Primary Source Director's Message -- April 2010
April 16, 2010
 There’s a
lot for libraries and IMLS to love in the Connecting America:
The National Broadband Plan, released March 16th by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC). Threaded through the hefty document is the FCC’s
recognition of libraries as community anchor institutions that can help provide
high-capacity broadband connections and build digital literacy skills of people in
communities across the nation.
The broadband plan, which sets an ambitious agenda for connecting all parts of
the nation, is “our generation’s infrastructure challenge,” said FCC
chairman Julius Genachowski. “It is as important as electricity and highways
were for past generations.” Libraries, which have already traveled a long way
down the road to meet these challenges, stand ready to do more.
According to the broadband plan, the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) –
which spells out how state libraries spend federal funding – has helped libraries
improve technology, engage the public, and establish new models for serving their
communities. In recognition of the role played by libraries and IMLS, which supports
these efforts, the broadband plan recommends that IMLS
- develop guidelines for public access technology based on populations
served and organization size;
- play a key role in the new National Digital Literacy Program that
creates a Digital Literacy Corps, increases the capacity of digital
literacy partners, and creates an Online Digital Literacy Portal;
and
- help organizations get the training they need to help patrons
use next-generation e-government applications.
The FCC’s confidence in libraries is borne out in a recent report, Opportunity
for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S.
Libraries. Nearly 77 million people – or one-third of Americans
over the age of 14 – have used public library computers or wireless networks
to go online at some point. Some 40 percent of library computer users sought
help with career needs and 37 percent looked for information about health
issues, according to this recent study by the University of Washington
Information School with funding from IMLS and the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation.
While this study demonstrates that library technology creates
opportunities for millions, it also highlights what is at risk if
future public and private investment doesn’t keep pace with demand.
Library service makes it possible for Americans to find work, get
an education, and make good decisions about their health. At a time
when access to technology and the Internet is becoming a necessary
resource for full participation in society, public libraries provide
an especially vital service to households in need.
- Marsha L. Semmel, Acting Director, IMLS
Click here to read the full April 2010 issue of the Primary Source e-newsletter.
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