Talk:Main Page
From E-Government Services Wiki
Midwinter Schedule
Contents |
Notes From Conference Call on November 11@ 3:30 p.m. Provided by Jessica McGilvray
- Meeting at Midwinter will be Saturday, January 16 from 4:00-5:30 pm. (Location to be announced)
- The report mentioned from the Information Institute at FSU, Needs Assessment of Florida Public Library E-Government and Emergency/ Disaster Management Broadband-enabled Services can be found at http://ii.fsu.edu/content/view/full/14688.
- The most recent version of the tool kit is on the subcommittee page in ALA Connect. Please take the time to read it and if you are interested in working on one of the unfinished sections (in green) please identify the section to revise/draft by November 25, 2009. The deadline for submitting the draft language to Nancy Kranich is December 20, 2009.
-We will be having one more conference call before Midwinter at the beginning of January. I’ll send around a doodle link in December to discern the most convenient time for that call.
In order to continue the discussion that was begun during the Midwinter '08 conference, I have started this section with the questions that we worked with. Please take the time to view the pdf in the section to see what came to people's minds when asked each of these questions -- then feel free to add in your own answer to the question. (Note: There are some repeating answers in responses from Midwinter '08. All of the responses received then have been included here.)
What is E-Government?
We need to create a working definition of E-Government to help guide the work of the subcommittee. You can provide your thoughts as to what E-Government is and then below, compose your own definition. Here are the responses from Midwinter '08.The Midwinter responses are presented here as they were originally written.
Definitions
- E-Government is the use of technology, particularly the Internet, as a means to deliver services to citizens, businesses, and other entities.
E-Government is the process of providing government information and services via technology. PB
The group has decided that this will be the working definition:
E-Government is the use of technology, particularly the internet, as a means to deliver government services and to facilitate the interaction of the public with government entities.Bill 07:44, 6 May 2008 (PDT)
What are E-Government services?
When this question was asked at Midwinter '08, we received these responses. Please provide your own thoughts as to what E-Government services are.
E-Government Services are services that require the use of technology to access the service. The agency providing the service maybe local, state or federal. The services provided maybe anything from filling out a WIC application, filing taxes, renewing licenses to participatory services that allow a citizen to have a voice in government. PB
What role do libraries play in E-Government Services?
Now that you have answered the first two questions, we have to decide what role libraries have in E-Government services. The responses from Midwinter '08 can be found here.
Has this group discussed GPO's large digitization initiatives yet? This group might be a great place to talk about the library digitization partners that have been established so far and to seek new partners. Debbie Malone
As we talk about e-government I think we need really focus more on services and not content. I see it more as a question of providing access to services and less about digitization or storing stuff in containers (of any type).
I also think that some of the issues are similar to those faced by law librarians. As we work with pro se patrons to answer their legal research/self-representation needs we are often trying to balance how to guide them in completing forms without offering legal advice or wading into issues that should otherwise be private. Bill 13:11, 23 April 2008 (PDT)
Libraries are the access point for e-government. Along with that access comes the role of the expert in accessing and providing the service. Libraries and staff are expected to have the answers or know how to get it for both accessing, interpreting and completing the services. PB
Please take a moment and tell us about some of your E-Government Services experiences; either in providing them or receiving them.
The State Librarian, or his designee (in this case, me), is on the InforMe Board." InforMe is a public/private partnership created by an act of the Maine State Legislature to build a portal network ([Maine.gov][1]) for public information. The Board also drives policy and procedure for the portal's network. InforMe hires a private contractor to operate and maintain the portal and to create new services for the public.
The Maine State Library functions as Maine.gov's Ask a Librarian link. When a caller asks if he has been connected with the State of Maine's operator (as if there was such a thing), we answer "yes, of course!"
Reference librarians are or will soon become well-versed in the offerings of dozens of agencies, commissions and departments. Callers are often looking for forms, rules and guidelines, phone numbers, locations of agencies, publications, and a variety of how-to's.
Since Maine.gov is not monolithic and individual agency web sites may and do vary in the amount of information provided, this can make the job of a reference librarian more difficult. The vendor operating and maintaining the Maine.gov portal may contract with other agencies for web site development but there is nothing to prevent an agency from contracting with another company or setting up a web page independently. Those sites must comply with basic portal structures and back-end requirements, however.
Having a representative from the State Library on the InforMe Board ensures that State Library reference librarians, as well as public, school, and academic library staff, will have representational input on how the portal is organized, developed and searched. Librarians are very often the first point of contact for customers of the portal's services who are frustrated with the lack of search results, have no idea that Maine.gov exists, are lost within an agency's web site, or just want to hear a non-recorded human voice.
For Maine to be successful in providing online services to the public, it is essential that librarians be involved in the development of the portal and being among the first to know about service enhancements. It makes our jobs easier and our ability to serve the public more successful. Dean Corner
In the state of Georgia commercial truck drivers are required to renew their CDL license. When it was time to renew this time all libraries in Georgia had an influx of truck drivers who were referred to the library to renew their license. Renewing required viewing an online video and answering some questions online. It also required an e-mail address to receive the confirmation when they finished. Many of the truck drivers had never used a computer before. We assisted many with getting e-mail addresses and practically took many of them through the entire process. For those truck drivers who had some experience with computers it took sometimes a day or two to renew. Before they could renew we had to get many of them to understand how to get an e-mail address, then how to get to the site and navigate the site. Truck drivers who had previous computer experience; had an e-mail address;and understood how to use a computer renewed their license in about 2 hours with no problem. Two hours is the time limit for the library system for which I work for computer usage per day.
One truck driver's story stands out in my memory. He came to the library and you could tell he was sick. He confided in me that he had just completed cancer treatment. He looked very feeble. He said he had to renew his license before it expired by the end of the week. We put him on a computer with his library card and after two hours he had gotten no where. After talking with him we figured out he had no computer experience and had actually never used one before. After we got passed this part and he went through all the steps, we figured out he had to do it again because he didn't have an e-mail address. After he got an e-mail address he tried again and when he finished and tried to get his renewal certificate we discovered he had written the email address down incorrectly. The next step he took was to bring his son with him, a teenager to help. They accomplished most of it but were still not able to finish because the son did not understand the logistics of renewing and how to navigate the site. Finally after a week although he still did not get his information sent to the correct e-mail address, I made a call for him to the authorities responsible for the test and asked if they could retrieve his information and fax his certificate showing he completed his requirements to the library. They did and after a week of trying and trying his license was renewed. Pat Ball
