For New Yorker: Opportunity Online, Day 2

Yesterday (June4) was the second and final day of the Opportunity Online Summit in New York State. We listened to a couple more presentation and did table topics which allowed us to exchange information and brainstorm (services, connectivity, funding, political considerations & support).

One of the things I learned is that Internet access is not recognized by the Federal Communication Commission as a service, but as information. (I believe that I have that wording correct.) This means that Internet access is not regulated or even thought about the same way as telephone access. So even though we may consider the Internet to be as important as telephone or electricity, it is not yet considered in that light by regulators. We were encouraged by one speaker to make comments at www.fcc.gov about communication regulations, when items come up for comment.

If you are interested in funding for broadband access, then keep an eye on www.ntia.gov for notice of funding availability. Libraries should contact the New York State Library for information on grants that will be available through the NTIA and USDA. There is stimulus funding (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) to enhance broadband access in unserved and underserved areas, and for underserved populations. For more information on that, go to www.nysbroadband.ny.gov.

The table I was at noted that we spent two-days talking about "broadband" but generally we all use the phrase "high-speed". I think one of the things we'll need to do is to educate people on what we really mean when we say "broadband". We're talking a minimum of 1.5 megabits per second (mbps). I asked someone during break how this compared to my connection speed at home. The answer is that it my connection speed at home could be similar, but is likely slower. A library's Internet speed would be influenced by the number of computers sharing the connection, so what a library would actually want would be speeds much greater than 1.5 mbps.

Broadband access can be via wire (e.g., fiber or cable) or wireless.

The final speaker of the day was Ed Hemminger, who is the Ontario County Chief Information Officer. Hemminger did an excellent job talking about how they have expanded broadband access in his county and what their plans are for the future. He provided good information and illustrated them with interesting stories. They are putting their fiber on telephone poles because it is easier. (They also ran into problems with "fiber-seeking backhoes".) He said that the average cost per mile for aerial fiber is $35,000, and that burying fiber is more expensive.

Hemminger implored people to think about how they could aggregate demand, then use that aggregated demand to attract a broadband service provide.

One of the problems that was noted during table topics is that small, small rural towns and libraries will need help in understanding broadband and positioning themselves to acquire access. We talked about using library trustees, volunteers, tech-oriented interns, and perhaps consultants from the State Library to help with this effort. (Those consultants, BTW, don't exist at the moment, but our table hoped the State Library might create them.)

Over the course of two-days, lots information was tossed out and suggestions made. I suspect that some of the suggestions didn't sit well with everyone, but we needed to get ideas out of the table because we know that not every idea will work everywhere.

Now that the Summit is over, the real work begins. I believe that the State Library has identified 85 libraries that are could apply for available funding. For the rest of us, there is advocacy work that needs to be done and partnerships that need to be built. Our smaller communities and libraries will not be able to do this on their own. For those that are truly, truly interested in rolling up their sleeves and making a difference in New York State in regards to broadband access, you can volunteer at bband at mail dot nysed dot gov .

This Opportunity Online Summit is one of several happening across the United States with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The American Library Association and Connected Nation, as well as the New York State Library, were instrumental in helping this event to occur. Because of the various resources behind this event, there was information and stuff provided that would not have been possible otherwise. In addition, the web page for New York is going to be enhanced with information from the two-day event, including videos. This will give participants and many other people information that they can use as we work on making broadband -- high-speed Internet access -- available to more people, communities and libraries in an affordable and sustainable manner.

BTW One item that we received was a reusable travel coffee mug. I notice today that the mug is biodegradable! Very cool!

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Technorati tags: New York State, NYS, libraries, state library

For New Yorkers: Opportunity Online: Achieving Broadband Solutions for Libraries and Communities

Today and tomorrow (June 3 & 4) I'm attending Opportunity Online in Bolton Landing (NY), which is a summit to discuss broadband access to communities and libraries. Attending this event are library leaders, community partners, stakeholders, and influences. There are librarians, government officials, service providers and others here. (I'm here representing the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries.) Part of the funding for this event has come from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The New York State Library coordinated this event.

The reality is that broadband Internet access is not universal in the United States and is not always affordable. During one of the sessions, we exchanged information about our communities. There are more stories than you can imagine about communities that can't acquire broadband access. Some are in remote areas where providers don't want to run cable because of the expense. Some communities have optical fiber running near their communities, but they can't get fiber for the last mile (also called the first mile in parts of the world). That lack of broadband access affects schools, libraries, businesses, and residents.

We also exchanged stories about the need for access. Governments are doing more things online (and eliminating paper) (example). More businesses are recruiting for employees online and people applying for jobs need to be able to complete job applications online. Schools are relying on the Internet for connecting students with educational resources. In these cases (and many more), Internet access means broadband access that is fast and reliable.

We saw maps and tables today that showed were New York State stands in terms of broadband access. For most of the state, the news is not as rosy as it should be.

What's the solution? I think some of our brainstorming today will help us all think creatively about solutions. Our dinner speaker -- Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart -- mentioned the Broadband Federal Stimulus money that has been allocated to New York State. This is a grant opportunity that will be available to many types of organizations to help spread broadband access. In total, there is $12.5 billion for New York State. Mayberry-Stewart encouraged people in the audience to apply for these grants.

These two days are a beginning. We're exchanging information and setting the stage not only for further dialogue, but also for action. If there is no action, then this will have been for naught.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. It will be interesting to hear the ideas that bubble up after we all have slept on the information we've heard.

Addendum (June 10, 2009): From the FCC web site:

The FCC is currently working in coordination with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to perform the FCC’s role under the Recovery Act.

Specifically, in conjunction with the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program established by the Act, the FCC has been tasked with creating a National Broadband Plan by February 17, 2010. The Recovery Act states that the National Broadband Plan shall seek to ensure all people of the United States have access to broadband capability and shall establish benchmarks for meeting that goal.

Additional information can be found in this section of the FCC web site. I found this document to be useful: Program-Specific Recovery Act Plan for the FCC’s Efforts on the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

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Technorati tags: Regents, New York State, NYS, RAC, libraries, state library

Article about Lotfi Belkhir of Kirtas Technologies

Local media always write better stories about local companies that those media outlets located someplace else. The story -- "His Story Turned a New Page" -- written by the Rochester Business Journal is no exception. But of course, what interests me isn't the information on Lotfi Belkhir, but the information on Kirtas that the article contains. Here are some facts from the article (RBJ, April 10, 2009, pp. 12-13):

• Kirtas was founded in 2001 after Xerox gave Belkhir an exclusive license to emerging technology. (Belkhir, by the way, holds several patents.)
  
• According to Inc. magazine, ranked #199 in 2008 of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S.
• 2008 sales were $14.5 million up from $9.7 million in 2007 and $3.9 million in 2006.
• Kirtas has roughly 80 employees in the U.S. and two staffers each in the Netherlands and Algeria. (BTW Belkhir was born in Algeria.)
• Kirtas has sold more than 200 units of its book scanners to customers around the world. It also leases equipment and has a digitization facility in Victor, NY.
  

Okay...so I can hear you say, "So what? This is only data on one company."

First, there are now many companies that offer book digitization equipment. From the figures above, I would surmise that the market for book digitization hardware is a healthy one. I know, not every facility needs book digitization equipment, but there is equipment now available to match each program's needs and price points.

Second, more people are becoming comfortable with the idea of automated book digitization. Kirtas' sales numbers are increasing and I would expect that other companies who have automated and manual equipment are also seeing their sales increase. Undoubtedly, Google's project has helped people become accustomed to the idea. In addition, the range of equipment available has helped people realize that they can obtain equipment that matches how they want their books digitized.

Third, let me guess something about the numbers above. I suspect that the sales figures were also impacted by Kirtas developing a range of options for organizations that wanted to digitize books and other materials. In other words, not everyone wanted or needed to purchase a book scanner. The option thus became buy, lease, or have Kirtas do it for you. (Or use a service bureau.) Need to digitize those odd-sized insert pages we see in books and other flat material? Kirtas developed the SkyView scanner for those materials.

And...yes, the article was really about Lotfi Belkhir and so if you want to know more him and his work ethic, I would suggest finding a copy to read.

Finally, I actually found this article quite by accident, since I don't normally see the RBJ. If you see articles on digitization hardware companies that you think I should read, please email them to me at hurst at hurstassociates dot com . Thanks!

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Technorati tag: Digitization

Extensis vs. Picasa

For those of you who are managing image archives such as those that might be created by a university's public affairs department, or design and printing services, here are two blog posts that may be of interest to you.

Rachel Reuben blogs about moving from Extensis Portfolio Server to Google's Picasa. Extensis did not provide the return on investment that they had been looking for. She received advice from Whitney Anderson, who was able to outline the pros and cons of Picasa. While Reuben has not yet fully tested Picasa with their content, she is already pleased with the results she is seeing.

At the end of her post, Reuben asks what image management software other groups are using. While I doubt that she is willing to switch to another platform, having that information would be helpful to others who are looking for alternatives.

Thanks to Josh Shear for pointing me toward Reuben's blog post.

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Technorati tag: Digital Asset Management

More vendor news

I learned today that Heritage Microfilm has a blog at http://digitization.heritagemicrofilm.com/

Also...someone sent in the negotiating advice to ask a vendor "is this your best price?" This reminds me of going to hotels and asking for their cheapest room (rack rate). They're not going to give you the least expensive room unless you ask for it. In the same way, a company isn't going to give you the best deal unless you ask for it.

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Technorati tag: Digitization