Rick Weingarten — Technology Consultant To OITP John Bertot — University of Maryland

1. ALA Conference June 29, 2008 Library Connectivity For Public Access: Staying Ahead of The Curve Rick Weingarten — Technology Consultant To OITP John Bertot — University of Maryland Bob Bocher — Wisconsin State Library Nancy Bolt — Nancy Bolt & Associates Slides will be at www.ala.org/oitp

2. The Dilemma of Moore’s Law Performance/ price doubles every (18, 12, 9, ?) months Chips, computers, memory, communications Being connected is not enough, staying adequately connected is the problem

3. Staying Ahead Of The Curve • What’s the problem, don’t prices drop for telecom?-Well, sort of, but • Commodities versus Infrastructure • Different business model—rent service instead of sell device • Less competition • Global interoperable facility • Major investments • Price and availability depend on • Geography • Deployment strategies and investment decisions • Regional and national public policies—telecom regulated • Procurement strategies • Thus, libraries find it a struggle to keep up

4. What Moore’s Law Means to Libraries • Problem of connectivity is endemic to nature of technology. • Problem is ongoing and very long term • Computing has been following ML for over 50 years! • Solutions are very complex, not just finding dollars • Organizational • Procurement policies (E-rate) • Complicated technological analysis • Etc. 4

5. Why Care? • New apps are more demanding • Participatory Networks • Peer to peer • Gaming Demand is up • More serious services • E-government • Jobs • Health • Normal apps are increasingly complex • Higher definition • Streaming media • Two-way

6. OITP/ALA Research And Interventions Investigations • Public Libraries and the Internet • Annual ORS/ FSU survey began to show scale and nature of the connectivity problem (www.ii.fsu.edu/plinternet_reports.cfm) • Public Library Connectivity Project • OITP study investigated qualitative issues—impacts, barriers and solutions (www.ala.org/ala/washoff/oitp/ papersa/public_version_final.pdf) • Supported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

7. Needs for Building Broadband Capacity(Summary of May 2008 Workshop) • Education • Understanding the relationship between services (e.g., databases, streaming media) and bandwidth requirements • Understanding key telecommunication terms • Understanding telecommunication configurations, traffic routing techniques, packet prioritization/shaping, and a host of other technical aspects 7

8. Needs for Building Broadband Capacity • Education (cont) • Understanding what telecommunication carriers and ISPs may be able to provide in terms of reporting services • Understanding security issues • More • There is a need to dispel the mystery of telecommunication technologies within libraries

9. Needs for Building Broadband Capacity • Technical Collaboration • Need to share technical know-how within the library community • Technical working group to create a knowledge forum for • Sharing technical expertise • Developing models for connectivity • Including case studies, lessons learned, and best practices • Developing quality standards for today and next generation library services • Exploring data reporting and analysis techniques • Can include tutorials, sample network configurations, analysis software, and a range of other useful material for the library community • Online; planning manual 9

10. Needs for Building Broadband Capacity • Quality of Service Standards • There are no generally accepted or developed library-based quality standards for Internet access • Need performance measures and standards of service for benchmarking and service goals • Can provide guidance regarding the technical implementations of services and resources within libraries • Can inform policy makers and telecommunication carriers regarding library-developed acceptable levels of telecommunication services for the library community 10

11. Needs for Building Broadband Capacity • Capacity Management Tools • Can help optimize bandwidth use • Can set QoS for applications (e.g., shared ILS) • Technical knowledge • Knowledgeable staff can be difficult to find and retain • More complexity with library consortia WANs • General guidelines on bandwidth use • Bandwidth needed by various applications and services • Difficult to define (e.g., video) • Caution in setting any broadband baselines

12. Regional Library Cooperatives And The Future of Broadband (Summary of Denver 2007 Conference) • Important role of RLCs came out of the Public Library Connectivity Project report (July 2007) • Resulted in Denver 2007 conference to further explore role of RLCs • Purpose to • Articulate role of RLCs in broadband deployment • Identify a model that might be shared • Identify ways to encourage other RLCs to support and deploy high speed broadband

13. Services of RLCs in Broadband Deployment • General advice to members • Aggregation of demand • Management and planning • Equipment, technical support, troubleshooting • Training (linked at www.ala.org/oitp)

14. Roles of RLCs in Broadband Deployment • Create a wide area network (WAN) for consortium members, negotiating with telecommunication companies • Manage the WAN, including troubleshooting and ongoing support • Facilitate connection to a statewide network • Advocate actively for a statewide network

15. Leadership – at the RLC and from members Vision Inclusivity and partnerships Advocacy for the role of libraries Demonstration models Aggregation of demand and services Technical plan for implementation and support Training Funding RLCs conclusions: Hire good people Plan continuously Collaboration builds on good faith and trust Build value for the smallest and largest library Find a funding model that works A Model for Success

16. Next Steps • ICAN-OITP Task Force to look at options for encouraging more RLCs to participate in broadband support and deployment • Capacity Planning Workshop suggestions: • Create a planning guide for telecommunications that might include • Determining current status of telecommunication options in a region • How to set directions for the future building on the capacity planning work • Best practices in implementing plans

17. The Broadband Landscape:Where Are We? (www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/217/report_display.asp)

18. U.S. ranked 15th; was ranked 4th in 2001 The Broadband Landscape:Where Are We? (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, www.oecd.org/dataoecd/32/57/40629067.pdf)

19. The Broadband Landscape: What’s the Problem? Dramatically increasing demand More users move off dial-up More interactive Web No proactive national policy President's 2004 broadband goal All have affordable access by 2007 FCC plan to promote more broadband More broadband based on more competition More competition based on less regulation Sept 2005 FCC deregulated broadband (underlying telco circuit) Exacerbated Net Neutrality Factor in move to usage-based pricing Every year brings more bad news as the U.S. slides farther down the broadband rankings. It’s a national embarrassment. We need to develop a broadband strategy like every other industrialized nation. —FCC Commissioner Copps

20. The Broadband Landscape: What’s the Problem? • FCC proposes $300 million broadband fund from USF • FCC June 12 Broadband Order* • Data: Change from zip code to census tract • 99% of all zip codes have broadband access • Census tract allows for more data correlation • Speed: 200kbps was “advanced,” now is “first generation” • Consumers can report actual speeds • FCC seeks more comments on costs • Several bills pending on this too “We encourage the FCC to be adaptable in defining broad-band. 200 kbps does not accurately reflect the speeds marketed to libraries.”—ALA Comments to FCC, June 2007 * http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-89A1.pdf

21. The Broadband Landscape: IncreasedLibrary Demand • More offering wireless • Hosted or shared services (e.g., ILS) • Libraries as content providers • Changed Internet/Web landscape • Increased graphics • Social networking • Gaming • Multimedia • Music, podcasts • Entertainment, education • DTV transition, Feb. 2009 The problem is no longer library connectivity, but sustaining access to the Internet’s resources as the demands of the medium and patrons grow rapidly. What is sufficient speed? “When you click, it happens.” —OITP Public Library Connectivity Project Report

22. The Broadband Curve:OITP Addressing Key Issues • Many key issues and recommendations • Three that OITP decided to begin working immediately • Benefits of collaboration—aggregating demand and management • Problem of capacity planning • Addressing telecommunications policy • Current OITP/ WO initiatives • Regional cooperatives as possible instrument of collaboration • Help with capacity planning • Telecommunications policy advocacy • (Other important issues also need addressing!) 22

23. ALA Conference June 29, 2008 Library Connectivity For Public Access: Staying Ahead of The Curve ? Questions ? Rick Weingarten — Technology Consultant To OITP John Bertot — University of Maryland Bob Bocher — Wisconsin State Library Nancy Bolt — Nancy Bolt & Associates