The Gates Legacy

In libraries with newly installed public access computers, patron numbers grew by nearly 25 percent in 2000 and 2002, with many of them new to libraries.

They include home schoolers, travelers, and people from low-income families, who are much more likely to depend on library computers. This sampling of updated findings from the ongoing research on the U.S. Library Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation indicates the breadth and depth of the impact of this extensive gift to public libraries. These recent findings, combined with the early results of the program ("New Computers Bring New Patrons," LJ 2/15/01, p. 134–138), demonstrate that the program's legacy is substantial.

The largest gift to U.S. public libraries since that of Andrew Carnegie, the Gates Program will have brought computer "packages" into the majority of public libraries in all 50 states by the end of 2003. By then the contribution will total 40,000 computers since 1997 in about 10,000 eligible facilities. Program staff visited libraries in state after state, beginning with the poorest. They installed tamper-resistant machines and software and trained librarians and some patrons in their operation. A few of the first states have already completed the program, after receiving final software updates and three years of technical assistance. In others, the program is just beginning. Most participating libraries are struggling to sustain public access. The program focused on libraries that serve populations where ten percent earn below the federal poverty line; it has reached into nearly every low-income area and isolated public library in America.

The number of people in the United States who have at least limited access to computers and the Internet continues to grow, and large increases in the number of patrons at libraries—in some cases more than 100 percent—are part of this overall trend. These increases averaged 23 percent in the early states in 2000 and 24 percent in all the Gates states completed by mid-2002.

Libraries provided access to a large number of low-income patrons, as detailed in Figure 1. About half of adult library computer users have household incomes below $25,000, compared with 30 percent of the population of those states, according to the U.S. census. This may indicate to some that the digital divide is nearly closed. However, our results show that it is much too early to draw that conclusion.

People who want or need more computer access are much more often among our society's disadvantaged. Divisions defined by income, education, race/ethnicity, age, and geography (urban, suburban, rural residence, region) remain sharp. Those in low-income families are less likely to be computer users, less likely to have PCs at home, and more likely to depend heavily on libraries for electronic information. They are also more likely to live farther from their libraries and more likely to be discouraged from using library computers because of long waiting times, strict use periods, and high printing costs. More often than wealthier patrons, economically disadvantaged patrons think their libraries should be open more hours. African Americans and Native Americans are the most likely to be confronted by these difficulties.

For those with home computers, the quality of access is important in their decision to use library equipment. Outdated hardware, software that is difficult, and PCs shared by too many family members combine to make access at the library attractive. People explained that they appreciate the help they get at libraries, the hours of service, the software, the connection speeds, and even the companionship. Some patrons even reported that they use library computers because the time limits and library hours help them control their own use.

Nearly all of the 500 children we interviewed use computers and the Internet, often at multiple sites including schools, libraries, and increasingly at home. Children with the least access come from low-income families, live in low-income neighborhoods, and have parents with less education. These children are the most dependent on library devices.

School-age children spend about an hour a day on computers—and almost all want more time. The library computer users among them average 37 minutes a week on library computers, a small fraction of their overall computing time. They and others who don't use library computers say access is too limited at the libraries. School-age children, especially older ones, have become skilled at "computing around." They orchestrate time on different machines (with different speeds, connections, and software) in different locations for different purposes. Most are confident about their skills, and a large majority report having taught adults to be computer literate at home and/or in libraries. About half (more girls than boys) are willing to volunteer to help teach adults at local libraries.

While it is difficult to separate the specific effects of the Gates gift from all the other movement toward computerization, the program clearly gives new support to one major value of librarianship—to provide patrons with free, timely access to the information they need or want.

Libraries were ideal partners for the Gates Program. Our telephone surveys indicate more than half the people in the country currently use libraries, and interviewees rated libraries as the most appropriate places to provide public access to computers and the Internet. Patrons and RDD respondents believe library computers benefit everyone in their communities, especially those without other access.

Librarians (more than 6000) report that the computers enhance the reputations of their institutions and attract new patrons. They help staff do a better job of providing much more information, more quickly. The access has made an especially big difference in rural and small-town libraries, where book collections and other printed material are often limited by budgets. Once they are comfortable with the computers, most librarians enjoy them and say having them increases their job satisfaction.

As indicated in the early research, librarians continue to feel increased stress, as there are more patrons, asking more questions, and needing more help. Three-fourths of patrons say they "ask a librarian" when they need help with library computers, yet budgets and staffs have not grown proportionally. Some librarians are also stressed by computer users who need extra instruction and by patrons who view adult-oriented material and thus expose others, including children.

In addition, as more and more children use computers the ecology of public libraries has changed. Staff and other adults complain about the children's noise, activity levels, and pressure for access. Many also worry about how children use computers, even though they believe that access is especially valuable for them.

In states where the Gates Program has already been in operation, more people are using computers and the Internet, and more say they learned at a library. Home ownership of computers and Internet access in poorer states is catching up with wealthier ones. In interviews and open-ended responses, low-income patrons report that public access has opened "whole new worlds" for them.

Library computers are most popularly used for Internet access and e-mail. However, the use is much more extensive (see Figure 2). Patrons overwhelmingly believe that computers, even more than access to the Internet, will help close the gap between society's "haves" and "have-nots." Many library customers use the computers to get information, but, importantly, many simultaneously develop basic computer skills that make them competitive in the work force. The public agrees with this broadened mission for libraries and is supporting public access computing, library growth, and renovation.

People reap different benefits from library computers depending on their incomes. Access to library computers is more likely to help those with less income find jobs, write or print résumés, or find relevant training. Low-income respondents say the computers help them get better grades, learn to read, and improve their technological skills. People with more income are more likely to say library computers help them do their jobs or research purchases. The library computers also occasionally stand in for an out-of-order home PC.

Urbanites name more ways that library computers have helped them than those rural residents. There is some evidence that urban dwellers try to make their worlds smaller and more manageable, while those in rural areas are trying to expand their worlds by getting information otherwise unavailable to them.

The impacts are sometimes dramatic, as when one rural respondent used library computers to find out about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and then educated his physician, which ultimately saved his life.

Over the years, foundation staff "fine-tuned" the program as they responded to feedback. During the first year, program leaders learned many of the largest library systems (300,000 patrons) already operated extensive public access programs. The program's "library model" was not always compatible with existing computers, creating problems for tech staffs. In subsequent years, the program instead gave flexible cash awards to large libraries. Also, the detailed manuals were seen as intimidating and rarely consulted by patrons, so a number of Quick Guides were created to accommodate different skill levels of patrons and librarians. As the program evolved, librarians were encouraged to choose a training module suitable for their skills. When it came to technical assistance, librarians complained about the waiting times (sometimes over 45 minutes) for telephone help, so the Seattle-based staff reduced the wait to less than 45 seconds.

Program staff also modified models for specific needs. Some librarians, especially those in larger systems, thought the "library model" was "too locked down," so the staff designed a more flexible model for later states. In response to librarians' concerns about serving patrons who speak languages other than English and Spanish, staff designed a computer model with multilingual capabilities.

Some decisions made by program staff, given recent research results, may cause other problems down the road. In a significant change, the program stopped providing onsite training to all libraries in systems with over 100,000 patrons, opting instead to bring system representatives from those with 100,000 to 300,000 to Seattle for training. It was expected that these representatives would return and train others in their systems, but once home their regular duties often prevented that. The program also cut back ongoing telephone technical assistance from three years to one in later states. Many of the program's own staff worried about these changes, and some librarians in later states interpreted the change as the foundation "disinvesting."

Our research shows that high-quality, easily accessible staff training is critical. Continually, on surveys and during site visits, librarians rated the onsite training by program staff very high. Librarians have repeatedly told our staff that it is not the computers as much as other components of the Gates package, especially the training, that differentiate it from most others. Administrators of libraries where program staff conducted onsite training rated a number of specific problems as less severe and reported their staff skills as higher than the administrators of libraries that didn't have onsite preparation. These findings suggest that library administrators need to be especially creative in devising ways to provide staff and patron coaching—perhaps with the aid of willing youth and via the portal being developed through a recent Gates Program grant designed to provide ongoing support to libraries.

Everyone, from state librarians to volunteer staff, agrees that the public now expects to find computers for their use in public libraries. Still, sustaining the access will be difficult in some locales. The "biggest challenges" seen by directors and staffs are training for patrons and staff and technical support. Half the library administrators said their computing resources will not be adequate in two years. Most said they will need more computers. About half said they will need more staff training, more tech support, and more staff hours.

Despite the overall enormity of the Gates gifts, budgets of most libraries are stressed by greater demands for longer hours, more staff, and more equipment. Library administrators and development people are searching for creative solutions to this sharply increased use and public demand, not to mention the technical aspects of maintenance and upgrade requirements for the machinery. States visited earliest by the Gates Program seem to be feeling the age of their hardware and software and recognize their eventual replacement.

Much of the required funding typically comes from local government budgets, though rural libraries are less likely than urban ones to cite governments as sources. However, the public supports this access, even in small rural communities. Citizens all over the country say they are willing to pay more taxes for library computing, and they have been supporting a "renovation boom" for libraries across our 18 focus states. In fact, the poorest residents are willing to pay the largest portions of their incomes to have this service in their libraries, for computer classes almost as much as for access. Overall, people who use libraries are pleased with the focus and direction of their libraries, although some think there is insufficient emphasis on children's programs and computer training.

Sustainability is also related to the interests, skills, and often the political acuity of librarians as they develop partnerships in their local communities. Some librarians have developed strong leadership skills, and their libraries have been transformed into community centers, attracting more people and heightening activity.

In general, however, rural and small-town libraries are increasingly in a funding crunch, directly owing to the small number of people served. Though they named as many sources of support as larger urban libraries, fewer rural libraries named local governments. Thus, their need to form strategic partnerships may be greater than that of larger libraries.

Library administrators agree that the Gates Program has had measurable, positive impacts on the public access computing programs of participating libraries. Very eager to maintain their gains, library directors have become more focused on building partnerships, increasing public awareness of services, and making sure local politicians have up-to-date information about those services.

Internet use, library use, and public attitudes toward libraries as well as public access to computers have all changed positively since the Gates Program began. It was, after all, unprecedented in size, in comprehensiveness, in the speed with which it has been implemented, and in the rich array of resources it provides. The Gates Program has been effective in increasing computer access for all citizens, especially the most impoverished.

The public now believes strongly that public access to computing in libraries, and libraries themselves, is an important community resource. The availability of access has even improved the attitudes of many librarians toward their work and their profession. Many have become inspired and assertive advocates within the profession. Most important, many library patrons believe the computers from the Gates Program have changed their lives.

However, many libraries in the early, poorer states are still struggling, and despite the efforts of the program and state librarians, many eligible libraries did not apply for Gates grants. Nonetheless, the Gates Program reached many libraries that other programs did not.

Librarians throughout the nation hope that the Gates Program will go beyond its original mission. It now possesses a vast array of up-to-date, highly detailed information on a large number of libraries, large and small, rich and poor, urban and rural. That information is going into the development of the Gates Portal (see OCLC's Gates Portal Project , p. 47), producing hope that the portal will constitute a useful legacy available to all. Librarians also hope that the foundation will use the experience and knowledge it has gained to raise awareness of the importance of policies that support federal and state programs to sustain and improve public access computing. This will be especially important in the current era of cutbacks. Furthermore, librarians hope the foundation staff will work with them to create a new vision for the nation's libraries.