CILIP Big Day 2012 – Speaker three - Digital Access for All, SCL Projects and involvements

Digital Access for All was in two strands.

Digital Access for All – talk one, Mark Taylor, Society of Chief Librarians

Mark briefly outlined four current initiatives that SCL is involved in or has an interest in.

The SCL Digital Promise –

This is a national offer to citizens issued in January 2012, it details what expects local authorities to offer and what SCL wants to see, and impact of in terms public libraries providing digital access for all

Digital Services Survey –

This had been sent out by SCL and 65% of local authorities had responded, the Survey was seen as the baseline of tracking actual delivery and progress against the SCL Digital Promise offer. It will probably thus be an annual survey.  Results are currently in draft with further work to be done on them. Various statistics given. For example, 93% had some free internet access, 72% had WiFi, investment in hardware and software seemed to be holding up, 78% specifically trained customers, 81% provided training on digital information literacy.

Public Libraries Information Offer with ACE (Arts Council England) –

This looks at the role of the library service in the shift to digital being default provision mode of government information.  It’s about helping people to access content and navigate it and not be left behind.  There are 9 pilots to do with official national and local information in specific subject areas. The evaluation of the first phase is on the SCL website. Shows libraries support helps as a trusted delivery mechanism.  He used the Council Connect service of Brighton & Hove Libraries to illustrate how libraries can help people to access council services online, successful initiative, lot of folk helped hadn’t used online or website before.

Race Online 2012 –

Aim to get every citizen online. Driven by the costs and efficiency agenda, migrating content to digital only, need to engage people and help them improve their digital skills to access and use. SCL a partner in Race Online, undertook to help 500k people online, actually helped 2.5 million.  Participating in Race Online meant that everyone started counting things that happened before but didn’t transfer into statistics, libraries were a trusted resource that people knew and were local to them.  He gave various case studies of individuals that had been helped and it had improved their lives.