David Lee King

social media | emerging trends | libraries

Are We There Yet? Conversation with Paul Signorelli

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I had a fun conversation recently with Paul Signorelli as part of Arizona State University’s ASU ShapingEDU | Are We There Yet? Capturing the Evolving New Now in Learning discussions.

We touched on a lote of topics, mostly around Covid and post-covid best practices – topics like what my library did during the pandemic, broadband in our county and the library’s response to that, what new services appeared, and my library’s digital branch.

Anyway – fun conversation with a good friend and colleague. Watch it and share!

Hung out with T is for Training

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Last week, I was on the T is for Training Podcast (Maurice Coleman’s way-cool podcast).

It was fun! We talked about my library’s experience during Covid, broadband initiatives, digital multimedia spaces in libraries, and training and learning around each of those topics.

To say the least, we covered a LOT of ground.

So – have a listen, subscribe, etc! Also, make sure to go to the podcast episode page – the page has a bunch of links to things we discussed during the show.

Mobile Technology and Home Broadband use – new Pew Research Center Report

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https://www.pewinternet.org/2019/06/13/mobile-technology-and-home-broadband-2019/

The Pew Research Center just released their newest report on mobile technology and Home Broadband use. Check it out – there’s some really interesting stuff in the report, as always.

Here are some highlights:

  • 81% of US adults own a smartphone.
  • 73% of US adults have home broadband.
  • 37% of US adults mostly use a smartphone when going online. Wow.
    • 58% of 18-29 year olds do that…
    • 47% of adults age 30-49 do it. This is growing.
  • 45% of non-broadband users say they don’t have broadband at home because their smartphone does everything they need.

Another interesting tidbit: smartphone ownership doesn’t vary much across economic, racial, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. But home broadband use does.

  • 17% of US adults are smartphone-only internet users. They don’t have broadband at home. It was 20% in 2018, so it has varied somewhat in a year’s time.

The report also said this: “Roughly four-in-ten non-adopters report having other options for internet access outside of their home” … “other options” hey, that’s us!

What should we take away from this?

  • Our web services need to work well on mobile devices
  • We need to have a mobile-first mentality when creating web content. Make sure everything we do online looks good on mobile devices.
  • 4 in 10 people without broadband at home depend on places like libraries to supply their broadband needs. This means we need the best wifi in town! And also adequate, comfy charging station areas in our libraries.

What else? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Mobility and Libraries

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This is my continuing series on emerging technology trends and libraries. This week’s trend focuses on mobility.

Mobility – mobile access, mobile devices, great wifi, etc. … believe it or not, this is still an emerging trend for libraries. So let’s discuss it a bit!

I just checked my library’s website analytics – right now, about 45% of people visiting the library’s website are using some type of mobile device. Your library’s customers are using smartphones and tablets to do stuff on your website.

What do these customers need? A mobile-friendly website, a variety of apps, easy access to great wifi when they are in your building, and easy access to power, so they can recharge.

Can your library meet those needs? Not all libraries can. Here’s what I mean:

Websites: Some websites use responsive or adaptive design, so it adjusts for different screen sizes. But in the library world, many websites aren’t there yet. Some have mobile apps, but those don’t necessarily access everything that lives on the website. If your website isn’t here yet, that’s something to fix.

Mobile apps: Most likely, you have access to some mobile apps already. For example, if your library offers Overdrive or Hoopla, you have mobile apps. You might have a mobile app for easier access to your catalog or library events. You might even have a mobile app version of your website. If you have any of these things, you at least need a page on your website that points to all your mobile apps, and to the app stores so they can be easily downloaded.

Great wifi: Notice I said “great” wifi. “Robust” is another good word here. There are some libraries that don’t offer great wifi. When a lot of people use it, it slows down, or stops working. Or maybe there isn’t great coverage throughout the building. I’ve even seen at least one library that only allows wifi access through the library card. If you don’t have a library card, you are out of luck (not the friendliest way to do it, in my opinion). These are definitely things that can be improved!

Power outlets: You have them, and your customers are using them.. Do they have to move furniture or unplug lamps to access them? And yes, I’m saying this because I’ve seen students moving tables and chairs, or sitting on the floor. I’ve seen customers unplug lamps to access the power outlet at my library. If any of these things are happening, think about rearranging things so your power outlets are easier to get to. If that won’t work, maybe get some type of power charging station or recharging devices that can be borrowed. Also think about keeping a box of mobile device cables behind the desk, for people who need to recharge but forgot their cable.

Most important thing is this (especially for your wifi signal): this stuff is always changing, so it’s not something you can budget once and be done with. It’s an every year thing. Check usage and up your bandwidth accordingly, before it becomes a problem.

Thoughts? What am I leaving out?

Worst Connected Cities: How does Your City Rank?

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No Wifi!The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) just shared a recent survey focused on broadband Internet connectivity in cities with more than 50,000 households. You can find that survey here.

Unfortunately for Topeka, KS (where I live) … we are ranked the 10th worst connected city in the US.

Here’s a little more info from NDIA’s website about the ranking:

Using data from the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS), released in September 2017 by the U.S. Census Bureau, NDIA ranked all 185 U.S. cities with more than 50,000 households by the total percentage of each city’s households lacking fixed broadband internet subscriptions. Note that this data is not an indication of the availability of home broadband service, but rather of the extent to which households are actually connected to it.

That’s why my library’s CEO is working with other local governmental and non-profit organizations to get affordable (and more) broadband into our community.

It also demonstrates the value of a library providing great wifi in their buildings and having up-to-date computers for people to use when they visit. Why? Because a lot of people need it – in Topeka, for example … they aren’t getting that level of connectivity anywhere else.

Not sure how your library is doing? Start by asking (and answering) these questions:

  • How is YOUR library’s Internet access? Any slow-downs during the day? Is it too slow?
  • Do you have adequate wifi?
  • Are your public computers up-to-date? Do they work like your customers want them to?
  • Do you have enough computers/laptops/tablets for customers?
  • If you need to improve any of these areas … what is your plan for doing that? Who do you need to talk to?

Start planning for those needed improvements … that’s a step int he right direction for your library, and for your customers!

Image by Paille