LTLS - Quick Connections

ALA urges FCC to consider role of libraries in economic development

In its latest filing to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the American Library Association (ALA) highlights the vital role libraries play in communities by supporting workforce development, small business creation, life-long education, and access to government resources through public access computer terminals and broadband Internet access.

The ALA’s Friday filing responded to the FCC’s call for comments regarding the relationship between economic development and broadband – particularly broadband adoption – and how broadband access spurs businesses’ productivity and growth. Public libraries serve the information needs of the community by providing access to online resources and services and directly strengthen the economic stability and quality of life in communities across the country. Public libraries are also community anchor institutions, and bringing broadband to the library will result in greater broadband availability to the entire community.

ALA files comments to NTIA and RUS on broadband stimulus programs

The American Library Association (ALA) today filed comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) regarding the implementation of the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) and Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

The ALA’s comments called for increasing funding for the Public Computer Center Program, streamlining and simplifying the application and review process, and prioritizing funding for community anchor institutions.

“Libraries are uniquely positioned to deliver on the promise and objectives of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and the Broadband Initiatives Program,” said Carrie McGuire, director for the program on networks for the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP).

“We strongly encourage the NTIA and RUS to make changes to the program prior to Round 2 to ensure that libraries can take maximum advantage of this opportunity.”

The ALA’s comments assert that libraries are key partners in the programs’ goal of extending the opportunities available online to people across the United States. Libraries play the vital role of providing access to employment information, continuing education, government resources, small business opportunities and more; broadband connections are one of the critical elements that allow libraries to provide these essential resources to the public.

School library shifting to digital collection stimulates media interest

Recently, the Cushing Academy, a private boarding school in Massachusetts, attracted attention with its decision to discard all 20,000 books in the school’s library in favor of an entirely digital collection.

The issue stimulated media interest, and the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Information Office (PIO) responded by recently coordinating two interviews addressing the future of school libraries with USA Today and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” ALA president Camila Alire and American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) president Cassandra Barnett participated in these interviews.

Alire appeared on a Nov. 9 segment on NPR. The segment and corresponding Web article, “Digital School Library Leaves Book Stacks Behind,” can be found at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120097876#commentBlock

USA Today, the newspaper with the second highest circulation in the country, with nearly 2 million daily readers, also ran an article on this issue entitled “School chooses Kindle; are libraries for the history ‘books’?” In the Oct. 27 article, both  Alire and  Barnett say that the Cushing Academy’s move to get rid of all print books “is not necessarily a model for other school libraries.” The article can be found at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-26-kindle-school-library_N.htm.

Updated public library technology issues briefs now available online

The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research & Statistics (ORS) is making available online the most recent data published in the Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study (www.ala.org/plinternetfunding). The information provides up-to-date  issues briefs related to public library technology and job-seeking, lifelong learning and Internet connectivity.

Library staffs are encouraged to use these briefing papers as educational tools with community stakeholders, including elected officials, funders and program partners, as needed, to raise awareness of the specific – and sometimes unique – concerns of libraries around technology deployment. Staff may also use this format as a template for providing local data and examples related to a given topic. The briefing reports are not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to share key findings from the largest and longest-running study of Internet connectivity in libraries.

An Important Message to Illinois Public Libraries

Public Act 96-37 created a new Illinois public library construction program.  The new law requires the Secretary of State and the Illinois State Library to file with the General Assembly a comprehensive assessment report of the capital needs of all public libraries before January 1, 2010.  Filing this report is one of the steps that must be completed before the Secretary of State's office can implement the new program to assist public libraries with capital improvement projects.  The new grant program is funded with a $50 million Build Illinois Bond Fund appropriation contained in Public Act 96-35.

In order to compile the assessment report, I am requesting that each Illinois public library complete and submit the one-page online Capital Needs Assessment Survey by Friday, November 20, 2009, even if no capital improvements are needed. It is recommended that you have Acrobat 8.1 or higher installed on your computer to take the survey.

CORE SERVICES FOR LIBRARY SYSTEMS

The Library System Standards Committee has completed another document, which is posted on the Illinois Library System Standards blog. Core services are defined as basic services that are funded by the state's System Area & Per Capita Grant and provided by the multitype regional library systems to all full member libraries at no charge.
The core services cover the following areas:
* Advocacy
* Consulting
* Delivery
* On-Site Visits
* Professional Development

Your input is needed. Please review the core services document and add your comments to the blog.
Thank you so much to all of you who have reviewed the various drafts and for adding your input. The work of the Library System Standards Committee can be tracked at the ISL website.

Join the Campaign to Save Illinois Libraries

In response to the recent cuts to system funding and library grants, the Illinois library community  is launching a campaign to secure the future of Illinois libraries. You can keep up with the campaign and find out what you can do to help by visiting us on Facebook or Twitter, or by going to SaveIllinoisLibraries.com. The campaign is just beginning: be sure to check back regularly for updates!

New book censorship map reveals national problem

Censorship in the United States is not limited to isolated pockets of the country. A new online map of book censorship shows that no area is immune from what is a national trend. The map  has just been posted on the official Web site of Banned Books Week, www.bannedbooksweek.org.

ALA Council resolves to help libraries through budget crises

The American Library Association (ALA) Council has passed a resolution calling on the ALA to immediately address “the severe national erosion of budgetary support to all libraries.”

In the resolution, passed July 15 at the association’s Annual Conference in Chicago, the Council recommended the ALA develop and institute “a critical crisis management approach” to remedy budget losses. This approach would involve an action plan to alert legislators, stakeholders and constituents through every channel available, including the media.

The Council said it is important for the President of the United States, all members of Congress and all state governors to understand the need for the resources provided by libraries during tough economic times. That need must be met by continued and increased government support.

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