If you read Forbes, Business Week, or Kiplinger, you might confuse Fayetteville, Arkansas with heaven. This year, Forbes ranked it #4 among the Best Places for Business and Careers and one of the Best Small Cities for Startups. Business Week called it the Best City in Arkansas, and Kiplinger named it #7 in the Best Places to Live, Work, and Play in 2008. And that’s just for starters. It’s also been recognized for its strong housing market and clean air. The cost of living is low, and the small businesses thriving in Fayetteville alongside industry giants like Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods keep employment rates up. After visiting the beautiful new Fayetteville Public Library, I believe that it is a central character in Fayetteville’s success story.

Despite the above-average economic health, I spoke to many people who had no internet access outside the public library. In some cases, as in Baltimore, they had lost jobs or left homes due to the downturn, and could not afford it. However, in many cases people were choosing to do without computer or internet access in their homes. The library is so comfortable and convenient, they said, they preferred to do all their computer work there. With friendly staff able to assist them in the case of a technical problem, and an IT director keeping the network secure, the less tech-savvy no longer had to be intimidated by the computer. These patrons have learned, on the library’s computers, to write books, trade stocks, and build business plans. They save hundreds of dollars a year by forgoing a personal computer and internet at home, yet do not have to sacrifice any of its benefits. By offering such appealing facilities, the library is clearly helping to raise the quality of life in Fayetteville.

The large population of people relying entirely on the library’s computers in this small city has created a community of regulars. The staff knows them; they recognize each other. Many have favorite computers they return to every day. Others come in a group once a week. Couples walk to the library together to check their email, turning the ritual into a free date. As a result, what would be an hour or so of solitary computer use at home has become a social situation. The computers help make the library a popular social gathering place and meeting spot. From there, people may walk down Dickson Street or through the historic Square, bringing business to local restaurants and shops. This social activity helps keep individual citizens, the library, and downtown Fayetteville thriving and vibrant.

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to Baltimore for our first case study site, Enoch Pratt Libraries. I learned so many things about research, library systems, public access computing, and most importantly, I was reminded how lucky I am, and most who read this, are. When I wake up in the morning, I do one of two things that, while it has become a chore, I do compulsively - check my iPhone or power up my Macbook. On our first morning in Baltimore, we went to the Enoch Pratt Central branch before it opened. What we saw was amazing to me - at least 30 people waiting outside the doors for it to open like many of us wait outside the Apple store for their latest product. When the doors opened, the people literally ran in, most of them running to get first dibs on public access computers or at least to sign up to reserve time later in the day. What I take for granted every single day with my WiFi enabled phone and internet access at work, school, home, these people have to fight for every single day.

In today’s economic situation, we found that many people were new to using the free computers and internet at the libraries. Whether it is because they couldn’t afford internet access at home anymore, because they no longer had a place to live, or because they had lost their jobs and are in search of employment, the computers at the library serve as a vital component to their lives, just as our iPhones and laptops do.

Through our interviews with library staff, administrators, community members, and most importantly, the PAC users/library patrons, we heard over and over again that if public access computing and free internet were not available at libraries, there would be a tremendous disruption. By disruption I don’t mean having Facebook down for an hour for maintenance. Rather, the users of these computers would not have any way to search for and apply for jobs, access information about health conditions and medicines, stay connected with family and friends, or just Google whatever they want to, as most of us take for granted daily.

As one staff member said, “We are THE home computer for so many people.” The next time your connection is running a little slow or your roommate or child is “hogging” the computer, just imagine having to stand in line every morning to be able to cram in all you do on the computer in 30 minute increments. We need to keep, and increase, PAC in libraries for all to access.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-school-stimulus_wittfeb12,0,628242.story

The Newton Free Library in Newton, Mass., used its grant to set up a retirement planning club for women in 2008.

Nancy Johnson, supervisor of the reference department at the library, says it was a great time to begin the program.

“We have 2,000 people a day and more that come in and they are certainly job searching,” she says. “But the people that are in this club are trying to learn about what economics means. It’s a great time to study economics when it specifically pertains to you.”

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101268021

92-year-old Dan Schorr was one of the Murrow’s oys, recruited to CBS by the infamous Edward R. Murrow.  Listen to his first experience of social inclusion on the web.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101265831

As more and more people in the US are affected by the economic downturn, libraries are seeing an exponential increase in use of all of its services.  As reported by CNN.com, many people are flocking to their area libraries to use the public access computers to search for jobs, engage in technological training, and while there for other purposes, libraries are reporting they are seeing a large increase in book circulation.

One example of such an increase in use is the Buffalo and Erie County public library system in Buffalo, New York.  The library system saw a 50 percent increase in the use of free public computers in the first half of 2008, according to the American Library Association.

For many, libraries are the only source of free Internet access in their communities, which further emphasizes the work that the IMPACT project is doing with its analysis of the individual and community benefits associated with offering free, public access computers with Internet access.  Especially in tough economic times, people gain numerous benefits from public access computing use, including job searching, resume building, foreclosure information, applying for government and unemployment assistance, and learning new skills to help acquire new employment.

And if they happen to pick up a book or two while they are there, even better!  Hooking readers now will help ensure they will return to the library even in sunnier economic climates.

Here I am; trying to take an online graduate program, work, have a partner, raise a child, take care of myself by having knee surgery now instead of later, etc., etc. So what happens the day after my surgery when I am supposed to be home with my leg up for 4 days?  My Internet service “goes out”.  Yes.  Right when I had planned to catch up on my school work, get ahead and spend some time with my computer.

So, I became someone who had to go to my local library to use the computer. First, I arrived an hour before it opened so had to wait at a coffee shop. When I returned to the library, I was amazed to see that I wasn’t the only one who needed to get in; not only was there a crowd waiting, they all wanted the computer as well. Luckily, I got a 90-minute session and though there were some people fooling around near me, I did get most of my work done. I felt very lucky to have a PAC with 36 computers though I am guessing that my library serves a population of around 50,000, give or take a few thousand. It was interesting to see the mixes of age and gender among the users (and notice that the teenagers spent the whole time on Facebook!). I hope to be able to go to a few other branches around here and see what types of users there are…but only by my choice, not my service provider’s.

“Their Crime Was Curiosity.”

The world of digital communications does not have the same agility, physical action, suspense of the mid nineties. However, the film Hackers (1995), has become a sort of cult classic and has relevance to the situations young adults find in access to communications using public computers.  The film’s sleek look and hip computer savvy protagonists also personify stereotypes often placed on young adults who use PAC.    

Several libraries have physically banned students from using computers during certain school hours of the day. Such as in a recent article from Kennewick, Washington where a library located across from the local high school is not allowing students to use PAC.

Well OK-granted they are not in school, but that is a completely different can of worms, one that I could not even begin here.  And this is one example, I am sure many cases have varied outcomes. What I want to ask is: What is the role of a Librarian or Library employee in what young adults access online and what they do with the time they spend on the computer?   Does age difference mean that an “adult”- being 18 and above- does not use the PAC for gaming or communicating with friends?

While living in Minneapolis I taught at a charter school in my neighborhood.  The students comprised of recent immigrants to the United States, many are refugees.  These students also went to the library branch I frequented.  Several of the young adults had been suspended from using the libraries’ PAC because they would play games and would often group up around a computer.  I was happy they had after school hour access to the school’s computer lab, but dismayed to think they could not have computer access in the summer months as frequently.  What are some different ways the branch could have handled this situation (keep in mind it had maybe 5 PAC)?

Where can I find articles that have asked these questions as well?

I visit the Seattle Central Library http://www.spl.org/ - at least three times a week.  It is my neighborhood library!

Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas’s massive glass and steel sculpture was opened in 2004.

The building features self check out stations, musical practice rooms, a large foreign language- contemporary- book section, a children’s section & young adult section, a coffee shop (how very Seattle), art installations, and most importantly- vibrant yellow escalators allowing access to it all.

The expansive space is available to everyone- and everyone is there. Tourist People, Executive Business People, Homeless People, Students of all ages, Car Commuters, Bike Commuters, Urban Dwellers, Conference Attendees…

I feel the Seattle Central Library does not have a cozy, “your local library” feel to it when you first enter, but there are coves and sections that can become very inviting once you have proper navigation.  Most all floors have space dedicated to public computers and wireless connection is building wide. 

Thank you for the fab pictures A.Wang!

Hello! My name is Kathy Weigert and I’m a second year student at the UW MLIS program. I feel extremely lucky and very excited to be a part of this research process.

Although I’m employed in an academic library at present, I have worked for a public library system and remember the excitement when all those computers arrived that actually connected to the Internet. Once people found out they could get online at the library, our patron traffic increased overwhelming. However, many of the l librarians I worked with were less than enthusiastic about this wonderful new technology as they felt that computers had no place in the library (yes this was just ten years ago) and felt that patrons should not expect any help from the librarians once they left the library website to search the web. However, thankfully attitudes have changed.

I taught classes in basic web searching to patrons who had never user used a computer. As it was new technology to all of us, many times I was learning alongside my patrons and learning from my patrons! I have also witnessed the limitations of PACs in the form of time limits on usage, lack of word processing, not enough terminals, and the resulting frustrations encountered by patrons who are unable to complete their tasks.

Currently I am employed in the library of an academic institution and I can thankfully say that there are far fewer access issues for our students than are faced by users in a typical public library system.

I’m looking forward to participating in this blog and the exchange of information by others committed to conducting research on how PACs have contributed to the greater good of society as well as how barriers to access reinforce inequality in people’s life chances for engagement in the social, economic and political process.

I live in Poulsbo, Washington; across Puget Sound from Seattle on the Kitsap Peninsula.  I’m married and have two grown sons.