E-Government at Florida Libraries: More Support, Coordination Needed

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 8/22/2008

- Residents asks librarians for help with tax forms, child welfare benefits
- Some librarians wary of liability, lack training
- Could increase support or chargebacks be a solution?

Librarians in the past few years have begun to recognize how much libraries contribute to e-government, given that federal and state agencies increasingly offer access to services only online, and for many citizens libraries are the only gateway to the Internet. (See "Drafted: I Want You To Deliver E-Government," published by LJ in August 2006.) Now the authors of that important initial research have looked more closely at e-government issues in Florida, concluding that greater coordination of and support for e-government services at libraries is crucial.

Amelia Gibson and Drs. John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure, with other Information Institute staff at Florida State University, recently completed a study, Florida Public Libraries and E–Government: Services, Issues, and Recommendations, which suggests that libraries have become more than simply access points to government information and forms but places where residents seek program assistance

Types of requests
Most requests by library users concerned the IRS, taxes, and upcoming stimulus payments. The next most frequent requests related to the Florida Department of Children and Families, food stamps and public assistance. Also, residents sought education information (school enrollments, voluntary pre-kindergarten, FAFSA/student loan); asked for legal advice, forms and information, and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) resources; conducted county-level property searches and searches into ownership information; and initiated government job searches.

The Florida Department of Children and Families, which handles child welfare issues and more, has closed most of its offices, the report notes, and in South Florida, a web-based appointment system is often required to make an appointment at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office.

Librarian anxiety
“This evolution of librarian as information provider to caseworker has multiple and profound implications,” the authors report. “Not only is this a substantial shift in librarian duties, but it also requires librarians to become facile with multiple agency programs.” Librarians expressed concern and anxiety about their lack of preparation. In some libraries, staffers have been instructed not to assist with e-government forms because of liability concerns.

The report points out that agencies that exchange face-to-face services for Internet based services may be shifting costs to locally funded organizations like libraries—creating “an unfunded mandate from state agencies.”

Recommendations
The report recommends that libraries reach a statewide consensus on how best to provide e-government services and resources; service levels could vary by library size, numbers of public access computers available. It suggests that libraries within the state form a consortium to maintain e-government resources and exchange best practices. It recommends that libraries and state agencies should collaborate on the design and implementation of e-government services and resources, which could lead to better support for librarians needing assistance.

It also recommends increased library staff training in e-government, with the help of local and state agencies. Finally, national, state and local governments should directly support libraries as providers of e-government services and resources. One possibility “is to implement an agency charge-back mechanism, similar to efforts in which government agencies routinely engage through outsourced services.”