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Broadband Libraries:Executive Summary, Background, and Key Facts

Broadband Libraries: Executive Summary, Background, and Key Facts

Executive Summary

Work is underway to bring high-speed broadband to all of California’s public libraries over the next two years by connecting them to the California Research & Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity 3,800-mile fiber-optic-based network designed to meet the unique requirements of over 20 million users, including the vast majority of K-20 students together with educators, researchers, and others working in California’s vital public-serving institutions. This network is operated by CENIC, the Corporation for Network Initiatives in California, a non-profit California corporation that connects California to the world—advancing education and research statewide by providing the world-class network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth.

Because libraries are central to their communities, connecting them to CalREN will effectively provide all of California’s 38 million residents with high-performance access to the myriad resources that constitute 21st century digital citizenship, and will provide California itself with all of the economic benefits of a fully digitally empowered population.

Three organizations have joined together to undertake this work: the California State Library, the Califa Group, and CENIC.

The California Legislature is providing funds for the California State Library to join CENIC as a sixth Charter Associate on behalf of California libraries. Califa has been contracted by the California State Library to create the contracts with participating libraries for the services that will deliver high-speed broadband to libraries and enable them to use the CalREN network. CENIC will connect libraries to CalREN, affirming libraries’ essential role in the world’s largest education system. Public libraries will join CENIC’s five other charter associates, which include the California K-12 system, California Community Colleges, the California State University system, California’s Public Libraries, the University of California system, Stanford, Caltech, and USC.

I. Background and Key Facts

The State of California has a long tradition of supporting public libraries to ensure that all Californians have access to the information resources they need to be successful through their local library, no matter where they live. Starting with the passage of the California Public Library Services Act (PLSA) in 1975 and subsequently, the California Library Services Acts (CLSA) in 1977, public libraries and cooperative public library systems have provided the mechanisms for sharing resources, helped coordinate information services, and facilitated communication and delivery among libraries.

During the 1990s, most public libraries were in the midst of adapting and improving their services via the Internet. Since then, libraries have wanted to expand Internet-based services to better serve their patrons.

In 2013, the California State Legislature and Governor asked the California State Library to “prepare a needs assessment and spending plan to connect local public libraries to a statewide high-speed Internet network,” including as an option CENIC’s California Research & Education Network.

According to the resulting report, “High-Speed Broadband in California Public Libraries: an Initiative of the California State Library,” prepared by the California State Library, Califa, the California Library Association and CENIC, the current state of connectivity for California’s public libraries is dire.

Three-quarters of California’s public libraries have low-speed connectivity of 20 Mbps or less – slower connectivity than what is found in most homes, and this connectivity must serve thousands of patrons as well as the library itself in its own operational activities.
Two-thirds of California’s public libraries are using their connectivity at or over capacity – effectively rendering the connection useless for serving the public or operational activities. The proliferation of mobile devices, especially in underserved areas, promises to make this already impossible situation even worse.
California’s public libraries are paying an exorbitant $14 million for this woefully inadequate connectivity, according to a conservative estimate of costs.
Less than half of all jurisdictions take advantage of E-rate or CTF discounts that would help them shoulder these costs due to the administrative overhead required to apply. Only one-quarter take advantage of both.

Despite the recognized benefits of and increasing patron demand for innovative library programs, limited connectivity prevents California librarians from offering programs and services that would be of value to their patrons. Videoconferencing, streaming media, content creation, specialized software, longer sessions on terminals, and unlimited wireless access are badly needed by many of California’s libraries, but insufficient bandwidth thwarts these libraries’ efforts to fulfill their vital roles in community research and education. In order to empower libraries — particularly in challenged areas — to play these roles, better connectivity is critical.

II. Bringing High-speed Broadband to California Libraries

Thanks to the leadership of the California State Library and the generosity of the California State Legislature, public libraries across the state have the opportunity to connect to CalREN, the California Research & Education Network.

Three organizations have joined together to undertake this work:

The California State Library (library.ca.gov) serves as the central reference and research library for the state government; preserves and disseminates information and provides technical assistance and development opportunities to California’s public libraries. The California State Library is funded by the California State Legislature to set direction for this project and provide oversight.

The Califa Group (www.califa.org) is a non-profit library consortium of over two hundred libraries in California. They pioneer technology projects, negotiate discount rates for technology purchases on behalf of member libraries, and manage state-wide projects on behalf of the California State Library. Califa, acting as the administrative arm of the California State library, develops contracts with participating libraries for circuits and use of the CalREN network.

CENIC (www.cenic.org), the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California, designs, implements, and operates CalREN, the California Research and Education Network, a high-bandwidth, high-capacity Internet network specially designed to meet the unique requirements of its members which include all higher education institutions and K-12 schools in the State. CENIC is connecting libraries to CalREN as a sixth Charter Associate (in addition to its existing five Charter Associates as detailed below), bringing them high-speed broadband and including them in the network that connects research and education organizations across the state, and through its own connections to other advanced networks beyond California, to colleagues in the US and around the world. As for all of its members, CENIC will provide network design, procure circuits, arrange for state and federal discounts, purchase and install equipment, and maintain and monitor network connectivity to each library.

CENIC’s Charter Associates are part of the world’s largest education system and include:

More than 10,000 California K-12 schools, districts, and County Offices of Education
112 California Community Colleges
24-campus California State University system
10-campus University of California system
Private universities: Stanford, Caltech, and USC

CENIC also provides connectivity to other leading-edge institutions and industry research organizations around the world, serving the public as a catalyst for a vibrant California.

As a sixth Charter Associate, with the California State Library acting as the libraries’ interaction point with CENIC, California’s libraries will be added to the fabric of education institutions already connected to CalREN. As a result, libraries will have the capability to collaborate more seamlessly with one another as well as draw on content, expertise, and opportunities from schools, colleges, and universities, extending these capabilities to individual libraries and library patrons statewide and thereby enhancing access to information, research, and credit/non-credit distance learning.

Because libraries are central to their communities, this will effectively provide all of California’s 38 million residents with high-performance broadband access to the myriad resources that constitute 21st century digital citizenship, and will provide California itself with all of the economic benefits of a fully digitally empowered population.

As CENIC is governed by its Charter Associates, California’s public libraries will also obtain representation on the CENIC Board of Directors, enabling them to collaborate more deeply with their research and education colleagues in the K-20 communities as well as participating in network planning and technology-focused discussions and advocacy.

III. Steps to Connectivity

The following list shows the steps necessary for a library to obtain connectivity to CalREN. Several libraries began this process in 2013 and are already connected to CalREN as pilot sites. The next group of California libraries to be connected began this process in Fall 2014 and are expected to be connected to CalREN during the 2015-16 fiscal year. A third group of libraries may begin the process in July of 2015.

Step 1: Project Overview Meetings: Meetings are held around the state and webinars are conducted to brief library staff on the opportunity to connect to CalREN.
Step 2: Libraries Decide to Join the Project: Libraries that decide to join the project in Year 2 submit a letter of agency, giving CENIC permission to seek bids for Internet service on their behalf. They also participate in a phone interview so that project staff can collect all needed information on their current technology infrastructure.
Step 3: Technical Discussions: Librarians and project staff discuss desired level of connectivity and possible network designs.
Step 4: Quotes Presented and Reviewed: Through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process, CENIC obtains quotes for services from providers on behalf of participating libraries. These quotes are presented to libraries for their review. Prices on high-volume purchases like these are often lower than the state negotiated CALNET 3 rates and represent a significant savings for libraries.
Step 5: Contracting: Once participating libraries accept quotes, the process of preparing a contract for service begins. Contracts for Internet service are between the library and Califa.
Step 6: Consolidated Hardware Purchase**: Libraries can order hardware they need for their site through Califa to receive a discount of up to 50% on Cisco hardware. Hardware is delivered to libraries, and they are billed for this hardware by Califa.
Step 7: Circuit Installation

- CENIC orders circuits

- CENIC and/or circuit provider conducts a site survey of each library

- CENIC orders hardware delivered to library sites

- Libraries order additional hardware needed

- Libraries make additional modifications to their sites, such as adding rack space

- Libraries install hardware, if possible

- Circuits are installed, tested and turned up

By the end of the Year 1 of the project, taking place in 2015, 75 library jurisdictions comprising 447 libraries will be connected. This is over one-third of all libraries in California. Their bandwidth will increase dramatically from an average of 76 Megabits per second (Mbps) to an average of 2,001 Mbps per jurisdiction. Despite the increase in bandwidth, costs will decrease from an average of $9,194 annually per jurisdiction to an average of $3,442 annually per jurisdiction, a savings of 62.5%. In addition, California libraries will draw down $455,715 in new federal funding through the E-rate discount program, as 20 library jurisdictions in this group are accessing this discount program for the first time.

IV. Anticipated Results

When libraries are digitally enabled, they can achieve great things. A digitally empowered public library can:

Function as an anchor institution by providing wireless and kiosk/desktop access to the Internet, thus effectively providing all of their patrons with the most advanced 21st century connectivity.
Bring the world into the library for the enrichment and advancement of patrons, including employment and healthcare information, business opportunities, arts and cultural events, and more.
Empower patrons to become active producers of content and not just consumers with rich media and makerspaces, local history digitization projects, and many others.
Enjoy increased access to new and cost-effective operational capacities such as cloud computing and storage, Voice-over-IP (VoIP), travel-saving videoconferencing.
Participate in the infrastructure planning and advocacy that CENIC represents to its members in addition to the advanced networking services that it provides, thus enabling libraries to truly function as the vital part of the larger research and education community that they have always been.

V. For More Information

Despite their past and current deficit in connectivity, California’s public libraries have developed many ideas on how they would serve their patrons and larger communities with the kind of 21st Century connectivity that this project will provide. More information on the project is available on the the CENIC website.

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