Evaluation of SCRAN subscription to Scottish public libraries

This report commissioned by the Scottish Library and Information Council evaluates the year-long Scottish Executive-funded project to give all public libraries in Scotland access to the SCRAN service. The implementation of the project was supported by a Project Steering Group with both SLIC and SCRAN representation, and a wider steering group with membership from Heads of Service, Scottish Executive, and SCRAN and chaired by Elaine Fulton of SLIC

SPEIR: Scottish Portals for Education, Information and Research. Final Project Report: Elements and Future Development Requirements of a Common Information Environment for Scotland

The SPEIR (Scottish Portals for Education, Information and Research) project was funded by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC). It ran from February 2003 to September 2004, slightly longer than the 18 months originally scheduled and was managed by the Centre for Digital Library Research (CDLR). With SLIC's agreement, community stakeholders were represented in the project by the Confederation of Scottish Mini-Cooperatives (CoSMiC), an organisation whose members include SLIC, the National Library of Scotland (NLS), the Scottish Further Education Unit (SFEU), the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), regional cooperatives such as the Ayrshire Libraries Forum (ALF)1, and representatives from the Museums and Archives communities in Scotland. Aims; A Common Information Environment For Scotland The aims of the project were to: o Conduct basic research into the distributed information infrastructure requirements of the Scottish Cultural Portal pilot and the public library CAIRNS integration proposal; o Develop associated pilot facilities by enhancing existing facilities or developing new ones; o Ensure that both infrastructure proposals and pilot facilities were sufficiently generic to be utilised in support of other portals developed by the Scottish information community; o Ensure the interoperability of infrastructural elements beyond Scotland through adherence to established or developing national and international standards. Since the Scottish information landscape is taken by CoSMiC members to encompass relevant activities in Archives, Libraries, Museums, and related domains, the project was, in essence, concerned with identifying, researching, and developing the elements of an internationally interoperable common information environment for Scotland, and of determining the best path for future progress

FRILLS

This powerpoint presentation looks at Public access IT facilities in public libraries, “Open Gateway or Guarded Fortress” project, FRILLS project (“Forensic Readiness for Local Libraries in Scotland”

Internet access among the most income deprived: the case of Glasgow

Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and since 2009 it has seen stagnating levels of fixed broadband uptake (Ofcom, 2013). As recently as August 2013, Ofcom reported that fixed broadband uptake in Glasgow remained at 50%; this is significantly below the Scottish average of 68% (Ofcom, 2013). As the ‘Digital by Default’ agenda of the United Kingdom government, which places government services online, becomes ever more pervasive this becomes a more pressing issue for the city. That needs to find ways to increase broadband adoption. There is also a need to uncover the deep seated reasons why there has been no improvement in fixed broadband uptake in the last five years in Glasgow. Internet access is lowest amongst the most deprived in society and those with the lowest incomes (SHS, 2012). Analysis based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation highlights that ‘income deprivation in Glasgow City is greater than in Scotland as a whole’- 21.5% of Glasgow’s population were income deprived in 2012 (Scottish Government, 2012a, p3). This paper focuses on the deprived areas of Glasgow and whether and how the most disadvantaged in the city use the Internet. The analysis draws on data from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) and from individuals in deprived areas. This paper will investigate those who do and do not have access to the Internet to answer the following questions: In areas of deprivation what differentiates those who do and do not have access to the Internet? Do demographic or geographic factors have greater influence in determining whether a person has access to the Internet at home? What factors, other than demographics, influence the adoption of the Internet in areas of deprivation? The attitude of individuals towards the Internet rather than demographic factors has been highlighted as an important factor in Glasgow (White, 2013). This paper takes this analysis a step further by targeting the most disadvantaged to ascertain whether neighbourhood effects or attitudes to technology are the most important. This will enable a greater understanding of how to engage those who do not use the Internet. It will also provide insight into the development of policy initiatives in Glasgow to address this particular issue. Since geography plays an influential role in shaping public policy through, for instance, local politics, this paper will initially map the available demographic and economic data. Previous work in Glasgow on public Internet access in areas of deprivation highlighted specific areas of the city with low broadband uptake and high levels of deprivation (Anderson and Whalley, 2013). Although this paper continues in the same vain, it instead focuses on home Internet uptake in similarly deprived areas. This was accomplished by questioning people seeking benefits assistance at Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) across the city. CAB provides impartial advice to those who visit their offices. Each CAB is separately run, with its own funding from Glasgow City Council or other sources. They operate independently, almost like a franchise model. Due to 2 how they are funded, CABs are only meant to serve their immediate local community. Thus, where the CAB is positioned will have a huge effect on who visits. Targeting CAB provides valuable and insightful data from the most vulnerable and marginalised members of society. Those affected by the ‘Digital by Default’ program are the most likely to need to apply for benefits online and provide evidence of job searching to be entitled to benefits. There are several components to the methodology adopted. Firstly, the responses of 950 individuals from eight CABs across the city were analysed to identify differences between those who do and do not have the Internet. This was combined with SIMD data using postcode information. Geographic analysis was also conducted on this data to identify differences between some of the most deprived communities in Glasgow. Secondly, a more detailed data collection on specific identified areas of the city concentrated on collecting information other than that related to the demographic barriers to Internet participation. This provided a further insight into the other barriers to adoption in areas of deprivation. This paper provides valuable insight into the use and non-use of the Internet by the most disadvantaged in Glasgow. It is expected that the first question around the differences of who does and does not have the Internet will be answered by separating the data into groups of five per cent based on their SIMD income rank. This highlights a switching point which was then used as a reference for comparing multiple factors in the dataset. Moreover, this approach highlights that some income groups did not conform to the general pattern. Indeed it could be expected, based on the literature, that higher income would mean that they are more likely to use the Internet and have devices that they can connect to the Internet (Ofcom, 2013, p279). This pattern is not consistent with the analysis of Internet use, where the relationship is non-linear and some groups have higher or lower usage than expected. This highlights that income alone is not a determinant of whether an individual uses the Internet. It also shows that there are variations in use of the Internet and ownership of devices in areas of deprivation that require further investigation. The second and third research questions focus on specific communities within the city. Communities provide different opportunities and barriers to Internet use, even within deprived areas. The geographic analysis of these areas of the city highlights the importance of place, the effects of geography on Internet use and the drivers and barriers specific to each community. This paper provides further insight into Internet use in areas of deprivation that could be of use to similar cities. There are multiple organisations which could assist in addressing the diverse needs of communities in increasing Internet access. However, they will need to work together and be responsive to the diverse needs of these communities. The evidence also provides direction for Glasgow City Council on ways to engage the disconnected, move forward with their Digital Strategy and close the Digital chasm that exists in the city

USE OF INTERNET FACILITY BY THE USERS OF DISTRICT CENTRAL LIBRARIES IN RAYALASEEMA REGION OF A.P., INDIA- A STUDY.

Abraham Lincoln’s proverbial remark concerning the definition and meaning of democracy, is equally applicable in the context of public library-it is an institution ‘for the people, by the people and of the people. The District Central Libraries are an important component of the public library system in Andhra Pradesh (A.P). Being located in the district headquarters they stand as models to be emulated by other public libraries in the districts. In this era of information technology, people are quick to gather information using the internet. Therefore, there is a need to study the internet facilities of the District Central Libraries in Rayalaseema Region of Andhra Pradesh state. Because of the importance of the subject matter, the article is titled as, “Use of Internet facility by the users of District Central Libraries in Rayalaseema Region of A.P.,India-A Study.” The target group of this study includes library users of the central libraries in the 4 districts in Rayalaseema Region of A.P. The respondents selected as samples suggested that many aspects of the library environment are changing due to the improved technology. Data were collected by using questionnaire from 4 District Central Libraries in Rayalaseema Region of A.P. A structured questionnaire was distributed among 612 users, of whom 525 (85.78%) responded. Based on the analysis of the data collected through a structured questionnaire, inferences have been mad

Managing access to the internet in public libraries [MAIPLE]

Managing access to the internet in public libraries [MAIPLE

Report on the Information Retrieval Festival (IRFest2017)

The Information Retrieval Festival took place in April 2017 in Glasgow. The focus of the workshop was to bring together IR researchers from the various Scottish universities and beyond in order to facilitate more awareness, increased interaction and reflection on the status of the field and its future. The program included an industry session, research talks, demos and posters as well as two keynotes. The first keynote was delivered by Prof. Jaana Kekalenien, who provided a historical, critical reflection of realism in Interactive Information Retrieval Experimentation, while the second keynote was delivered by Prof. Maarten de Rijke, who argued for more Artificial Intelligence usage in IR solutions and deployments. The workshop was followed by a "Tour de Scotland" where delegates were taken from Glasgow to Aberdeen for the European Conference in Information Retrieval (ECIR 2017

Filtering wireless (Wi-Fi) internet access in public places

This paper discusses selected results from the AHRC-funded ‘Managing Access to the Internet in Public Librarie s' (MAIPLE) project and explores Wi-Fi Internet access in UK public libraries. It investigates how this compares to commercial provision of public Wi-Fi. It discusses security issues, filtering of Wi-Fi access and acceptable use policies. A mixed methods approach was used involving a review of the literature, a questionnaire survey of UK public library authorities and five case studies of selected authorities. A majority of UK public library authorities offer Wi-Fi access to the public at one or more of their libraries and they generally have an authentication system in place for their users. The majority of survey respondents that provide Wi-Fi use filtering software. There are similarities and differences in the ways that public libraries and commercial outlets provide and manage access to their wireless networks. Differences mainly relate to security and privacy: these differences reflect to an extent the underlying purposes of providing public Wi-Fi access as well as legal obligations. In some ways, public library Wi-Fi access is better managed than commercially provided public services. Evidence from the case studies suggests reluctant acceptance of filtering on the part of public library authorities, based on a perceived need to balance providing access to information with providing a safe and trusted public space for all