Connecting to the Internet: The Challenge for Canada's County and Regional Libraries |
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| Institution: | 1. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada;2. Vancouver Public Library, Vancouver, BC, Canada;1. Exosome Biology Laboratory, Center for Clinical Diagnostics, University of Queensland Center for Clinical Research, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Queensland, Australia;2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile;1. Hohai University, Nanjing, China;2. King’s College London, University of London, UK;3. University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA;4. Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China;1. Geography and Environment, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom;2. Geography and International Development, University of Chester, United Kingdom;1. University of Bologna (Italy), Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Science, Viale Adriatico 1/N 61032, Fano, PU, Italy;2. University of Bologna, Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences Via Tolara di Sopra, 50 40064, Ozzano dell''Emilia, Bo, Italy;3. University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Department of Economics and Law Via Folcara, 03043, Cassino, FR, Italy;1. CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Colombia;2. Human Environmental Relations, LMU, University of Munich (LMU), Germany;3. Department of Geoinformatics – Z_GIS, Doctoral College GIScience, University Salzburg, Austria;4. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Colombia;5. UNIGIS América Latina, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador;6. Laboratory for Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems, IIE, ENAC, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland |
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| Abstract: | A previous survey, in 1995, revealed that only 3% of Canada's regional and county library systems provided public Internet access. The present survey showed that 67% of these libraries provided access and that connectivity was proceeding rapidly despite the geographical, technical, and financial difficulties faced by systems with large geographical areas and numerous members from different municipal or county jurisdictions. Library directors indicated that using the World Wide Web as a reference tool was the most useful staff application of the Internet and that this function was most appreciated in small branches located far from adequate reference collections. Funding for initial connectivity set-up costs came mainly from federal and provincial grants and from existing library budgets. Directors expected library budgets to be the primary funding source for ongoing Internet costs, a potentially difficult situation because of continuing fiscal shortfalls and increasing technical expenses. The Internet has ameliorated some of the long-distance communications problems unique to county and regional systems, but many difficulties remain. |
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