ICT access for library's users
During a visit to Manguinhos Public Library in Rio de Janeiro city, in August 2012, was observed for the first time something that would be verified frequently at the richer libraries visited during researches – at a lovely, pleasant and broad place, teenagers and children were using computers to play and access social networks, while books collection were standing there, not calling their attention. Several libraries coordinators recognize they are facing the challenge of how to involve these young users, who already are in the library, with activities that develop their reading and writing skills or with activities related to other library goals.
Data collected through Regional Library System coordinators, during the National Public Libraries System Assembly in September 2012, indicate that at most of the states technology usage is associated to free access to Internet, and technology is not integrated to other services offered by Public Libraries.
In general, Brazilian Public Libraries offering access to computers and Internet have equipment provided by Science and Technology Department from local government or by municipal or state public data processing companies. Employees who supervise and facilitate the equipment usage are trained (and sometimes paid )by these government departments . At many cities, the room equipped with PCs is isolated from other library spaces and it is called telecenter. This is what happens in Piracicaba (SP), Porto Alegre – Restinga (RS), Epitaciolandia (AC), Porto Acre (AC) and at other libraries in Bahia state.
We understand the disconnection between library actions and the usage of computers installed, as a result from the sum of different public policies. The Brazilian programs for digital inclusion are managed, on federal level, by Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Planning, such is the case of Telecentros BR program. At state and municipal levels, Departments of Science and Technology or Government Administrative Departments coordinate programs, like Acessa São Paulo and Floresta Digital (AC) .
Besides providing equipment kit and connection, these government departments are accountable for offering training to employees that control and promote the use of equipments. Those trainings are technical and aim to power employees for a better control of equipments and help users with almost no knowledge of computing.
Employees accountable for supervision of PC usage work regardless of library staff; they usually do not know daily library actions to promote reading, local memory, culture, among others.
In Piracicaba (SP), for example, the library offers access to computers and to Internet through Acessa São Paulo program, the operators are library’s employees or trainees, but they are trained and supervised by the Acessa São Paulo program. We could not notice, nor identify during interviews or questionnaires, any evidence that these operators work encouraging reading or information search. The actions developed by library staff neither use the space, nor telecenter’s equipment, although the telecenter is already embedded in the heart of the library. There is no integration; children that attend workshops do not research, nor create using technology.
At São Paulo State Library, equipment is integrated into the library space and there is a trained team to host users within the concept of “library park”, and even so computers are used with no association to library program. The staff offers several activities for children and teenagers, like drawing workshop and craftwork, rebuilding characters and other activities related to Literature. Like this, guidance on how to use computers is restricted to proposing some educational games, with no linkage to the books studied. As well as at other visited libraries there are no workshops for authoring or creating through digital technologies.
As for São Paulo City Hall Library System, among the 57 libraries subordinated to Libraries Office, 29 have telecenters installed by other municipal department. City Hall system coordinator said that these telecenters actions are not coordinated by libraries, and are not related to Libraries Office, they operate independently and include among their activities some basic computing workshops.
The possibility to access via Internet the São Paulo city collection catalog is a factor that, according to system coordinators, extended the number of loans and collection flow in general.
Also, in Acre, computers and access to Internet are provided by State Department separately. Training and support of those employees who operate equipment are responsibility of Department of Technology or Government Administration and do not contribute to technology integration in public libraries’ actions.
Bahia State Library has a telecenter in a room located in the Library building, but with an external entrance operating with an employee paid by the library, but trained and supervised by the department in charge of the telecenter. In the area of loan to the readers, it’s not allowed transiting among bookshelves, not even using computers assigned to search on collection. Five PCs are located behind the balcony and can be accessed only by library staff. User can search at home or at another point with access to Internet the desired book in the scanned catalog available online, but when at the library loan area, the user needs to ask an employee to search for the book on a computer or walk to the telecenter ( located on the opposite side of the building) and require access to a computer and search on the catalog available online.
In Porto Alegre, the Library Josué Guimarães has chosen to deploy in the branch library, located at Restinga neighborhood, the received telecenter. This telecenter works on an independent way from the library. The library manager has reported that the telecenter is not opened for free-use; equipments are totally assigned to workshops arranged by municipal government technology company, while the library is known for its actions aimed at encouraging reading among children and teenagers.
At Acre State Library, when moving toward technology usage spaces and watching machines screens in use, the researcher noticed that little over half of users was connected to social networks, all other were using it in different ways, ranging from searches on content website to activities such text editing, and a small group of young users were connected to gaming websites.
A final conversation took place on the end of the interviews with library coordinators and government representatives when the possibilities of technology integration to current activities in the library was discussed . Among others, the researcher introduced the possibility that children and others taking part into workshops for reading promotion would use computers to represent characters from the books, create comics , animations, collaborative texts, record audio , develop works with images, etc. Library coordinators and government representatives appreciated the possibility, but they highlighted the need of their staffs receiving specific training to such technology usages.
This specific professional development is a great challenge for Brazilian libraries to make the leap to digital age. This problem happens because government department that is currently accountable for telecenters assistants training is not aware of the possibilities to use information and communication technology to develop cultural activities on the library. Such government departments have limited knowledge related to the several public library missions. Also among library environment leaders in Brazil There is still limited awareness of the possibilities to integrate ICT in Public libraries activities
Considering that the use of computers and Wi-Fi in public libraries usually is not related to library services and schedule, we have conducted questionnaires to better understand users’ habits. Visited libraries have clearly shown two users’ profile. One of them goes to library to use computers and access Internet; the other visits library to lend books, search locally or use the reading area for studying with their own material. While testing research instruments, we could note that both groups have different habits; like this, we have chosen to create three categories for making easier an analysis of research data, including:
1 – users approached at computers usage area.
2 – users approached at the reading area,
3 – users approached when in transit,
1 Users approached at computers area Among the 15 interviewed users approached at PC usage area, while using or waiting to use computers, all said they used technology every time they went to the library (they go there with this goal); only four said they check out books always or almost every time they visit the library. Among the 15 users from this group, only one stated that uses the library reading area for searching locally or studying; two usually attend to journals section and one uses the services at the section of children’s books in a way that their children can stay there while they use the PC and access the Internet. Most of those who are part of this group (7) are less than 19 years old and haven’t completed secondary school (10).
10 out of the 15 users approached at PC area have stated that they come to the library for using technology because that was the nearest place where they could access computers or Internet. 11 out of 15 users highlighted the free Internet and “safety and comfort” as being very important factors for choosing that place. This group uses Internet as the main way for information access, being TV, friends, parents and newspapers the information sources used most frequently in descending order.
When asked if they look for information in the library, 11 out of the 15 respondents of the group answered they did. Among the 11, all of them use Internet, four use newspapers and magazines, and three use books as information source.
Half of this users group do not have a PC or tablet, nor Smartphone. Among the seven users with digital devices, five have desktops, five have laptops, and four have smart phones. Among the seven with their own devices, five access broadband Internet from home, one uses 3G connection, and four use public places to access wifi.
When asked what is the main reason for them to go to public access venues, the majority of users from this group (8) stated they had no other place to access internet, followed by 5 that answered they didn’t have where to access computers.
For this group, when computer is used, it is to browse the web, see their friends’ pictures, connect to social networks, chats and watch videos (descending frequency). Most common reasons which motivate this users group to use PCs (both in the library and out there) are maintaining communication between friends and parents and developing leisure activity and hobbies. Data matches the results of Global Impact Study (2013) results driven in 2010 in Brazil among users of public places with access to ICT.
2 Users approached at the reading area Thirteen users were interviewed at the reading area while studying with their own material, using library collection, or using their own laptop. Eleven users of this group stated that the most used service in the library were the wifi and the studying/reading area. This group’s answer about the use of books loan is amazing - only two out of 13 users answered that when they go to the library, they often loan a book, one user does it sometimes and 9 never check out books.
Nine users, approached at the reading area, use the library technology and four do not. The reason why they chose the library to access technology on the day of the interview was, for 8 of them, the fact that this place is safe and comfortable, 7 stated that it was important that this was a free service and 6 said it was near home or nearby the place they were when decided to access Internet.
As for information search in general, the users approached on this area usually look for information on the Internet, with TV rated in second place. Among the 13 users in this group, 11 said they search for information in the library, eight of them via Internet, six in books and only one in newspapers and magazines.
All users from this group have computers, 11 of them have laptops, nine have smart phones, five have desktops, and two have tablets. Among these, 10 have broadband Internet at their homes, four use 3G connection and 10 usually go to public places with wifi (libraries, telecenters, cyber coffee or lanhouses).
When using PCs (anywhere) these users usually browse the web, connect to social networks, send email and write or edit texts (descending order by frequency). Most common reasons which motivate these users to use PCs (both in the library and out there) are taking actions related to education (everybody), maintaining communication between friends and parents (11) and developing required skills to get a job and develop professionally (10). It is essential to note how environment and Wi-Fi are, for this group, much more important than the collection offered by the library.
Most of those who are part of this group (9) are between 20 and 34 years old. Five users in the group have already graduated and other 7 completed high school, with only one of 13 in this users’ group having completed only middle school.
3 Users approached transiting though the library Eleven users were interviewed while transiting through the library. For this group, the most used service in the library is book loans, followed by PC and Internet access and by library team guidance asking. Among them, seven use technology at the library and e four do not.
For these seven users, the reasons for choosing to use technology on interview day were: proper opening hours, near home or nearby where they were at the moment they needed or wanted to use technology and because the place is safe and comfort.
As for information search in general, the users search mainly on TV and Internet, followed by books and newspapers. Inside the public library, these users search for information mostly on the Internet or in books (8) followed by magazines, documents, encyclopedias and newspapers.
Nine among eleven users of this group have computers, with six having laptops, five having desktops, four having smart phones and two having tablets. Among these 11 users, only two have broadband Internet at their homes, three use 3G connection and four usually go to public places with Wi-Fi (libraries, telecenters or cybercafés).
When this group uses computers (anywhere) they usually develop activities related to education, develop skills for getting jobs or develop professionally, followed by develop leisure activities or hobbies.
This users’ group includes different ages, with six users being between 25 and 49 years old and four being younger than 25 years old. Two of them have already graduated and other 6 completed high school.
Data collected through Regional Library System coordinators, during the National Public Libraries System Assembly in September 2012, indicate that at most of the states technology usage is associated to free access to Internet, and technology is not integrated to other services offered by Public Libraries.
In general, Brazilian Public Libraries offering access to computers and Internet have equipment provided by Science and Technology Department from local government or by municipal or state public data processing companies. Employees who supervise and facilitate the equipment usage are trained (and sometimes paid )by these government departments . At many cities, the room equipped with PCs is isolated from other library spaces and it is called telecenter. This is what happens in Piracicaba (SP), Porto Alegre – Restinga (RS), Epitaciolandia (AC), Porto Acre (AC) and at other libraries in Bahia state.
We understand the disconnection between library actions and the usage of computers installed, as a result from the sum of different public policies. The Brazilian programs for digital inclusion are managed, on federal level, by Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Planning, such is the case of Telecentros BR program. At state and municipal levels, Departments of Science and Technology or Government Administrative Departments coordinate programs, like Acessa São Paulo and Floresta Digital (AC) .
Besides providing equipment kit and connection, these government departments are accountable for offering training to employees that control and promote the use of equipments. Those trainings are technical and aim to power employees for a better control of equipments and help users with almost no knowledge of computing.
Employees accountable for supervision of PC usage work regardless of library staff; they usually do not know daily library actions to promote reading, local memory, culture, among others.
In Piracicaba (SP), for example, the library offers access to computers and to Internet through Acessa São Paulo program, the operators are library’s employees or trainees, but they are trained and supervised by the Acessa São Paulo program. We could not notice, nor identify during interviews or questionnaires, any evidence that these operators work encouraging reading or information search. The actions developed by library staff neither use the space, nor telecenter’s equipment, although the telecenter is already embedded in the heart of the library. There is no integration; children that attend workshops do not research, nor create using technology.
At São Paulo State Library, equipment is integrated into the library space and there is a trained team to host users within the concept of “library park”, and even so computers are used with no association to library program. The staff offers several activities for children and teenagers, like drawing workshop and craftwork, rebuilding characters and other activities related to Literature. Like this, guidance on how to use computers is restricted to proposing some educational games, with no linkage to the books studied. As well as at other visited libraries there are no workshops for authoring or creating through digital technologies.
As for São Paulo City Hall Library System, among the 57 libraries subordinated to Libraries Office, 29 have telecenters installed by other municipal department. City Hall system coordinator said that these telecenters actions are not coordinated by libraries, and are not related to Libraries Office, they operate independently and include among their activities some basic computing workshops.
The possibility to access via Internet the São Paulo city collection catalog is a factor that, according to system coordinators, extended the number of loans and collection flow in general.
Also, in Acre, computers and access to Internet are provided by State Department separately. Training and support of those employees who operate equipment are responsibility of Department of Technology or Government Administration and do not contribute to technology integration in public libraries’ actions.
Bahia State Library has a telecenter in a room located in the Library building, but with an external entrance operating with an employee paid by the library, but trained and supervised by the department in charge of the telecenter. In the area of loan to the readers, it’s not allowed transiting among bookshelves, not even using computers assigned to search on collection. Five PCs are located behind the balcony and can be accessed only by library staff. User can search at home or at another point with access to Internet the desired book in the scanned catalog available online, but when at the library loan area, the user needs to ask an employee to search for the book on a computer or walk to the telecenter ( located on the opposite side of the building) and require access to a computer and search on the catalog available online.
In Porto Alegre, the Library Josué Guimarães has chosen to deploy in the branch library, located at Restinga neighborhood, the received telecenter. This telecenter works on an independent way from the library. The library manager has reported that the telecenter is not opened for free-use; equipments are totally assigned to workshops arranged by municipal government technology company, while the library is known for its actions aimed at encouraging reading among children and teenagers.
At Acre State Library, when moving toward technology usage spaces and watching machines screens in use, the researcher noticed that little over half of users was connected to social networks, all other were using it in different ways, ranging from searches on content website to activities such text editing, and a small group of young users were connected to gaming websites.
A final conversation took place on the end of the interviews with library coordinators and government representatives when the possibilities of technology integration to current activities in the library was discussed . Among others, the researcher introduced the possibility that children and others taking part into workshops for reading promotion would use computers to represent characters from the books, create comics , animations, collaborative texts, record audio , develop works with images, etc. Library coordinators and government representatives appreciated the possibility, but they highlighted the need of their staffs receiving specific training to such technology usages.
This specific professional development is a great challenge for Brazilian libraries to make the leap to digital age. This problem happens because government department that is currently accountable for telecenters assistants training is not aware of the possibilities to use information and communication technology to develop cultural activities on the library. Such government departments have limited knowledge related to the several public library missions. Also among library environment leaders in Brazil There is still limited awareness of the possibilities to integrate ICT in Public libraries activities
Considering that the use of computers and Wi-Fi in public libraries usually is not related to library services and schedule, we have conducted questionnaires to better understand users’ habits. Visited libraries have clearly shown two users’ profile. One of them goes to library to use computers and access Internet; the other visits library to lend books, search locally or use the reading area for studying with their own material. While testing research instruments, we could note that both groups have different habits; like this, we have chosen to create three categories for making easier an analysis of research data, including:
1 – users approached at computers usage area.
2 – users approached at the reading area,
3 – users approached when in transit,
1 Users approached at computers area Among the 15 interviewed users approached at PC usage area, while using or waiting to use computers, all said they used technology every time they went to the library (they go there with this goal); only four said they check out books always or almost every time they visit the library. Among the 15 users from this group, only one stated that uses the library reading area for searching locally or studying; two usually attend to journals section and one uses the services at the section of children’s books in a way that their children can stay there while they use the PC and access the Internet. Most of those who are part of this group (7) are less than 19 years old and haven’t completed secondary school (10).
10 out of the 15 users approached at PC area have stated that they come to the library for using technology because that was the nearest place where they could access computers or Internet. 11 out of 15 users highlighted the free Internet and “safety and comfort” as being very important factors for choosing that place. This group uses Internet as the main way for information access, being TV, friends, parents and newspapers the information sources used most frequently in descending order.
When asked if they look for information in the library, 11 out of the 15 respondents of the group answered they did. Among the 11, all of them use Internet, four use newspapers and magazines, and three use books as information source.
Half of this users group do not have a PC or tablet, nor Smartphone. Among the seven users with digital devices, five have desktops, five have laptops, and four have smart phones. Among the seven with their own devices, five access broadband Internet from home, one uses 3G connection, and four use public places to access wifi.
When asked what is the main reason for them to go to public access venues, the majority of users from this group (8) stated they had no other place to access internet, followed by 5 that answered they didn’t have where to access computers.
For this group, when computer is used, it is to browse the web, see their friends’ pictures, connect to social networks, chats and watch videos (descending frequency). Most common reasons which motivate this users group to use PCs (both in the library and out there) are maintaining communication between friends and parents and developing leisure activity and hobbies. Data matches the results of Global Impact Study (2013) results driven in 2010 in Brazil among users of public places with access to ICT.
2 Users approached at the reading area Thirteen users were interviewed at the reading area while studying with their own material, using library collection, or using their own laptop. Eleven users of this group stated that the most used service in the library were the wifi and the studying/reading area. This group’s answer about the use of books loan is amazing - only two out of 13 users answered that when they go to the library, they often loan a book, one user does it sometimes and 9 never check out books.
Nine users, approached at the reading area, use the library technology and four do not. The reason why they chose the library to access technology on the day of the interview was, for 8 of them, the fact that this place is safe and comfortable, 7 stated that it was important that this was a free service and 6 said it was near home or nearby the place they were when decided to access Internet.
As for information search in general, the users approached on this area usually look for information on the Internet, with TV rated in second place. Among the 13 users in this group, 11 said they search for information in the library, eight of them via Internet, six in books and only one in newspapers and magazines.
All users from this group have computers, 11 of them have laptops, nine have smart phones, five have desktops, and two have tablets. Among these, 10 have broadband Internet at their homes, four use 3G connection and 10 usually go to public places with wifi (libraries, telecenters, cyber coffee or lanhouses).
When using PCs (anywhere) these users usually browse the web, connect to social networks, send email and write or edit texts (descending order by frequency). Most common reasons which motivate these users to use PCs (both in the library and out there) are taking actions related to education (everybody), maintaining communication between friends and parents (11) and developing required skills to get a job and develop professionally (10). It is essential to note how environment and Wi-Fi are, for this group, much more important than the collection offered by the library.
Most of those who are part of this group (9) are between 20 and 34 years old. Five users in the group have already graduated and other 7 completed high school, with only one of 13 in this users’ group having completed only middle school.
3 Users approached transiting though the library Eleven users were interviewed while transiting through the library. For this group, the most used service in the library is book loans, followed by PC and Internet access and by library team guidance asking. Among them, seven use technology at the library and e four do not.
For these seven users, the reasons for choosing to use technology on interview day were: proper opening hours, near home or nearby where they were at the moment they needed or wanted to use technology and because the place is safe and comfort.
As for information search in general, the users search mainly on TV and Internet, followed by books and newspapers. Inside the public library, these users search for information mostly on the Internet or in books (8) followed by magazines, documents, encyclopedias and newspapers.
Nine among eleven users of this group have computers, with six having laptops, five having desktops, four having smart phones and two having tablets. Among these 11 users, only two have broadband Internet at their homes, three use 3G connection and four usually go to public places with Wi-Fi (libraries, telecenters or cybercafés).
When this group uses computers (anywhere) they usually develop activities related to education, develop skills for getting jobs or develop professionally, followed by develop leisure activities or hobbies.
This users’ group includes different ages, with six users being between 25 and 49 years old and four being younger than 25 years old. Two of them have already graduated and other 6 completed high school.