T03: Connectivity - myths, realities and case studies in how to get more
Session Description
Internet connectivity in many public libraries has not kept pace with community demand or with the level needed for the effective delivery of online and onsite public services. The absence of adequate connectivity is a risk to our future: it erodes equity of access, threatens the relevance of our public services and diminishes the opportunity to leverage our technological and physical infrastructure for digital learning and connecting people online.
Libraries of all types and sizes have insufficient connectivity for a broad variety of reasons, some readily resolvable and some expensive and complex to address. However, we lack a shared and broadly understood standard for public library connectivity, have significant gaps in knowledge as to how to assess and improve connectivity, and are excluded (often inadvertently) from conversations that could lead to material improvements in connectivity.
As federal and provincial governments and other funding bodies prioritize participation in the digital economy, public libraries have the opportunity to address gaps and make the case for additional resources, if only we can articulate our needs and the key components of solutions.
Panelists will outline some of the most common issues impacting public library connectivity, and share case studies that illustrate a variety of ways forward in a range of contexts - rural, urban, remote, regional and more.
Speakers
Deb Hutchison Koep, North Vancouver City LIbrary
Biography
Deb Hutchison Koep has served as chief librarian at the North Vancouver City Library since early 2017. Previously, she worked in leadership roles at West Vancouver Memorial Library, including seven years as deputy director with a portfolio that included finance, technology and communications. Since she has two degrees in English Literature, a career in library technology was inevitable. Deb is passionate about advocating for robust, responsive technology infrastructure for public libraries and has threatened to personally lay fibre under dark of night if that's what it takes to get over the @#$%& bridge.
Scott Leslie, BC Libraries Cooperative
Biography
Scott Leslie is the Systems Manager at the BC Libraries Cooperative. As a technologist and open content/open network activist, Scott has volunteered for the Mozilla Webmaker youth digital literacy initative and served as a Board Member for Openmedia.org. He currently volunteers as the Chair of the BC Association for Living Mindfully and sits on the council of the Victoria Mindfulness Community. Before joining the Co-op, Scott worked on Open Education and Open Textbooks with BCcampus, and has been online so long he remembers BBS's and Gopher sites fondly.
Beverley Rintoul, Rossland Public LIbrary
Biography
Beverley Rintoul has worked at the Rossland Public Library since 1997 and has been the director since 2013. As a librarian in a small library, she has worked on collection development, run programmes, worked the circ desk, shelved books, done lots of technology troubleshooting and even fixed a toilet.
Gary Munro, City of North Vancouver
Biography
Gary Munro has worked for over 38 years in the information technology sector, most recently with the City of North Vancouver in the lead technology position. Previously, Gary spent a decade at the Justice Institute of British Columbia as the Chief Information Officer (CIO); prior to that he was a Director of Technology at Accenture Business Services. Gary is past president of the CIO Association of Canada - Vancouver Chapter, and has served on non-profit boards including BCNET. He attended the Banff Center for Management as well as SFU, where he helped develop the SFU CIO Leadership Development program.
Janet Horne, Vancouver Public Library
Biography
Janet is the Manager of Library Systems at the Vancouver Public Library. As librarian with a technology background, she has spent most of her working life in library IT and as a result has a broad knowledge of technologies that public libraries use to deliver their service, how these have evolved over the years, and the accompanying challenges and opportunities for libraries.