This week, in between answering
public library survey related questions and reviewing actual surveys that have been submitted (the deadline is
February 13, 2015), the Dude has been thinking about this new element on the survey asking for the number of annual wireless internet sessions. Some of the responses the Dude has been getting about collecting this data have been a thumbs down analogous to Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Commodus in the movie
Gladiator or the verbal equivalent: “I ain’t collectin’ this”. In all fairness, most are at least willing to provide a broad observation estimate of the use, which is probably a fairly decent number. Thank you for doing that. This makes me think about the question you might be asking, which is why is collecting this data valuable? Let’s start this odyssey by looking the importance of public WiFi.
Quite simply, public WiFi is valuable because if you don’t have a data enabled device, you can’t get online if you aren’t somewhere that has WiFi availability. And we all want to be online, or at least have the option. If you do have a data enabled device (such as a tablet or smart phone), most likely you don’t want to use up your data or pay extra unless it is absolutely necessary (like if you get lost and need to look up a map or directions; if you need to find an address or phone number in a pinch; if you want to order a pizza online while you are out at the lake and pick it up on the way home; or if you are at Home Depot and want to know if the price they are asking for that garden weasel is comparable to Lowe’s). Those kinds of things.
Iconic Displays recently produced an infographic entitled
“Is Wifi the New Cigarette?” detailing the importance of WiFi to the average person:
- 30% of people claim they can’t go without WiFi access for more than an hour
- 60% of people can’t go without WiFi access for more than a day
- 39% say they would give up coffee for WiFi access
- 43% say they would go without chocolate for WiFi
- 75% said that a week without WiFi would leave them grumpier than a week without coffee
So we like our WiFi (for some, more than our coffee and chocolate), and we’ve come to expect it in many places in addition to our homes. These include hotel rooms, restaurants (including coffee shops), airports (and even some airplanes), public parks, public libraries, and many others. As usual, the Dude feels a need to toss in some data about how our WiFi compares to the rest of the world. Predictably, it ain’t good. According to
Rotten WiFi, the U.S. ranks a measly 20
th in the world with an average public WiFi download speed of 6.89. The U.S. was behind number 1 Lithuania (15.4 Mbps), Croatia (14.05), Estonia (13.75), and 16 others. The Dude could find no credible data on average WiFi speeds for libraries (either in Nebraska or the U.S.). Perhaps that would be the subject of a new data element on the survey…
Focus. Back on track with the value of collecting this data. As illustrated above, it’s important to have places in the community that have free WiFi that we can use. If we are traveling and just passing through or stay somewhere that doesn’t have WiFi, it’s nice to have the option to go to our public library and use our own WiFi enabled devices because if we have our own device, we don’t need to wait for a public access terminal. We can also sit on the library’s sofa, or near the library’s fireplace (if they have one), or outside (if the weather is nice) instead of on those public access chairs. Also, many rural communities do not have many areas where free public WiFi is available (other than the library), and many do not have access in their homes. So, the gathering of this data is, like other data gathering, important in that it demonstrates that libraries are providing a service to their community that is valuable.
One final note and that is that some libraries are also getting into the business of loaning WiFi devices to library card holders so they can use them in their own homes. An example is the
New York Public Library, which recently scored $1 million from Google and $500,000 from the Knight Foundation. The devices (4G LTE mobile hot spots) are in high demand, and may be checked out for a longer duration (like, months). This is another example of libraries reaching out to meet the technology needs of the community. In NY, over 2 million people don’t have access to broadband or WiFi at home, so these kinds of services not only introduce those library users to WiFi, but provide valuable connectivity for those who simply can’t afford it. Shaka.
This week, in between answering public library survey related questions and reviewing actual surveys that have been submitted (the deadline is February 13, 2015), the Dude has been thinking about this new element on the survey asking for the number of annual wireless internet sessions. Some of the responses the Dude has been getting about collecting this data have been a thumbs down analogous to Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Commodus in the movie Gladiator or the verbal equivalent: “I ain’t collectin’ this”. In all fairness, most are at least willing to provide a broad observation estimate of the use, which is probably a fairly decent number. Thank you for doing that. This makes me think about the question you might be asking, which is why is collecting this data valuable? Let’s start this odyssey by looking the importance of public WiFi.
Quite simply, public WiFi is valuable because if you don’t have a data enabled device, you can’t get online if you aren’t somewhere that has WiFi availability. And we all want to be online, or at least have the option. If you do have a data enabled device (such as a tablet or smart phone), most likely you don’t want to use up your data or pay extra unless it is absolutely necessary (like if you get lost and need to look up a map or directions; if you need to find an address or phone number in a pinch; if you want to order a pizza online while you are out at the lake and pick it up on the way home; or if you are at Home Depot and want to know if the price they are asking for that garden weasel is comparable to Lowe’s). Those kinds of things. Iconic Displays recently produced an infographic entitled “Is Wifi the New Cigarette?” detailing the importance of WiFi to the average person:
