THE KNOWLEDGE NETWORK: PUBLIC LIBRARIES LINKING COMMUNITIES IN REGIONAL NEW SOUTH WALES.

The public library network in NSW, through NSW.net, is bringing technology access and solutions to remote, rural and regional areas of the state. This network is being recognised as a multiservice provider and community focal point. Edited version of a paper presented at the fourth national regional Australia conference Whyalla South Australia March 2000

Public libraries have a long history of cooperation which is in evidence not only in NSW, but throughout Australia and the world. Collaborative strategies have been established through both formal and informal channels to optimise funding and resources, which remain too low.

The public library network in NSW includes 372 branches which service virtually every community in the state. These libraries are jointly funded by state and local government in the ratio of 10 per cent state and 90 per cent local. There are some 3 million registered library members representing 49 per cent of the total NSW population. In 1997/98 over 45 million items were lent from public libraries which is 7.2 items per person, and there are more than 2000 fulltime equivalent staff employed. There are more public libraries in NSW than there are McDonalds. Australia wide there are almost 1,600 public libraries which attract some 90 million visits each year, or almost five visits per person per year.

To translate this information into descriptors of public libraries, the following statements are true

* established network libraries are part of an established network, and quite often a number of established networks. They already have partners and are experienced networkers

* public places libraries are public places freely accessible to all the community and are open long hours including evenings and weekends

* staffed by information professionals libraries are staffed by people who are trained in the information business

* existing infrastructure libraries as we currently know them reside in buildings which provide the entire infrastructure required for them to perform their function. They are therefore well placed to extend their function to other areas

* highly valued and well patronised libraries have strong community links, with 50 per cent membership across the state and over 30 million visits each year statewide and 90 million nationally. Over 95 per cent of the Australian population consider libraries either very important or important in their community

* part of a broader organisation libraries are financially supported by their local councils and communities. There is potentially considerable strength and many resources to be drawn from this association

* community focal points libraries are a focal point for the communities which they serve. People already attend libraries for a broad variety of purposes

* wide geographical distribution libraries enjoy a wide geographical distribution. There is access to a library of some description almost everywhere in Australia

* cooperation between different levels of government public libraries are jointly funded by state and local government

* multifocused service providers libraries have an expanding brief to adopt broader roles such as acting as government transaction centres

This unique blend of characteristics strongly positions public libraries in remote, rural and regional areas of NSW to expand their role as multiservice points for their communities.

This opportunity has been largely overlooked by state and federal governments in past successive attempts to provide equitable access to services and technology to rural constituents. The federal government's Department of Primary Industries and Energy telecentre/telecottage initiative in the early 1990s sought to establish technology access points for rural and remote residents in various locations throughout Australia. Funding of $2.8 million was allocated over a four year period, and funding criteria included the requirements that the telecentres be community based (operated by a community organisation), were partly community funded, and offered both training and employment opportunities to community members. This strategy provided funding for the initial three year phase of the program, with the aim of each telecentre achieving sustainability at the end of the funding period, thereby enabling them to continue operating as community access points. Unfortunately the majority of these centres failed to achieve the required level of sustainability and closed either at the conclusion of the funding period or shortly after.

An article in The financial review 29 August 1995 concluded that

   Telecentres--touted as an aid to decentralisation and a means of bringing
   technology training and job skills to people in the bush--have been pretty
   much of a flop.

   The federal government put money into the concept through its Telecentres
   Program, but as someone said, this has just splashed dollars on the wall.

   It seemed like a good idea and an interesting social experiment to boot.
   But there are few success stories and those who have backed the concept are
   now afraid of throwing good money after bad.

   The problem seems to have been that more importance was placed on the
   technology than on the management and where the work would come from. And
   that critical element, community support, was in some instances totally
   absent.

   How many facilities are now operating under the loose term `telecentre' is
   not known. SkillShare offices, Open Learning centres and the like, have all
   lined up for telecentre funding. But once that expires many will fall back
   into obscurity.

Had these telecentres been established in public libraries where all of the characteristics described previously would have contributed to the success and longevity of the strategy, every one of them would still be operating today, thereby facilitating ongoing access to technology for remote, rural and regional residents. Ironically, the NSW public library network has assumed this responsibility by default and is in the process of establishing an extensive technology access network known as NSW.net, which will be described in detail later.

On 6 December 1995 the Keating Labor government, during its final term of office, developed a strategy known as the Innovation Statement which pledged $11.4 million to public libraries throughout Australia to establish public internet access for all Australians. This was a very significant political decision for public libraries because it acknowledged the suitability and appropriateness of the public library network to provide an electronic access point for Australians as well as establishing a delivery mechanism for online government information. The Keating government was voted out of office before this strategy was implemented, and the incoming conservative Howard government reduced the funding allocation to $2.2 million and made it competitively available through the Opai (Online Public Access Initiative), completely diminishing the opportunity for the establishment of an Australia wide public internet access network. Since then, many millions of dollars have been distributed by the federal government through the Networking the Nation strategy (using funds from the part sale of Telstra). However there is still no nationwide public access internet network in place. The public library network is still ready, willing and more than able to facilitate and optimise that opportunity.

Regional libraries in New South Wales 

The public library network in NSW has long been optimised by the formation of regional library services which are particularly prevalent in rural and regional New South Wales. There are 23 regional libraries operating throughout the state, providing services to a total of 1.5 million constituents in 104 local government areas, and covering some 390,000 sq km, a significant geographical area of the state. The regional library network is one of very long standing. Its structure has stood the test of time. A number of regions are still operating successfully today having been formed over fifty years ago, in the 1940s.

Like most regional organisations, regional libraries form mutual associations to take advantage of economies of scale, professional support, resource sharing, improved service outcomes, and shared physical and technological infrastructure. It is largely due to the regional library structure in rural, remote and regional NSW that branch libraries are able to remain operational in small towns, and that delivery of regular mobile library services to many outlying communities is maintained.

In the current withdrawal of many services and agencies from `the bush', including post offices, banks, medical services and government services, one agency remains constant, operational and open for business--the local public library. In fact the more services and agencies are withdrawn from rural communities, the more the public library becomes recognised as the community focal point, meeting place and access facility for a broad range of purposes.

Riverina Regional Library

The Riverina Regional Library, is a joint library service between nine local government areas in southern New South Wales, serving a population of some 102,000 residents. Although distances between the central library at Wagga Wagga and other branch libraries are not vast, averaging 100km, some of the communities served have populations of less than 100 people. The library service has branch libraries in 12 towns throughout the Riverina as well as a mobile library which delivers library services to 24 small villages including a number of isolated communities.

In order to maximise library service provision to as many residents as possible throughout the client area, a number of innovative partnerships have been developed with agencies that may not have been seen as public library partners in the past. The first joint Tafe/public library in NSW has been established at Cootamundra; a joint use school/public library operates in the exSnowy Mountains Scheme village of Talbingo; the local post office cum newsagency provides a library service to the residents of Ariah Park; Australia's highest town, Cabramurra, which is located in a national park and as such does not actually `belong' to a local government area, runs a book exchange to meet the library needs of its residents; and, of course, the faithful mobile library which is not unusual in itself except that it is the second busiest service point.

It is very much the focus of the Riverina Regional Library Committee and myself as director to promulgate all aspects of library service within our region, and to work towards the recognition of our libraries as public spaces which go far beyond what may be perceived as `traditional library business'. It is not so much where or with whom libraries set up shop as it is the opportunities they bring to communities. Hence our almost obsession with finding ways and means to infiltrate as many towns and villages as possible throughout the region with library services.

This philosophy is common within the NSW public library network, and it remains the very strong focus of local government and its libraries to provide the full suite of library services to all residents. That means delivering services to some very isolated residents.

Tumut Shire Library

Tumut Shire Council, one of the nine member councils of Riverina Regional Library, has recognised the potential of the library network in its local government area. Tumut Shire has a population of 11,100 people and provides library services to its constituents at branches in four towns. The political and geographical environment of the Tumut Shire necessitates this abundance of libraries, and rather than cringe at the expense associated with their operation, council has optimised the library infrastructure. Branch libraries are utilised as transaction centres for residents to conduct council business such as payment of dog registrations and land rates. Community groups and individuals are also utilising their libraries as meeting places and display facilities; strategic partnerships have developed between libraries and groups such as the local family history group and adult education providers, reinforcing the perception of the library as a community focal point.

The most recent and significant development for the Tumut Shire Council and its libraries is the establishment of the Tumut Electronic Network Centre, an initiative funded by the Networking the Nation program. This project was initiated in 1998, and set up telecentres in libraries at Tumut, Adelong, Batlow and Talbingo with the aims of

* raising the awareness of local communities about technology services and applications available through the telecentres

* renovating and preparing the existing libraries to house the telecentre facilities

* providing ongoing training and support for telecentre users

* implementing strategies to ensure the long term viability of the telecentres

The benefits for the communities have been

* vastly improved access for all residents to information via the internet

* equity of access to technology for people who are disadvantaged financially, geographically or educationally

* raising the awareness of the community about new technology and its relevance to groups and individuals

* availability of training in technology applications

* facilitating the development of community information and business networks

* provision of access to distance education courses available online

* installation of the first regional satellite point of presence

* a joint project with the Tumut Region Development Board to develop an online business database for the region

There have also been significant gains for the library in terms of a new community perception, increased patronage and the availability of more services.

Although the Tumut Electronic Network Centre has not quite met usage expectations in its first year of operation, and some other projected opportunities did not eventuate, this vital community access project will remain in place because it is situated in the existing infrastructure of the public library network and is supported by local government, unlike the 1990s telecentre initiative referred to previously.

So the residents of Tumut Shire are happy, but what about the rest of rural and remote NSW? If libraries are to deliver full and equitable services at all service points, there is a critical and very expensive delivery mechanism to be addressed, access to information technology via the internet. So just how do you manage to develop a statewide internet network? Simple--you harness the power of 175 councils and 372 public libraries and convince the state government to provide some funding. Enter NSW.net ...

NSW.net

In 1995 the State Library of NSW commissioned research into the requirements for a statewide data communications network. The results of this research confirmed that to create a viable network, libraries needed to have high bandwidth connections with speeds of at least 64K. Telstra's ISDN service was identified as the statewide solution best suited to achieve this outcome.

An internet audit conducted in October 1996 by the State Library found that the quality and level of interact connectivity in public libraries was extremely fragmented. This assessment was derived from the fact that 65 of the then 97 public library services with internet access were using 34 different internet service providers (ISPs), of varying quality. All 65 public libraries, except for three, were connecting to the internet using slow dialup modern connection, the majority of these being single workstation access points. The remaining three public libraries, all located in urban areas, were using Telstra's ISDN service.

It was obvious that with the immediacy of the internet, the expectation that public libraries would facilitate internet access, and the objective of providing this access on an equal basis in terms of cost and quality across the state, a solution needed to be developed with alacrity.

The NSW state government initiated the project in 1997 with an allocation of $1.3 million over a three year period. An amazing amount was achieved with this initial funding allocation, which saw some 65 councils and their libraries connected to the NSW.net network. The State Library of NSW was successful in bidding for a grant under the Online Public Access Initiative (Opai) program of $190,000 for the community access points in rural libraries project. This strategy built on the NSW.net project and the concept continued to gain momentum and support. The initiative was very timely in that it provided the answer to an emerging need for internet access in both libraries and local government, to the extent that it very quickly became recognised as a `whole of local government' internet solution. NSW.net has been endorsed in the official policy of the Local Government Association of NSW as the preferred carrier or network for NSW local council access to online services. The Shires Association of NSW also `recognises the local public library network as a major community access point to information technology and welcomes Commonwealth or state initiatives to support this access'.

The Country Public Libraries Association (CPLA) endorsed NSW.net, as the preferred network for NSW country libraries' access to online services, at the association's 1998 conference. Both the CPLA and the Metropolitan Public Libraries Association (MPLA) have supported the implementation of NSW.net through the NSW Public Libraries Consultative Committee (PLCC).

The NSW government has recognised the significance of the NSW.net internet network and the potential of the public library infrastructure as an access and delivery mechanism by providing a further $8 million over a four year period (19992003) to extend NSW.net to all 175 local councils and their main libraries in phase 2 of the project.

What is NSW.net and how does it work?

NSW.net aims to provide the following infrastructure to all councils and central libraries in NSW under the first two phases of its implementation

* permanent high bandwidth connection to the internet for a set per annum cost

* statewide virtual private network (VPN)

* network consortium for purchasing of information and other services

* facility for members to become content providers and utilise ecommerce capability

* training program

The design goals are based on providing a simple, fast, scalable, secure, equitable and cost competitive statewide networking solution.

Simple NSW.net's technical design is simple enough to accommodate a range of networking models that exist in libraries and local councils across NSW. The network supports both single and dual port sites and has the ability to connect, multiple workstations and new or existing local area networks. NSW.net uses Cisco routers that offer flexibility and are easy to configure and service.

Fast NSW.net's technical design provides for high speed, high capacity and reliable connections. Each of the library and council sites is being connected to the OzEmail backbone with a 64K, or greater, link using Telstra's ISDN service. Each 64K link is capable of supporting 200+ workstations.

Scalable NSW.net's technical design is scalable so that performance requirements can continue to be met as traffic patterns and volumes increase, without requiring significant reengineering of the basic design. The connections support multiple physical sites, for example both library and council buildings and wide area network. Subsequent additions can also be made to the connection, such as adding workstations, servers and networks.

Secure NSW.net uses router encryption for the construction of the VPN. Options, such as fire walling, can be implemented if libraries and councils require a higher level of security.

Equitable NSW.net's technical design ensures that all sites connected to the network are equal, whether located in urban or regional, rural and remote areas of NSW. It is a true internet model with no central control point or key site on the network.

The challenge

The challenge for NSW.net remains that, even with the existing and projected gains from the currently available funding, libraries and councils in rural and remote NSW still do not enjoy affordable access to high speed internet connections. Without the NSW.net initiative there is little likelihood of these libraries being able to offer their communities access to the internet and online services in the foreseeable future. Large commercial ISPs have, to date, largely ignored the rural and remote areas. Part of the rationale for tendering for a whole of state solution for the network was to ensure that a reliable ISP would provide a guaranteed level of service to the noncommercial areas of NSW. The VPN feature of NSW.net is a unique facility for NSW public libraries and councils. There is no likelihood of this whole of state facility becoming available on a commercial basis.

The NSW.net project has completed phase 1 of its implementation plan--offering connections to the 99 NSW councils with central libraries, and completing the connections for those that accepted the phase 1 offer. Phase 2, making offers and connecting the remaining NSW councils and their main libraries, is in progress.

Phase 3

The third and final implementation phase of the NSW.net initiative aims to connect all the remaining 372 branch libraries in the network, and is dependent upon securing further funding to extend the project. It is hoped that the necessary money will be allocated from the federal Networking the Nation fund. Phase 3 builds on the unique partnership between the community and local, state and federal governments which characterises the initial two phases of NSW.net. It will enable the majority of regional, rural and remote communities in NSW to have free high speed access to the internet and online services via local public libraries. The network is much more than a connection to the internet. It also provides a value added layer whereby members can benefit from a range of services tailored to meet client needs, including subscription based information services. NSW.net will ensure that the people of NSW have free and equitable access to the internet and online services through all 372 free public libraries. Above all, NSW.net is about equity, participation, cooperation and utilising the global network for local community benefit. NSW.net is aggregating the rural community into a viable online marketplace for providing access to services at prices competitive with metropolitan NSW.

In summary, the aims of phase 3 are to provide

* residents in regional, rural and remote NSW with access to the internet and online services through their local public and mobile libraries

* households in the rural and remote areas of NSW with local call access to the internet

* staff managing branch and mobile libraries in regional, rural and remote communities with enhanced skills to deliver internet training programs.

This will be achieved by

* connecting branch public libraries in regional, rural and remote NSW and mobile libraries that visit remote areas

* implementing remote access servers in ten remote libraries to enable local councils to on sell local call internet access to residents

* providing an internet train the trainer program for staff managing the branch and mobile libraries in regional, rural and remote NSW

At a later stage it is planned to consult with stakeholders about extending the aims of NSW.net to

* provide a distributed network of regional and subregional information servers for creating and managing local information and services

* provide a distributed archiving facility for repositing and preserving electronic community records across the regional, rural and remote areas of NSW

* deliver an innovative community training program, based on a mobile training facility, to residents living in regional, rural and remote NSW

Conclusion

The public library network has emerged as a leader in bringing technology access and solutions to remote, rural and regional New South Wales. It has unparalleled infrastructure, community recognition, and accessibility which makes public libraries an obvious choice as community technology access points and online information delivery points for all levels of government.

NSW.net is an ongoing project based largely in local councils and public libraries. As many service providers close service points in regional, rural and remote areas, public libraries are assuming greater importance. They are a permanent feature of their communities and are the natural, logical retailers of knowledge to rural communities. They are providing services beyond their traditional core business. For example, some are acting as transaction centres for local council services and some share facilities with other service providers, such as local health services.

The need for libraries in regional, rural and remote areas to have affordable high speed access to online services is critical if local community needs are to be met. NSW.net is providing the connectivity to encourage councils to make greater use of the infrastructure and connectivity being provided by the network, thereby becoming more active participants in the information economy. NSW.net is having discussions with several local government system vendors regarding situating data warehouses on the network. This is an example of core council functions being moved to an electronic environment. Apart from the potential revenue stream, the long-term viability of NSW.net will be enhanced by becoming an essential element of regular council business.

The IT infrastructure and content strategies for NSW.net all have long term viability. The network has been designed as a scalable networking solution so that, as demands and needs change, requirements can continue to be met without having to make significant changes to the network design. Direct involvement of key stakeholders in the development of NSW.net has ensured a responsive, client focused network.

Provision of funding for the final phase of the project will secure the desired outcome. Residents living in the regional, rural and remote areas of the state will be guaranteed access to the internet and online services to the same standard as residents living in urban areas.

In the broader environment, the extensive network of regional and standalone libraries in NSW is being recognised as a multi-service provider and a community focal point. The strength and unique characteristics of public libraries should be recognised and optimised to assist remote, rural and regional communities not only to survive, but to develop and prosper.

Robert Knight is Director of the Riverina Regional Library, which serves the residents of nine local government areas in the Riverina through a network of thirteen branch libraries Early in his career Robert was employed in the tertiary education sector where he worked in both libraries and distance education. He has a professional commitment to, and a personal interest in, assisting in the development and maintenance of strong networks that promote equity of service provision and optimum lifestyle choices to residents of the Riverina. To this end, Robert is involved with a number of community and professional groups. Address: PO Box 5186 Wagga Wagga NSW 2656 Tel[phone] fax[phone] [e-mail]

Robert Knight Director Riverina Regional Library NSW Received May 2000