wouldn’t be possible to keep it open”.

Council provides 2/3s funding, volunteers responsible for raising the remaining 1/3.

“…then the finance committee of the council will say, well, ‘you’re not breaking even’ basically so it’s not sustainable.”

“…you get people like me who are amateurs really essentially taking over

roles from…people who are real professionals…so I think it is a real

risk because then what you end up with is...something that’s not being run

very well.”


Volunteers are not required to be computer literate before taking up a role at the library.



Council initially planned to remove computer suite.




Reduced from 12 computers to 8.




Reduced from 12 computers to 8.

Upgrading equipment not considered a priority by the local authority.


Before transfer, training was provided for users - now takes place at another location.



Computer ownership around 52% in the locality.




Internet free of charge but may consider charging.




Internet free of charge but may consider charging.

Often queues to use the computers – particularly children at the weekend.

“The problem we’ve got is the kind of formal learning, certainly anything council funded has sort of gone…we’re limited to

what we can do based on the skills set of the group of volunteers at the time.”

“…many of the adults could go to other libraries…it’s more about convenience…in the sense that if you’re 15 and you need

to do your homework on a Saturday afternoon then it might be a bit of a

problem getting to another library.”

“…the library would probably have to close if that was the scenario [if the local authority were to pull out]. I don’t think in

our area you are going to get a situation where…things become completely

community run. I just don’t think we have

the same level of interest and involvement from the right sorts of people.”


Library proposed for closure.



Campaign group emerged to save the library.




Community were required to put forward a business plan.




Community were required to put forward a business plan.

Had to demonstrate capability to staff, fund and run library, completely independent of the local authority.


Approximately £20,000 invested in book stock.



Hold approximately £30,000 in reserves.




Personal donations around £2,500 per year.




Personal donations around £2,500 per year.

Receives £6,000 per year from the parish council.


The model used “just would not work in an underprivileged area”

because “basically what you need is a population that is

reasonably well to do”.


“…a lot of our volunteers are not particularly at the leading edge of computing skills. I mean, they’ve been taught to use Spydus but if you ask them to use Word they probably wouldn’t have a clue.”


“Our public generally don’t generally need any help to operate them. The people who come in and want to work on a PC know what they’re

doing and, in fact, most of them have been using our machines for years.”

And Yet...


“…most of the people who use our computing facilities are people who will not have

computing equipment at home.”


Library offers beginners and “improver” IT classes.



Classes held in the library by skilled volunteers.




No charges for the classes.




No charges for the classes.

Wifi installed and plans for a computer suite.


Clear digital divide between the two communities.



One investing in IT infrastructure, one cannot.




Neither provide skilled support for IT.




Neither provide skilled support for IT.

Potential for disparity to grow due to financial arrangements.

Four levels of digital divide

1. Communities with no public library.

2. Communities with libraries akin to the urban library.

3. Communities with libraries akin to the rural library.

4. Communities with libraries professionally run, and delivered by trained and remunerated members of staff.

BUT FEAR NOT!

BUT FEAR NOT!

A new saviour has ridden into town...

Boris Bike | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/wurz/5001929982/ Author: Paul de Gregorio https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

infoism.co.uk/research

ian clark

t: @ijclark e: [email protected] w: ijclark.com

Blue Flow | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisholzberg/6622878345/ Author: Dennis Holzberg https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

KPMG - Payment for Success – How to shift power from Whitehall to public service customers

kpmg.com/Ca/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/Payment%20For%20Success.pdf

David Cameron’s speech on the Big Society: gov.uk/government/speeches/pms-speech-on-big-society

Public Library Stats: bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33475594

(see Public Libraries News for the latest updates - publiclibrariesnews.com)

Internet access stats

ONS Internet Access – Households and Individuals 2015

ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/internet-access---households-and-individuals/2015/stb-ia-2015.html#tab-Household-internet-Access

Online skills: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/whatwedo/learning/audienceresearch/basic-

online-skills-nov-2014.pdf

The People’s Network: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/er_eval_peoples_network_evaluation_summary_uk.pdf

community libraries and the digital divide

Government & Nonprofit