technology solution award

HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY: Surviving the StormA Snapshot of Technology in the Community at its Best

Submitted by Houston Public Library, Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson, DirectorAward: Libraries Change Communities Award

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Ordinary to Extraordinary: A World Class LibraryTThe Houston Public Library (HPL) system serves the City’s culturally diverse population of 2.2 million 41 facilities – 35 neighborhood libraries, one Central Library, two Special Collection libraries, and three Express libraries. As the 7th largest library system in the United States, HPL’s vision is to be a world class library system. In positioning itself to achieve this goal, HPL embraces the philosophy of progressiveness – the creative approach to a changing environment with innovation and openness to new ideas. It is this forward level of leading HPL team members to think differently and creatively about how to use ordinary available resources in new, efficient, extraordinary ways that has yielded unprecedented and pioneering initiatives such as HPL Express and the City of Houston’s digital inclusion initiative, WeCAN (Wireless Empowered Community Access Network).

Houston Public Library, the community’s place for:• Learning, fun and adventure• Access to innovative technology• Creative solutions to information needs• Service excellence empowering personal and professional

growth


HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY EXPRESS (HPL Express)

The HPL Express service model is a first of its kind in the country. Offering more technology resources per square foot than any library at Houston Public, this model virtually changes the face of how urban public library services are delivered to the community.


HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY MOBILE EXPRESS (HPL Express)

HPL Mobile Express, the first ever public library “computer labs on wheels” is an extension of HPL’s innovative delivery of library services, bringing access to technology and programs to high-need neighborhoods.


WeCAN - Houston’s Digital Inclusion Initiative

WeCAN is the first ever library-based digital inclusion initiative. The vision for WeCAN is to create a digital future for Houstonians through a digital literacy effort that will focus on drop-out prevention/GED recovery and job/workforce readiness in support of achieving Houston’s educational, workforce and economic goals.

Established by Houston’s Mayor Bill White, WeCAN furthers HPL’s mission of delivering innovative solutions to citizens by creating neighborhood networks that will include affordable broadband Internet access, opportunities to receive low cost hardware and training, and local content to ensure they can benefit from the opportunities enabled.


LEADING BOLDLY

As officials embarked on one of the largest recovery operations in the state’s history, HPL, despite experiencing power outages and damage to its own facilities, positioned itself to embark on one of the most valiant community technology driven operations in its history - using technology to empower residents with the critical information, resources and support necessary for post disaster recovery.

Transforming its Neighborhood Libraries and WeCAN Community Access Locations into HPL Disaster Recovery Support Centers and deploying its HPL Mobile Express to targeted neighborhoods citywide, HPL literally rolled into action in response to the city’s dire need by going into the communities where the need was and helping the residents that were disconnected from the social supports and the services established to assist them.


HARDEST HITLike many other storms, millions were without power and facing shortages of food and water. But unlike many other storms, beyond the sixteen million estimated in property damage region-wide, and even more pernicious kind of damage resulted - the damage to lives and families. An even harder reality faced by those who were low income and working class.

According to the United Way of Greater Houston’s community needs assessment conducted on October 21, 2008, of peak post hurricane need, 238, 128 residents registered for FEMA in Harris County. Of those registered:• The median household income was $30,493 (vs. Harris County

Average of $42,598)• 61% were renters• 19% of all registrations with FEMA were seniors (vs. 11% of

Houston population).

It is significant to note that for the majority of the residents assisted by HPL, computer and/or Internet access in the home as well as the skills necessary to take advantage of this technology, were essentially nonexistent.


COLLABORATIvE COMMUNITY

The HPL technology based disaster recovery response was highly successful due to the involvement of orga-nizations from both the public and private sector who stepped up to join forces to achieve a common goal of helping others in need. The collaboration under-scores the increasingly important role that commu-nity partnerships play in growing the capacity and ef-fectiveness of libraries and demonstrates the limitless possibilities when community members are engaged as active agents of change.


DISASTER RECOvERY SUPPORT CENTERS

Overcoming the common challenges of making access to technology available in the community, coupled with the unique circumstances presented as a result of the storm, involved identifying and using uncommon solutions. The transformation of HPL’s Neighborhood Libraries and WeCAN Community Access Locations into HPL Disaster Recovery Support Centers is an example.

The support received at the HPL Disaster Recovery Support Centers helped residents to begin the process towards the road to recovery. Starting with applying for emergency basic need services such as food to feed themselves and their families, housing to provide safe, livable shelter, and unemployment assistance to replace much needed lost wages; progressing toward the long term need of not just repairing their homes, but repairing their lives.


THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

“Thinking outside of the box” is an appropriate description of the HPL Mobile Express service model’s revolutionary way of delivering and offering traditional library services to the community. This unique service model of going to the people and in the communities that it needed it most as part of HPL’s disaster response efforts, translated to thousands of residents from underserved and isolated communities being able to access critical human and social services that otherwise would have not been available to them.


ROAD TO RECOvERYUUpon conclusion of the 45 day journey, HPL’s emergency technology centered disaster recovery response via the converted Neighborhood Libraries and WeCAN Disaster Recovery Support Centers and the HPL Mobile Express, collectively yielded vital support and recovery services to thousands of residents enabling the process of rebuilding their lives as highlighted below:

As with any effort of this magnitude and significance, in addition to the thousands of lives that were positively impacted, there were many important outcomes that emerged that will inform and benefit the work of HPL in its efforts to better serve the community and realize its vision of being a world class library:

• Demonstrated the critical role that the library plays in the communities it serves beyond traditional library services.

• Emphasized the important role that technology and having access to technology plays and substantiates the need for initiatives such as the Mobile Express and WeCAN.

• The development of a model that can be adapted and utilized by other library systems for technology based community disaster response based on lessons learned and best practices established

HPL Service Delivery Method Activities Number Served

HPL Mobile Express 17 Citywide deployments

HPL WeCAN Community Access Locations 2 Site-based services 25 HH/75 Residents

HPL Neighborhood Libraries 9 Site-based services 2,114 HH/6,342 Residents

Total 28 Neighborhoods

HPL TECHNOLOGY- BASED HURRICANE IKE DISASTER RECOVERY RESPONSE SUMMARY (September 17, 2008 – October 31, 2008)

1,452 HH/4,356 Residents

3,591 HH/10,773 Residents


Letters of Support - Texas State Representative Shelia Jackson Lee


Letters of Support - Christus Family Road Literacy Center


Letters of Support - verizon Wireless


Testimonials - Underserved Houston Resident


PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

The below materials were used to communicate to the city the services that HPL would provide during storm recovery. Those materials included flyers, blogs and our website.


PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS ONLINE

The HPL website and HPL IKE Blog were updated daily with information about key support services, such as services where the HPL Mobile Express would be deployed and the operational hours of WeCAN and Neighborhood Library disaster recovery support centers.


MEDIA

Press Releases were distributed to media outlets city-wide, in order to create awareness of HPL’s re-sponse and recovery efforts.


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