Cutting lines at the library

Lengthy lines to use computers at public libraries have only gotten longer, thanks to an increased reliance by the public on online services like YouTube and Tutor.com.

Although an Associated Press survey found most libraries nationwide had no plans to buy more computers, the Cape Girardeau Public Library has plans that director Betty Martin hopes will alleviate wait times to log on.

"The issue of people waiting in line is absolutely true here. It's one of the issues we're trying to address with our new facility," Martin said of the lines to use the Internet.

Renovations and expansions beginning this fall will double the size of the library building, a tax-supported project designed to accommodate the "community center" role the facility has taken on, Martin said. Included in the planned additions to the library are a full computer lab, housing 24 PCs.

According to a new study from the American Library Association, the average number of public Internet terminals remains largely unchanged since 2002, yet only one in five libraries surveyed say they have enough computers to meet demand at all times.

The new Cape Girardeau Public Library will have 45 machines total, compared to the 16 currently in the library's main room and four in the Jackson Public Library.

"People don't have to wait very long," said Sally Pierze, director at Jackson's library.

To keep wait times to a minimum, Pierze said, the Jackson library's policy involves asking the user who has been online on one of the facility's four computers the longest to finish up when the line experiences 30-minute delays.

Asking someone to vacate their machine only happens about once a day, she said.

Right now, the Cape Girardeau Public Library relies on a similar self-policing policy, offering online users 15 minutes to complete their work when lines get too long.

The new system will log them out after two hours, restricting usage time as well as freeing up librarians for helping customers rather than policing the computers.

Libraries are at the forefront of "bridging the digital divide" because they are the only establsihment able to provide free technology that is readily accessible to everyone, Martin said.

In fact, three-quarters of the libraries surveyed say they are the only source of free Internet access in their communities, increasing pressure on them to meet demand.

Some people may not be able to afford a computer, while others may not be able to pay for high-speed Internet access.

In addition to leisure online activities like YouTube and MySpace, many state and federal agencies require job applicants to use online forms when looking for work.

"Libraries are a place where books and periodicals are available, but increasingly public libraries are being asked by their patrons to make these information technologies available," said Greg Shaw, the director of U.S. program advocacy for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which co-sponsored the study.

But libraries haven't always been able to boost the size of their pipes because of cost or availability of high-speed services in the area. More computers sharing the same pipes mean slower speeds, even as Google Inc.'s video-sharing site YouTube and interactive homework help sites like Tutor.com demand more capacity.

The Cape Girardeau library plans to add Wi-Fi to the new facility, in the hopes that some patrons will bring their own laptops and enjoy the wireless network, freeing up the public access machines.

Libraries are increasingly turning to wireless networking to help reduce waiting times. More than 17 percent of libraries say they plan to add wireless capabilities within a year, meaning 71 percent would be allowing patrons to connect through their own laptops and in some cases through loaner machines.

"We may be in fact where we were in 2002" when many libraries still had only slower, dial-up access, said Denise Davis, director of the American Library Association's Office for Research and Statistics. "Just everything is faster and larger files are being moved around."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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