PUBLIC LIBRARIES ASCOMMUNITY INFORMATIONCENTRES

Audronė GlosienėFaculty of Communication

Vilnius University, Lithuaniaaudra.glosiene@kf.vu.lt

OUTLINE� Information society:

� most pressing issues� the three C�s� global reach, local touch� a case of Lithuania

� Community networks (CN) and communitycentres

� Why public libraries (PL)?� OSI library and information strategy� CN and PL: linking together

… ICT skills gap...… ICT skills gap...

… the knowledge economy

means changing skills...

… the knowledge economy

means changing skills...

Most pressing issuesMost pressing issues

… unemployment in Europe is astory of unfilled potential...… unemployment in Europe is astory of unfilled potential...

Head of Unit Cultural Heritage Applications DGINFORMATION SOCIETY

THE ANSWER IS:GOING DIGITAL

� Europe's cultural and scientificknowledge resources are a uniquepublic asset forming the collective andevolving memory of our diversesocieties and providing a solid basis forthe development of our digital contentindustries in a sustainable knowledgesociety

Conclusions of the Lund experts meeting 2001

INFORMATION SOCIETY: THETHREE C�s

�Connectivity

�Contents

�Competencies

INFORMATION SOCIETY IN LITHUANIA

� According to OSFL SURVEY (2001):� have a PC at home – 13%� have internet connection at home - 6 %� plan to have a PC at home – 13,5%� 19,5% have used internet at least once� 11,4% use internet once a week� don’t know how to use a computer but

would like to learn – 38%� work or study in computerized institutions–

70,1%� use computers at their work/study

institutions– 35% Source: M. Saulauskas, OSFL

ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS

� 73% think that infosociety will havepositive impact on country’s development

� 95% of those who have children want themto have skills to use internet

� 69% think that government does not payenough attention to the creation of theinfosociety

� 70% want to have public access to internetand digital services

Source: M. Saulauskas, OSFL

WANT TO USE PUBLIC ACCESSTO INTERNET IN/AT

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00%

Library

Post office

School

local government

Caffee

Source: M. Saulauskas, OSFL

INFORMATION SOCIETY: GLOBALREACH, LOCAL TOUCH

� Community netwoks

� Community multimedia centres

� Community activity centres

� Community information centres

� Global, regional and nationalinformation policies

COMMUNITY NETWORKS (CN)� Based on premise that access to information via

electronic means is a fundamental human right� traditionally, networks have been elitist enterprise� goal of CN is to promote computer literacy and to

provide free or low-cost access� focus of CN is to provide local or community-

based information (social service, legal, localauthority, health information)

� interactive (post a question and receive andanswer) and democratic (forums, debates, el.conferences)

PUBLIC LIBRARIES ARECOMMUNITY CENTRES

� by definition PL aregateways to knowledgeand information for thelocal community

� free, democratic, openand accessible to alland to everybody

� focus ondisadvantaged groups,fight social exclusion

� �Safety net� for peoplewith low-income, notfamiliar with ICT

� PL services reach outto kindergardens,hospitals, orphanages,elderly-care institutions,prisons, houseboundpeople, living in remoteareas

PL AS QUALITY PORTALS TO KNOWLEDGEAND CULTURAL EXPERIENCES� PL operate in an

information-richenvironment ofbooks, periodicals,music, films,databases, etc., theyare not internetcafés

� are committed tocultural diversity,life long learning

� they provide supportand instruction tothose who needassistance in using ICT,navigation or seekinginformation

� help to bridge the gapbetween information-rich and information-poor

PUBLIC LIBRARIES ALSO� have staff whose

profile is to gather,cathegorize, retrieveand deliver informationto the community

� have experience inworking withcommunities, groups(minorities, refugees,youth, pensioners) andindividuals

� have premises,equipment,infrastructure

� form a network ineach country

� can ensure thesustainability ofnetwork/project

OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE (OSI)� OSI Information strategy is based on convition that:

� human beings are not passive subjects or only economicagents seeking personal gain, but civic beings who havethe power to shape the world they share

� the ability to exchange ideas, knowledge and informationis the lifeblood of citizenship and participation

� new digital technologies hold potential to enhance civic lifethat is still largely untapped

� the strong and well established network and structure ofpublic libraries guarantees sustainability of efforts andinvestment

� OSI support to libraries in 1994-2001 was $50 mil

OSI LIBRARY/INFORMATIONPROGRAM� focus shift from core collections to

public libraries as communityinformation centres, development ofstaff expertise

� to advocate and promote changeshappening in public libraries in CEE

� creation of electronic resources indifferent languages

� to use what is achieved and to build on

OSI LOCAL COMMUNITYINFORMATICS PROJECT� Goal - to initiate digital communities

demonstration pilots� digital community is a network of local

authorities, schools, NGOs, SMEs, libraries,museums, archives and other localinstitutions

� extend model public libraries initiative to theCaucasus, SE Europe and Central Asia

� build cross-border networks to link andsupport digital communities and modellibraries

EXAMPLES FROM CENTRAL &EASTREN EUROPE� InfoBus in Kosovo: mobile libray + electronic

information and communication “kit”� Services for Roma population in Miran Jarc

Public Library (Slovenia)� Utena PL: local community information portal� Liublijana PL: information centre for

unemployed

CNs and public libraries:similarities and diferencies

� ��we find ourselves unable toimagine a 21st century in which we donot have community computingsystems, just as in this century hadthe free public library. Moreover, webelieve that the community computernetwork, as a resource, will have atleast much impact on the new centuryas the public library had on ours�.

Tom Grundner, founder of Free-Net

THREE LEVELS OF COOPERATION� CN use PL as venues to place terminals� PL support CN by answering telephone and e-

mail querries, offer public access to internet, e-mail and online discussion forums

� PL are responsible for CN itself by housingequipment on-site, providing staff to operateand administer the network, creating andmaintaining local information data bases,homepages, etc.

PARTNERSHIP� Schools, colleges,

universities� Local authorities� Employment

agencies� Businesses� IT companies� Broadcasting

� Other libraries (alsoresearch andscientific ones)

� Cultural centres� Museums� Archives� NGOs� Charities and

voluntary sector

CNs and PLs: linking together� CN focus on local digitized information;

PL are also gateways to globalnetworks

� librarians are knowledgeable about ICT,copyright, privacy, standards,government information provision andexperienced in providing FREE accessto information

� pooling resources for one networkversus two or three different ones