Soapboxes

Cool! I won something!

I never win anything. The last time I won something, it was one of those "guess how many jelly-beans in the jar" competitions when I was in primary school.

Anyway, I'm quite surprised - yes, it took more effort than it needed to, and I don't think that it necessarily produced any more productive advice than anything that I've already read online on the biblioblogosphere. However, I'm glad if people were entertained by the sad geekiness of it all. :) Plus it gave me an opportunity to jump on my soapbox, which we should all do now and then.

Which brings me to the main issue of this entry. As much as I read heaps of stuff online and see presentations on how new technology should be used in libraries, I was confronted by a question recently: Given that a majority of households (in Australia) already have access to broadband internet at home, and that households already generally have the hardware to support this - why do we still feel the need to upgrade computers in public libraries?

I think it's a fair question. When public internet machines first appeared in public libraries, it was a time where many households didn't have access to the internet, and the majority of households that *did* have online access only had dial-up access.

Now, firstly there's the equity and accessibility issue. Even though statistics state that "most" households will have this technology, it still implies that (a) there are households that don't have access online, and (b) there are households that have substandard access to online material. Also factor in average levels of information literacy and education, especially amongst adults who are over 35 years old, and there's a *huge* information gap.

But regardless of that, which we currently serve by having an "average" level of limited internet access for people who want to look at their favourite news site and check their email, there is so much more out there! Who is going to teach this? Who's going to encourage people, who are already scared of new technology, to learn more?

Maybe an organisation that they can already relate with, because they're primarily concerned with books, and not technology, that can encourage them to take the next step without seeming too patronising!

Maybe a public library!

Because, for your average adult, going to night school or adult education courses (a) costs money and (b)means having to admit that you don't know the things you need to know to participate in an information society, which is hard, and (c)it can be demeaning if you're anywhere near as much of a snob as I can be.

But I digress.

Perhaps public libraries need to aim *far* higher than they currently do. Thinking back at what public libraries offered, as far as high-speed internet access goes, compared to what the average joe used. Now think - what is out there that the average joes don't know yet, and will want to?

That's where we should be setting our sights. That's what librarians should be investigating. Whether it be Second Life, or interactive gaming consoles, or just a big mash-up of everything - it needs to be done.

And since getting public internet access - which I'm told was a big fight for many public libraries - we have a lot to catch up on. Yes, some libraries are doing a lot, but they're not the majority. Progress is slow, and the digital divide is widening - we want to make sure that we're on the right side of it, or at least be able to create a bridge on it for our users to be able to cross.