Opportunity For

Opportunity for All Opportunity for All How Library Policies and Practices Impact Public Internet Access How Library and PracticesHow Policies Access Internet Impact Public The U.S. IMPACT Study A research initiative examining the impact of free access to computers and the Internet in public libraries. Principal Authors Samantha Becker Michael D. Crandall Karen E. Fisher Rebecca Blakewood Bo Kinney Cadi Russell-Sauvé This report and its appendices can be downloaded at http://tascha.washington.edu/usimpact. Published June 2011 in the United States of America by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS will provide visually impaired or learning-disabled individuals with an audio recording of this publication upon request. Contact Institute of Museum and Library Services 1800 M Street NW, 9th Floor Washington, DC 20036 202-653-IMLS (4657) www.imls.gov Suggested Citation Becker, Samantha, Michael D. Crandall, Karen E. Fisher, Rebecca Blakewood, Bo Kinney, and Cadi Russell-Sauvé. (2011). Opportunity for All: How Library Policies and Practices Impact Public Internet Access (IMLS-2011-RES-01). Institute of Museum and Library Services. Washington, D.C. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Not available at the time of printing. Contents Foreword .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 5 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 9 2 Coalitions and Strategies for Digital Inclusion ............................................................................ 12 2.1 A Cycle of Demand for Public Internet Access in Libraries ......................................... 12 2.2 Factors Affecting the Quality of Public Access Services in Public Libraries ................ 13 2.3 Acceptable Levels of Access: How Much is Enough? .................................................. 16 2.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 17 3 Public Access Services in Four Communities .............................................................................. 19 3.1 Case Study Visits ......................................................................................................... 19 3.2 The Enoch Pratt Free Library ...................................................................................... 20 3.3 Fayetteville Public Library ........................................................................................... 39 3.4 The Oakland Public Library ......................................................................................... 58 3.5 Marshalltown Public Library ....................................................................................... 72 4 A Look at the Factors that Affect the Character of Public Access Service .................................. 85 4.1 External Demands and Public Access Service ............................................................. 85 4.2 Political Relationships ................................................................................................. 89 4.3 Relationships with Supporters .................................................................................... 90 4.4 Organizational Capacity and Public Access Service .................................................... 95 4.5 Library Resources and Services ................................................................................... 99 4.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 105 5 Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 106 5.1 Within the Library ..................................................................................................... 106 5.2 Within the Community ............................................................................................. 109 5.3 Across the Nation ...................................................................................................... 111 5.4 Future Research ........................................................................................................ 112 5.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 113 References ................................................................................................................................... 115 Opportunity for All: How Library Policies and Practices Impact Public Internet Access | 2 Foreword Opportunity for All: How Library Policies and Practices Impact Public Internet Access is a companion volume to the first report in the U.S. IMPACT Study, Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries. This second report from the study looks at the libraries providing public access technology to users across the country. Through nearly 300 interviews with staff, users, funding agencies, community-based organizations, and support organizations in four case study sites (Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland; Fayetteville Public Library in Fayetteville, Arkansas; Oakland Public Library in Oakland, California; and Marshalltown Public Library in Marshalltown, Iowa), along with data derived from the Institute of Museum and Library Services annual Public Library Survey and the U.S. IMPACT Study surveys, this report explores the factors involved in providing and supporting public access technology services through public libraries. The four libraries used in the case studies reflect the service environments encountered by the vast majority of library patrons and provide a solid foundation for the exploration of policy tradeoffs and their consequences, as well as opportunities for improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of public access technology and the services associated with that technology. The goal of this report is for libraries to recognize themselves in the characteristics of the case studies and to be able to identify policy implications related to their operations from the discussions in the report. As noted in the first report from this study, this project has been the result of many people’s labor and support over the three years of field study and analysis. In addition to the many people and organizations mentioned in the first report who provided expert advice and significant contributions to the research, we would also like to acknowledge the continuing contribution of University of Washington students to this work, especially Ahsan Ali, Joel Turner, Cortney Leach, Paul Simons, and Ke (Claire) Ding, who joined the research during the analysis and writing of this second report. We would like to acknowledge once more the generosity of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the libraries and communities that provided their time and support in allowing us to gather the information in the field that made this second report possible: the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Fayetteville Public Library, Oakland Public Library, and Marshalltown Public Library. The leaders and key personnel who donated their insights and provided access to key community members were instrumental in Opportunity for All: How Library Policies and Practices Impact Public Internet Access | 3 gaining the rich materials that were mined to produce this analysis. We would especially like to thank these library leaders: Carla Hayden, Ann Smith, Pat Costello, Louise Schaper, Shawna Thorup, Carmen Martinez, Diane Satchwell, Carole Winkleblack, and Brian Soneda. We hope that this report and its companion will be useful for libraries as an aid in informing the public of the value of public computing services, and that funders and policymakers will find the results of interest as they consider future efforts in this area. Public libraries have become an essential component to access to the Internet and computers in local communities, and we believe the results of our research show that the impact of these services is well worth the investment of public dollars and resources to make this possible. Michael D. Crandall, MLIS Co-principal investigator Karen E. Fisher, PhD Co-principal investigator Samantha Becker, MLIS, MPA Research Manager Opportunity for All: How Library Policies and Practices Impact Public Internet Access | 4 Executive Summary Opportunity for All: How Library Policies and Practices Impact Public Internet Access is the second report from the U.S. IMPACT Study research into the users and uses of public access technology in public libraries. It highlights the ways in which public libraries can maximize this critical contribution to their communities at the same time as it addresses related policy priorities at the national level. The U.S. IMPACT Study team visited four public libraries representing a range of community characteristics and operational environments. These sites were selected to account for the types of library environments most patrons encounter in U.S. public libraries as well as the range of issues and concerns faced by library administrators, librarians, and other staff in providing public technology. Interviews

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