The Role of Public Libraries in Enabling Open Government

A Stakeholder Workshop

Enabling Open Government for All: A planning framework for public libraries

Alan S. KowlowitzGovernment Fellow

Center for Technology in GovernmentUniversity at Albany

Overview of Framework• Designed to help public libraries understand the roles they might play in

fostering open government in their communities– Use this understanding to plan for and make decisions about their respective

portfolios of Open Government-related initiatives • Provides a language that allows libraries to:

– Describe existing and potentially initiatives that can support/foster Open Gov’t– Decide which initiatives are most appropriate for a given community or will

likely generate the most value for that community• Anchored in Civic Engagement and Access and Literacy

– These processes were identified based on the literature on the roles of public libraries in e-government and in their communities

– Integral to public libraries’ mission and directly relate to public libraries’ potential roles in support of local Open Government

• Reviewed and vetted by the Advisory Committee

Enabling Open Government for All Framework

Civic EngagementCommunity-

based resourcesCommunity engagement

Lite

racy

an

d Ac

cess

Government

services assistance

Literacy services(Basic, Digital, Civic, and Data)

Resources and tools to enable citizen to use

government data

Community engaged

Access tolibrary holdings

andWeb-based

technologies

Civic Engagement Axis

• Activities range from the traditional (e.g., hosting community forums) to more pro-active engagement with community groups on civic issues – Focused on raising awareness, informing, increasing interest, and,

ultimately, actively engaging citizens and groups in community issues– Can directly or indirectly promote the opening of government by

increasing interest and citizen involvement in local issues and gov’t

• Categories of activities form a loose hierarchy– Community-based Resources– Community Engagement– Community Engaged

Civic Engagement Axis: Community-based Resources

• The essence of these activities is the library as an access point for community resources

• Community service activities– Providing information on local issues through handouts or bulletin

boards open to the public– Providing meeting space for community groups and activities

• Activities involve – Bringing community information resources into the library – Using the library’s web presence to serve as a virtual community

bulletin board or virtual meeting space

Civic Engagement Axis: Community Engagement

• The essence of these activities is bringing the community into the library, whether physically or virtually

• Actively stimulating interest in local issues, assisting the community in airing local concerns, or increasing the amount of information available on community issues – For example hosting forums, educating the public on issues, inviting

groups to present information on issues, and producing fact sheets or finding aids on local issues

• Many of these activities can take place virtually through the libraries web resources

Civic Engagement Axis: Community Engaged

• Essence is proactive engagement in the community through the use of library technical resources or those of other community groups and institutions

• Libraries reach out to the community or specific groups and actively engage in addressing community concerns

• Includes non-traditional types of activities • Classes and seminars in forums other than the library’s facilities,

direct advocacy with gov’t agencies, direct services to address specific issues and pursuing grant funding for innovative projects

• Actively engaging citizens to find out the type of data or e-participation they want from gov’t

Civic Engagement Axis

• Progression along the axis communicates an increase in the level of active engagement by the library with groups and citizens around specific community issues

• Libraries are currently engaging in activities that fall all along the axis, depending on their capabilities, the needs of their communities and their own priorities

Enabling Open Government for All Framework

Literacy and Access Axis

• This axis tracks the progression of programs and services that enable access to and assistance in accessing and using government information

• Activity Categories– Literacy Services– Access– Government services facilitation– Resources and tools

Literacy and Access Axis: Literacy Services

• Multiple forms of literacies that are prerequisites to using libraries’ holdings and public technologies, using e-gov’t services, and taking advantage of Open Government– Basic literacy training (including English as a Second Language)– Digital literacy - Both formal training and informal assistance to help

use computers to access the Internet and other public technologies– Civic literacy - Educational activities to help understand and better

engage in government and other civic institutions– Data literacy - Formal and informal training on finding, manipulating,

managing, and interpreting data (text and images as well as numbers) and particularly government data

Literacy and Access Axis: Access

• Activities that provide access to information, services, and public technologies that facilitate or make access possible– Access to library’s holdings including information in

government documents and publications in various formats and media

– Access to public technologies including broadband Internet connection, workstations, and public access wireless connection

Literacy and Access Axis

• Government Services Facilitation – Activities that provide assistance in accessing

specific online gov’t services and facilitating application for their use

• Resources and Tools– Activities where libraries provide value-added

tools that allow easier use and interpret government information

Literacy and Access Axis

• Progression along this axis communicates an increase in the programs and resources available to support efforts to access government information and assistance in using it – For example:

• Government Services Facilitation includes public library help in accessing and applying for online government services

• Digital literacy training is focused in improving patrons’ abilities to access and use government information

• As with the Engagement Axis, libraries are engaging in activities that fall all along the axis depending on their capabilities, communities needs, and own specific priorities

Conclusion

• The Framework is conceptual• It can be used in various way depending on an

entities perspective, position, and goals• One goal of this forum is to explore the

Framework’s– Uses– Value– Development

Questions?