Libraries have long engaged in E-Government services — from locating government information to tax forms. Increasingly, however, libraries are on the front lines of today’s E-Government efforts. This presentation provides an overview of libraries and E-Government through national and state studies that identify the roles and issues associated with providing E-Government services in libraries.We've applied for a grant to provide e-government training and support to our members so it seemed like an appropriate session.
John Bertot, FSU SIS - http://www.libraryegov.org/. He provided an overview of e-government services, highlighting how libraries have become the provider/supporter of these services. He identified three major issues; shift of burden from agencies to libraries, strain on resources (staff, technology, and budget), and how much e-gov't to provide. He also identified opportunities; partnerships to design, implement, and create access points and as emergency services coordinators.
Mary Alice Baish of Georgetown Law School gave the policy perspective and talked about the reauthorization of the E-Government Act of 2002 this year provides an opportunity for librarians to assess its impact and measure its success.
Suzanne Sears of University of North Texas then focused on some of the practical applications and issues. She started off by asking who in the audience knew what a depository library was and explained about their collections and expertise. (Depositories in the NEFLIN region include - UF, UNF, Jacksonville University, and Jacksonville Public Library.)
- She pointed out that e-government has created a real burden for many public libraries and that they need support from academic libraries. Which "community library" has the resources to support the community?
- Libraries should consider this a way to get people in the door and use it as an opportunity to educate them about other library resources.
- Library staff can NOT give advice (we don't give legal, medical or tax advice) - show them where the forms are but don't tell them which form to complete
- Time limits create problems - provide worksheets to be done before they start on a computer
- Email - almost all e-government services require an email address, have patrons do this before they start
- Be clear that you can't protect their personal information. Get techies to create a script to clear info upon completion.
- Link to multilingual sites (and make links in both languages)
Other links and resources that came up during the Q&A session -
- http://www.usa.gov/
- Peoples Law Library
- UNT CyberCemetary - defunct agency websites
- Government Information Online - Ask a Librarian
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