Happy National Library Week! To celebrate I was going to invite my co-working coffee shop friends to shoot me ready reference questions – or maybe just shush a few people, then I found something even better – a public hearing on libraries and broadband.

This is one of those meetings that looks wonky and not top priority – until you consider the role that libraries play in your community in terms of bridging the digital gap. Libraries provide access to computer and broadband (via public computers and often Wi-Fi) and librarians are often the first line of defense for digital literacy. The FCC has pledged to invest $2 billion in broadband for libraries and schools. And libraries are pilot testing a mashup of spectrum white space broadband access and local WI-FI networks as a way to serve wireless access in a community.  If you want to make sure that your library continues to serve your community to the best of its ability, it makes sense to learn more. (Broadband access in individual Minnesota libraries is not the same!)…

“Libraries and Broadband:  Urgency and Impact”

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced today that it is holding a public hearing, “Libraries and Broadband: Urgency and Impact,” to examine the need for high-speed broadband in America’s libraries. The hearing will take place on April 17, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. [I assume that’s EST time.] at the Martin Luther King Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001. The hearing will be webcast. Details about accessing the webcast will be announced shortly.

[Here are the details as provided by the ALA Washington Office Blog: Alternatively, participants can also tune into event virtually, as IMLS will stream the hearing live on YouTube or Google+. Library staff may also participate by submitting written comments sharing their successes, challenges or other input related to library broadband access and use into the hearing record on or before April 24, 2014.]

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is charged with advising the President and Congress about the library, museum, and information service needs of the American public. The agency is conducting this public hearing to establish a public record on the need for and impact of high-speed broadband connectivity in America’s libraries.

IMLS Director Susan H. Hildreth will chair the hearing along with members of the National Museum Services Board including, Christie Pearson Brandau of Iowa, Charles Benton of Illinois, Winston Tabb of Maryland, and Carla Hayden also of Maryland.

Hildreth remarked, “This is an opportunity to showcase ideas for streamlining and increasing the efficiency of the E-rate program. We want to hear about how high-speed connections in libraries coupled with library-developed programs and services can be a catalyst for learning and community and economic development.”

The hearing will consist of three panels:

• The Vision: What happens when we get it right? This panel will explore innovative practices and partnerships as well as potential solutions that can serve individuals and communities well.
• The Data: This panel will explore what we know about broadband connections and services in America’s libraries. What are the metrics that we need to assess whether sufficient connectivity is in place? What are the metrics that can be used to assess success?
• The Stakes: What’s at risk? This panel will explore what is at risk when libraries lack sufficient connectivity.

Submit comments to comments@imls.gov. Comments received by May 1, 2014 will be included in the record. Each comment must include the author’s name and organizational affiliation, if any.