Internet and Libraries

On Thursday, Verizon Wireless was recognized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors for their creation of an internet program for Elizabeth city (New Jersey) residents to access the web for free. Under a program called Innovative Access - Expanding Opportunities and Creating Effective Services, Verizon provided more than $200,000 in computer equipment and deeply discounted Internet access rates for the city's libraries. The city, in turn, is making Internet access available to tens of thousands of residents, including more than 13,000 who are participating in the Innovative Access program at the libraries. The Elizabeth Main Public Library installed 200 computer stations throughout the building. All are networked through the Innovative Access program. The Innovative Access program uses Verizon's Access New Jersey network, which connects with points around the state and around the world. Over the past several years, Verizon has invested more than $150 million in the program. The initiative has been used in multiple ways including connecting families in New Jersey with military members stationed abroad, as well as connecting researchers in the Panamanian rain forest with numerous classrooms in New Jersey.
This project by Verizon goes to further show the importance of libraries and their ability to help educate the public. By having free internet access portals, Verizon and Elizabeth City are helping underprivileged people gain the access to internet and information that they would never be able to have without this program. If more companies would team up with libraries to up their information technology and its availability, education and information would be easier to access resulting in a more educated public.

Librarians are far from obsolete and still are very important in order for students to achieve a solid education. However, students are not the only people who are in need of librarians. As stated in the article, “Are Librarians Totally Obsolete”, there are 33 reasons listed why we need librarians. You could probably come up with even more reasons that librarians are a necessity if you stopped to think how many times you have needed assistance in the library while a student at UNCW. I have had to ask numerous times for not only locations of books, locations of class rooms, but also help in using the library databases.
The internet has tons of information, but how much of this is actually reliable? You can find information on blog sites and websites that sounds accurate but how can we know for sure if the person writing this is a reliable source? In libraries we can ask a librarian for help on searching for books relative to a subject or even finding a reliable internet source. It can be overwhelming when researching and not having the help of someone to point you in the right direction and give you advice to ease your troubles. Librarian’s knowledge is not limited to books but they also know the internet in and out making them an incredible tool that needs to be used in the future. Technology is prevalent in all walks of life, but what is technology without someone to help you figure it out? Librarians are not obsolete and will not become this way anytime soon.

Teachers in the state of Washington are working together in an effort to pass a bill that would keep the libraries from suffering due to budget cutting. The argument for keeping librarians and the libraries themselves are that students today need library assistance in order to stay up to date on their learning and to have a better chance to learn outside of the classroom. A quote from a Washington middle school teacher states that without libraries and the ability to work with technology, students could be set back and facing a serious deficiency in their lives.
The bill that is being pushed by teachers would supply a $12 state fund for each student which would cover costs for materials. Also, they are trying to have a set amount of librarians at each school to ensure students are being helped and have the best chances to learn. In the Olympia school district, there are very few full-time librarians. The majority of the library workers are teachers who serve part-time as librarians. They take shifts and usually there are two or three teacher/librarians per school. At each level of schools the librarian jobs are being eliminated which only means that the kids are being limited in their resources at an even earlier age.
The bill being pushed is Senate Bill 6380 and was addressed this afternoon. I do not know what the results are yet but obviously there is a need for libraries in our schools. Students need to have access not only to books but to the internet to allow for the best learning environment possible.