VICNET:A brief overview

Brendan FitzgeraldVICNET Projects Coordinator

INTRODUCTION

• VICNET FIRST 10 YEARS

•How did we get here?

• VICNET TODAY

•What do we do now?

•VICNET FUTURE

•Where to from here?

VICNET: First 10 years

The Big Idea–State Library of Victoria & RMIT

VICNET: First 10 years

CONCEPTION & BIRTH

1994: CSF Grant allocated ($340,000),

– ISP and website established

1995: VICNET launch – $1.2 million "Connecting all Victorians" from CSF Public Library partnership 1996/97:– Online Public Access funding for Rural Libraries– Skills.net developed. Target to train 50,000 Victorians

VICNET: First 10 years

VICNET: First 10 years

VICNET: First 10 years CONSOLIDATION & GROWTH

1998: Broadband technologies and big ICT projects

–Libraries online funding from MMV ($1.8 million)

1999 Rural Libraries Online Grant from Networking the Nation. ($3.47 million)

2000: Satellite roll out to rural libraries & over 1000 public access workstations operational

–Skills.net 2 - train and additional 40,000 Victorian

VICNET: Cheap, Easy & Useful?

VICNET: First 10 years CONSOLIDATION & GROWTH

2001-3 More growth

–My Connected Community program, egaps - public access

–Expand service provision to other community sectors and other states?

–Community Networking project

–2004 Review & Reassessment

–Chief Information Officer – Dept of Premier & Cabinet

– Kindergartens project ( DHS) – Connect 1300

–- State Library is focussing more on community engagement.

VICNET: First 10 years CONSOLIDATION & GROWTH

2005 New Programmes & relationships

- State Library is focussing more on community engagement.

- VOMA WoVG Multilingual Website

- Bandwidth survey- NBSIG

- Multilingual Senior Surfers (OSV)

- Vicnet/DHS ICT disability working group (DHS)

- Skills.net roadshow (MMV)

- PIAP (MMV)

VICNET:First 10 years

The 10 year summary

–VICNET Technical Crisis

–VICNET Liquidity CrisisVICNET Budget 2000/2001

Grants=$4.3M, Trading=$1.9M, Recurrent=$661KTotal Pie=$6.87M

10%

62%

28%RecurrentAppropriation

ExternalGrants

TradingIncome

VICNET TODAYVICNET is:

• A division of the State Library of Victoria

• A business unit of the State Library of Victoria

VICNET does:

• Community Web publishing

• ISP services and products – not for profit & Commercial

• Public Library projects

• Government ICT project deliverer

DRAFT

VICNET TODAY

Vicnet.net.au

VICNET TODAY

Pic vic vvl

VICNET TODAY

Open road

VICNET TODAY

http://www.openroad.net.au/conferences/2006/

www.mylanguage.gov.au

VICNET FUTURE

Content & Applications

Access Skills

More Online Engagement

More Usage More Demand

VICNET FUTURE

VICNET What sort of information are they looking for?

Information sought % response

(n=6833) Information resources 55

Literature resources 48

Information technology (PC’s/internet) 27 Photocopying 24

Av resources (videos/DVDs/CDs/cassettes) 24

Community information 17

Library activity information 12

Job search 9

Other 8

“libraries building community research”

VICNET FUTURE

• Isolation at all levels

• On-going government support role

• The role that public libraries play in reaching the “digitally divided”

• E-democracy versus E-government http://www.victorianedemocracy.info)

Digital Divide : Eternal issues in society

VICNET FUTURE

• VICNET has proved to be an extremely useful development and delivery arm for Government Info Society programs.

• If VICNET didn’t exist it would have to be invented

• Recurrent vs Project vs Trading balance

• A changed and changing environment?

• Consortiums and collaboration

• Online expectations and growth and skills

• Digitising growth & Content management needs