Project “LIBRARIES FOR INNOVATION”: Goal, Activities and Impact Stanislavas Zablockis Financial manager Project “Libraries for Innovation” Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Goal of the project To achieve, through strengthening and using the capacities of public libraries, a considerably better use of the possibilities of information technologies among all the Lithuanian population for obtaining useful information and communication

Key tasks for libraries Equipping public libraries with PIA Strengthening information competence of public libraries’ staff Helping librarians to become active promoters and helpers to the local community in mastering the opportunities of IT Note: PIA = Public Internet Access

Principal components of the project Infrastructure Training Publicity and outreach Impact assessment

Infrastructure Several indicators Amount in units Training centers (TC) created 11 PIA created / modernized / strengthened 1276 Computers equipped in PIA and TC 3364 Computers (notebooks) provided to librarians, libraries’ IT specialists, TC coordinators 1411 PIA User Registration and Statistics System created (number of PIA computers where installed) 5300 Accessible library web sites created 57

97% of libraries were technically renewed 11 training centers, equipped in libraries with PIA at the end of 2011

Training of libraries’ personnel Training in the training centre and in the mobile class

Training of local community

Publicity and outreach activities To inform the society about the Project benefits To increase internet use To motivate people to use various internet resources To motivate librarians to promote free internet access To communicate the positive changes in libraries

Advertising campaigns

Outreach campaigns For elderly people and people living in rural areas: “E-senior”: inviting people to come to the library for live internet broadcasted lecture on how to find information about health, savings, and entertainment online “Internet for Your Garden”: inviting people to come to the library and watch live internet broadcasted lectures about gardening and other upcoming seasonal activities For people that have never used Internet before: “First Time Online? Let’s Do It!”: inviting people to come to public libraries and try to use Internet for the very first time. For unemployed, disabled people, children, etc.

What have changed in libraries and society since 2008?

Impact on libraries & librarians

Nearly all libraries provide PIA (% of libraries / branches / subdivisions providing PIA)

Computer literacy skills of libraries’ staff improved (% of librarians evaluating their computer literacy skills as sufficient)

Librarians became much more pro-active trainers (% of librarians who contributed to the training of PIA users)

Librarians became much more pro-active promoters (% of librarians who organized events to attract to use PIA…)

Library image in society has improved (% of respondents who say that library is…)

Impact on users & communities

PIA is especially important for vulnerable social groups (% of PIA users considering library as the main place for internet access)

Tens of thousands attend training in public libraries (number of residents who participated in IT training)

ICT competences of PIA users have improved (% of PIA users evaluating their skills of internet usage as sufficient)

ICT competences of population have improved (% of population evaluating their computer literacy skills as sufficient)

Thank you!