3. Public Libraries and ICT Services: Value and Impact
3.1 Introduction
As Chapter 2 indicates, government policy seems likely to ensure that ICT facilities for public use in UK public libraries will expand rapidly in the next few years, providing a network of access to information, learning opportunities and other services. Strategic priorities such as social inclusion and lifelong learning have enabled public libraries to claim a role as key delivery points for ICT access, and they have been successful in attracting considerable funding from a variety of initiatives.
Much of the capital funding for ICT infrastructure has come from sources external to core library funding. It seems unlikely that this trend will continue in the long term, however, and the funding of maintenance and replacement and upgrading will therefore be a long-term issue. Thus, in addition to the need to provide evidence to central government of the value and impact of ICT-based services, library managers will increasingly need to persuade local policy makers and elected representatives that libraries offer value for money locations for ICT-based public services - both in absolute terms and in preference to other possible service points. Measures and indicators will need to be developed and implemented to provide managers, funders, and policy makers with reliable information about the uses made of these services and how they contribute to national and local government social, economic and other agendas.
The UK government has become more proactive in introducing formal reporting requirements for public libraries in recent years. Current measurements of library performance, as required by the Audit Commission and as part of Annual Library Plans, tend to be quantitative measurements and still focus on the traditional elements of library services such as numbers of service points, book issues, etc. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport library standards consultation paper, for instance (DCMS, 2000), whilst recognising that "ICT development is a key issue" concentrates on standards which "recognise the importance and popularity of print-based services and community resources". Community resources are, of course, increasingly electronically delivered; however, only two ICT standards were suggested, one relating specifically to the provision of online catalogues (OPACs), the other being a figure for total number of workstations (7 per 10,000 population) including OPACs. The final standards document for England, published in February 2001, revises this figure downwards (to a minimum of 6 per 10,000) although the Welsh standards retain the earlier proposed level. The final version also expands the definition of 'workstation' to include those terminals with access to the Internet, although this is not a compulsory requirement. The document points out that all static service points are expected to provide public Internet access by the end of 2002 (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2001).
Whilst it is valid to state that the provision of ICT services is still very much in the developing stages, these do seem a little unambitious even for those libraries still to benefit from significant investment in this area. The standards also include a measure relating to annual visits to a library's web site, although the DCMS acknowledges that no data is yet available to set this particular target (it will be defined as the top quartile of all authorities). However, it is notoriously difficult to gather such data reliably, or to interpret it in any meaningful way, as "hits" to a web site do not directly relate to individual instances of use and may reflect success in promoting the URL to search engines more than anything else. Far less do such statistics reveal anything significant about satisfaction, usefulness of the information retrieved, etc.
There are, however, signs of a growing awareness that some other forms of evaluation, particularly of a qualitative nature, are required to genuinely assess value and impact of all public services, rather than just levels of provision or service performance. Thus the Audit Commission performance indicators for 2000/2001 (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1999) include the assessment of satisfaction levels of customers (those seeking a particular book or piece of information). Since customer satisfaction is at the core of quality management, these shifts can be taken as indicative of an increasing concern with the quality, as well as the quantity, of provision. As part of local government, libraries are required to participate in the ongoing Best Value programme, placing "a duty of best value on local authorities to deliver services to clear standards - by the most economic, efficient and effective means available" (Audit Commission, 2000). Best Value will be a continuous process of service improvement and includes consultation with users as a key component, something with which public libraries are very familiar (Liddle, 1999).
The library and information service sector itself has also been active in developing appropriate performance indicators. Within the EQUINOX project (Brophy, 2001a) there was a concerted pan-European effort to identify a set of performance indicators for the electronic library, to complement the traditional library set published in ISO11620 (International standards Organisation, 1998). The EQUINOX set was intended to be applicable across all library sectors, although it was recognised that some variations might be necessary to provide for regional and local differences. The final set (although still subject to development, and likely to be issued by ISO as a Technical Report) was as follows:
- Percentage of the population reached by electronic library services
- Number of sessions on each electronic library service per member of the target population
- Number of remote sessions on electronic library services per member of the population to be served
- Number of documents and entries (records) viewed per session for each electronic library service
- Cost per session for each electronic library service
- Cost per document or entry (record) viewed for each electronic library service
- Percentage of information requests submitted electronically
- Library computer workstation use rate
- Number of library computer workstation hours available per member of the population to be served
- Rejected sessions as a percentage of total attempted sessions
- Percentage of total acquisitions expenditure spent on acquisition of electronic library services
- Number of attendances at formal electronic library service training lessons per member of the population to be served
- Library staff developing, managing and providing ELS and user training as a percentage of total library staff
- User satisfaction with electronic library services
The final indicator reinforces the point that measuring quality of provision is of increasing importance. Further details of the EQUINOX approach are available at the project web site at http://equinox.dcu.ie/.
These developments combine with an increasing interest from public library authorities themselves, particularly in light of a focus on more formal provision of lifelong learning opportunities and development of ICT learning centres, in finding ways of demonstrating the value of what public libraries provide and the impact of, particularly, ICT services on the individuals and communities using them.
3.2 Research context and areas of concern
One of the key issues for public libraries is, therefore, that of proving that they are the most suitable location, or at least one of the best placed, for ICT services to be accessed. Library usage figures interpreted broadly do support the claim that the public library is indeed a "democratic" institution, open to all:
- Public libraries are already used by 58 per cent of the population. They are a first stop for information, they are widely used by children and young people as an adjunct to formal learning, and their reputation for supporting the knowledge-seeker is unparalleled. Their unique combination of resources, services and personal support attracts some 1.3 million visitors every working day, and 10 million users visit frequently - at least once a fortnight. Library staff respond to over 50 million enquiries each year, on a universal range of topics. (Library and Information Commission, 1997).
A policy statement from the Library and Information Commission on libraries and social exclusion (Library and Information Commission, 2000) stated that:
- By their very nature libraries and information services already embody the values necessary to contribute to a socially inclusive society.
However, the evidence to support such statements is at present mixed. Research such as that carried out recently by Leeds Metropolitan University into how and if libraries specifically tackle issues of inclusion provides a challenge to the image of the library as an inherently "democratic" institution (Muddiman et al., 2000). Previous research has highlighted, for instance, that service provision for those from ethnic minorities may be less than satisfactory. The Public Libraries, Ethnic Diversity and Citizenship study (Roach & Morrison, 1998) found, for instance, that the "public library service has not yet managed to engage freely with ethnically diverse communities", and that its structure "is restrictive in terms of service access and denies ethnic minorities a stake in the public library system."
One of the recommendations of this report related specifically to information technology, arguing that ICT would "become increasingly important … and … extend access and choice," but warning that ethnic minority communities which do not currently use public libraries may not have access to new technologies:
- Efforts should be made to lock community sector organisations into the growing information technology networks and to develop the capacity of those organisations currently seeking to address needs not being met by the public library service. (Roach & Morrison, 1998:173).
Projects such as those typically receiving awards in the annual UK "Libraries Change Lives" scheme also indicate that librarians are becoming increasingly aware of the need to target and address the needs of specific groups within their communities (Library Association, 2000). These projects often involve the use of ICT.
It has also been suggested that behind these problems lies the issue that public libraries are trying to become "all things to everybody" (Comedia, 1993) delivering traditional core services (such as book lending), taking on a variety of other roles and becoming ICT learning centres within their communities. Kinnell and Sturges (1996) comment:
- At the heart of the issues surrounding public libraries, from their inception up to the present day, has been an imprecise formal definition of their role. Should they be a medium of education and instruction, an information source, a cultural focus for communities, or an addition to people's leisure pursuits through the lending of fiction? … There is so much that (public) libraries do and so much that they could do.
It is not surprising that some researchers have questioned the perception that ICT access points automatically belong in libraries, suggesting that libraries may not always be best placed to tackle some issues such as levels of user comfort with the technology or training needs, and, specifically, challenge the claim that libraries are the ideal - or only - location for such services.
- Just as problematic to the library system's claims to being the most appropriate site for public internet access is the terms in which such claims are made. In addition to showing they are well trusted and frequently visited public sites the argument is usually made that libraries' core mission is information provision and that computers and the internet are merely the current means through which such needs can be satisfied. Thus the World Wide Web is sometimes described as simply a large library. Analogies are frequently employed to suggest that new technologies are merely new means of doing familiar things. Such forms of argument are undoubtedly powerful but do have a number of limitations. Specifically they underplay the significance of the combination of elements and the qualitative developments that occur through the use of a new medium. They also tend to ignore 'those forms which are not in any obvious way derivative, and which can be usefully seen as innovating forms' of the media itself. By using such analogies to justify placing the technology within the remit of an organisation associated with one of the earlier forms, libraries risk exaggerating these tendencies by stressing some aspects of the use of the internet over others. (Liff, Steward & Watts, 1999).
In support of this, the same authors comment that whilst librarians are comfortable with use of the Internet as an information or research facility, there exists some discomfort with other uses (e.g. email, chat rooms), although these services are usually allowed. This is certainly a justified analysis, as is evidenced by discussion on the lis-pub-libs email discussion list (archives available at: http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/lis-pub-libs/) about "appropriate" use of Internet facilities, with some libraries seeking to restrict use to "serious" use.
- As we do not charge, we feel that we have more rights to determine how the system should be used, and with limited facilities, prefer that the Internet is used to access information, whereas email is often used for informal chat and its use and content may be open to abuse. Although Internet users have to sign our terms and conditions of use, which state that they cannot use email, it is an area of confusion for members of the public and quite difficult for staff to enforce. The email element of the program has been omitted from the public access browser, but use of HotMail is very difficult to spot. If we see someone obviously typing in more than usual, a quick glance over their shoulder and a quiet word is usually sufficient. We are also attempting to prevent the access to HotMail in the first place through the use of CyberPatrol, by identifying it as a forbidden site. (Walters, 1998).
The introduction, and apparent endorsement by some professionals, of a policing function over access to content and services raises all manner of concerns which go well beyond the scope of this Report. However, we note that, unless handled carefully, attempts to restrict or even censor access could undermine libraries' attempts to be seen as the access point of choice and certainly as 'value free' agencies. As yet there has been little public debate on this issue, but the stance librarians take could be critical in determining the roles they play in the future. And, as Brophy, Craven and Fisher (1999) point out, "it would be easy to over-react and introduce censorship when the extent of the problem may merit a less draconian approach".
3.3 User studies
Coles' (1998) study of UK public libraries identified evidence of a "wide and disparate group of library users who in turn displayed a variety of attitudes toward IT". It revealed that attitudes were generally positive towards the use of computers, and that people were concerned that without regular access to ICT they would be unable to keep abreast of technology. The study identified public libraries as being the only viable option of access to ICT for some. Coles concludes that "public libraries have successfully promoted the book and reading since their inception. A continuation of that success must be in the promotion of the benefits of computers, in particular digital information sources and community networks". (Coles, 1998: 41).
More recent research carried out by Sheffield University and Somerset Training and Enterprise Council has suggested that "developments in information technology have resulted in some confused perceptions of the public library service'' (Lilley and Usherwood, 2000). For example, members of the public were "led to believe inaccurately that a member of staff would guide them step by step'' through the Computers Don't Bite initiative created by the BBC and available in many public libraries. The research also found that a "book based perception of the library service persists", yet "changing perceptions and higher expectations in terms of the provision of new technology'' were also evident.
This lack of clarity on the part of the public about the role of the library is not surprising. As an institution, the public library has for 140 of its 150 years' existence been primarily concerned with providing reading and information materials in print, and is still in its infancy when dealing with electronic materials and services. However, users in the above survey expected libraries to provide more ICT in the future and considered this a valid role "even if they themselves did not like it very much." The emphasis on providing a core and much valued book-based service, yet also delivering access to ICT services seems set to last, particularly as government initiatives in the lifelong learning area, delivered largely via ICT, continue to develop.
3.4 Conclusion
While many reports, and many commentators, have urged that the public library be seen as t he natural home for public ICT, including Internet, access, the evidence to support this contention is at best mixed. The confusion which has been noted in public perceptions of libraries' roles is evident also in a number of policy statements, which offer a series of possible contributions (to lifelong learning, to social inclusion, to information access and so on) without clearly articulating how these are to be achieved. Too often, for example, statements about public libraries' role in education reveal a lack of understanding of learning itself. Librarians must not be afraid to acknowledge that education involves far more than access to information - even when that information is presented in an ultra-modern medium - and that their services can only provide part of the environment needed to make lifelong learning flourish. The ability to demonstrate a deep understanding of pedagogy would greatly help librarians make their case. (For a more extensive treatment of this issue see Brophy (2001b)).
Clearly considerably more work is needed to establish both an achievable model for the public library of the future and to equip it to deliver old and new services using old and new media in an integrated fashion. To inform policy makers, it is important that there is reliable information available on the value and impact that ICT-based services can and do have. It is to that issue - and the core of the VITAL Project - that we now turn.
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