People's Network infrastructure trends The submission of
210 network plans from every library service in the UK represented
an unprecedented amount of information relating to public library
networking. The following provides an overview of some of the trends
which emerged following analysis of plans. Broadband access
Broadband networking increases the range of services that can be
provided over the internet by providing faster data lines
capable of transferring electronic information more quickly and
more efficiently. There are two basic benefits:
- Web information is provided to the user at least ten times
faster than a standard 56K modem
- Multimedia resources (e.g. video, sound) become usable over
the network
More than 90% of libraries in England have broadband (2Mb+)
access to the internet.
Connection to external networks
Many library services have 'joined up' their local networks to
other networks to achieve economies of scale in both purchasing
and service delivery. Around 50% of library services have
connected to external networks. Typically, this is to a Regional
Grid for Learning, a local Metropolitan Area Network, or other
co-operative ventures. More information on
co-operative working.
Acceptable use policies and filtering content
Providing adequate online protection for the user and the library
service is of paramount importance. The two main ways libraries
are tackling this is through acceptable use policies and content
filtering arrangements.
Acceptable Use Policies are documents drawn up by a library
service to list a number of conditions that users must accept
before they attempt to use a networked service like the
internet. More than 90% of library services have an Acceptable
Use Policy. Further information about
Acceptable Use Policies and related work.
Filtering of electronic content is being practised by more than
80% of English library services but of these around 15% filter
content for children only.
Charging for internet access
Figures relating to charging for internet access change all of
the time according to local policies and decision making. The
vast majority of library services provide free internet access
at the point of use.
For those library services that have chosen to charge for
internet access, prices range from 50p an hour to £4 and may not
apply to all categories of user (such as the unemployed or
unwaged). Any authority that decides to make a charge for access
to the internet is required as part of the funding agreement
with the Big Lottery Fund to demonstrate explicitly how it is
meeting government commitments to social inclusion.
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