2018 Connectivity Survey Report-v5-20180705 · 2018. 9. 27. · Connectivity Working Group Final Report – July 2018 . ... Connecting Communities: a vision for public library service

2018 BC Public Library Connectivity Survey Report & Analysis

Connectivity Working Group Final Report – July 2018

Making the Case for Improved Library Connectivity Public libraries across BC play increasingly essential roles for the people in their communities. In addition to the core function of providing people with access to print and digital information libraries act as hubs that support healthy, engaged, economically successful and informed community members.

Libraries are places where people are welcomed, no matter their personal circumstance or ability to pay. Libraries are places where community members know there is space for them and where they feel part of their larger society. In many communities, the public library is the only truly public space left where someone can simply spend time, read, learn or interact with other people.

Libraries provide community members with opportunities to develop intellectually, emotionally, culturally and economically. The collections, programs and services that libraries offer ensure that every community member has an opportunity to develop into a contributing and engaged citizen. Libraries ensure that people can seek unmediated information in a nonjudgmental environment. Libraries are where people go to learn those things most significant to them at the pace that works best for them.

As community hubs, public libraries play an important role in helping to reduce the impacts of poverty and in supporting rural economic development. For many people on low and fixed incomes their local public library is the only place where they can go to have online access to information.

Libraries address poverty by helping people connect to social and government programs, by providing access to computers, the internet and emerging technologies, and by being places where people can access online courses to advance skills, search for work and prepare resumes. Libraries provide a spectrum of learning services from the provision of free space for community groups and meetings to conducting exam invigilation for local residents completing their grade 12 or for students enrolled in post-secondary programs. Libraries in BC respond to the unique needs of their communities.

As governments make their online services more accessible more and more people go to their local library to get help filling out online forms so that they can access the programs and services that they need. Library staff are essential guides helping people navigate online information. People go to their local library to update their skills, augment their education and discover new information.

Additionally people go to their library for practical and essential help including to file their income taxes online, to access their social media accounts, to communicate with loved ones and often to simply explore the internet. Libraries provide people with access to space, to information, and increasingly, to online information.

In order for libraries to keep pace with the increasing demands being placed on them by community members they need strong affordable internet connectivity. Surprisingly, many libraries across the province do not have adequate connectivity. The Ministry of Education, Libraries Branch, working with the BC Libraries Cooperative and the Association of BC Public Library Directors prepared and administered a survey to gauge the current state of internet connectivity in public libraries across the province.

Results of the survey indicate that connectivity has not kept pace with community demands created by new web technologies. Survey results also reveal that the costs associated with delivering emerging and future focused library services are currently prohibitive for public libraries.

It is clear from preliminary research that BC’s public libraries need affordable and plentiful internet connectivity. In the absence of adequate connectivity, access to public services will suffer, equity of access is eroded, and people’s personal opportunities will be lost.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 2

Introduction 4

Part I - Why Libraries Need Fast Internet / Service Impacts of Poor Connectivity . 6 Library as Internet Access Point 6 Existing and Future Services 7 Service Impacts of Internet Connectivity 8

Part II - What is a reasonable Internet connection speed? 10

Part III - Brief Summary of Survey Findings 11

Part IV - Recommendations and potential approaches to Improving Public Library Connectivity 12

Appendix I - Survey Analysis 13

Appendix II - Survey Results in Detail 21 By Internet Connection Speed 21 By Satisfaction Level 29

Appendix III - Immediate Options 33

Appendix IV - Calculating a reasonable “per client” Internet connection speed? 35

Appendix V - Estimation of Branches Capable of Meeting Minimum Throughput Levels at Peak Periods 39

Executive Summary

BC’s public libraries need cheap and plentiful Internet connectivity at the front doors of their facilities. In the absence of such, public services suffer greatly, equity of access is eroded, and opportunities are lost. The digital age is placing unprecedented demands on libraries striving to provide increased access to online resources, while relying on connectivity infrastructure that is cluttered at best. Logically, these demands will only build. Strategic approaches now will ensure that the connectivity infrastructure and bandwidth capacity that libraries require in three, five and 10 years will exist when needed.

“Fostering Connected Communities” is a key objective of the 2017 Libraries Branch, Ministry of Education strategic plan, Inspiring Libraries, Connecting Communities: a vision for public library service in B.C.1 In late 2017, the Libraries Branch initiated a comprehensive review of Internet connectivity across the province in order to “explor[e] opportunities to bring affordable high- speed broadband to every public library.” A survey was the first step in this review, updating work done by the BC Libraries Cooperative for its BC public library members, previously.2 This report builds on that survey, and the subsequent recommendations of the public library Internet Connectivity Working Group (CWG).

Overall, survey respondents confirmed that specific rural, remote and regional deficits persist after more than a decade. The complexity of public library governance and funding in BC, and the absence of consistent Federal or BC/Provincial connectivity strategies have created the conditions for numerous market-based Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide a patchwork of connectivity services to BC’s public libraries and communities. Unlike other sectors, a one-size or one-vendor-fits-all approach seems unlikely.

This report articulates both a minimum viable and an ideal connectivity threshold and methodology for library service points, inclusive of staff and patron usage: 5Mbps down / 1Mbps up per connected device is recommended. It also includes an analysis across several dimensions for those service points struggling to meet these thresholds. The interconnectedness of Internet service levels and the provision of front line public library service are also explored.

A Connectivity Working Group (CWG) was established to review and enhance recommendations in this report. The working group was appointed by the Libraries Branch and consists of the following participants:

Allan Carlson, Branch Lead (Co-Chair) Scott Leslie, Systems Manager BC Libraries Co-op Lead (Co-Chair) Michael Burris, Exec Director, ABCPLD / InterLINK Federation rep Dan Phillips, Director of Technology & Risk Management GVPL Deb Hutchinson-Koep, Chief Librarian, North Vancouver City Library Jeff Narver, Director of Infrastructure & Resources, Fraser Valley Regional Library Tracey Therrien, Chief Librarian, Nelson Public Library Anna Babluck, Library Director, Mackenzie Public Library

11 https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/community- partnerships/libraries/libraries-

strategic-plan.pdf 2 2 https://bc.libraries.coop/services/connectivity

The CWG recommends four key actions to improve public library connectivity in the near term and work toward equity, excellence and practicality:

1. Facilitate meetings of local stakeholders to share information and work

collaboratively on regional connectivity issues

2. Offer annual funding programs for both one-time connectivity infrastructure investments and sustained access to upgraded connectivity offerings

3. Further investigate the specific needs of libraries requiring more complex or

significant investment or infrastructure (categories “B” and “C” ) in order to plan and prioritize next steps

4. Support efforts to develop and promote regional and consortial connectivity offerings

Introduction

Since the earliest days of public access to the Internet, public libraries have played a critical role. Libraries provided some of the earliest access points to the Internet, and continue to provide essential online access points, with use of both library public access terminals and library-provisioned wifi continuing to grow each year, despite the prevalence of mobile and home computing resources.

Connectivity was first identified as a priority for BC’s public libraries in the Public Libraries Services Branch, Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services 2004 Libraries Without Walls: The World Within Your Reach strategic plan. Despite more than a decade of attention to the issue, adequate, consistent Internet connectivity for public libraries in BC remains elusive, ranging from the super fast, at urban branches in systems like Vancouver Public Library or Burnaby Public Library, to basic, in places like Alert Bay or Cariboo Regional District Library’s Anahim Lake branch, whose connections to this day do not meet even decades-old minimum definitions of “broadband.”

The digital age is placing unprecedented demands on libraries striving to provide increased access to online resources, while relying on connectivity infrastructure that is cluttered at best. Logically, these demands will only build. Strategic approaches now will ensure that the connectivity infrastructure and bandwidth capacity that libraries require in three, five and 10 years will exist when needed.

“Fostering Connected Communities” is a key objective of the Libraries Branch, Ministry of Education strategic plan, Inspiring Libraries, Connecting Communities: a vision for public library service in B.C. 3

In late 2017, the Branch initiated a comprehensive review of Internet connectivity across the province in order to “explor[e] opportunities to bring affordable high- speed broadband to every public library.” A survey was the first step in this review, updating work done by the BC Libraries Cooperative for its BC public library members, previously.4 This is the report and analysis of that survey, which informed and now reflects the initial discussions and recommendations of the public library Connectivity Working Group (CWG). The connectivity project was announced at the September, 2017 ABCPLD meeting. It was also brought to the attention of the Library Partners Advisory Group and received their support.

3 https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/community-partnerships/libraries/libraries-

strategic-plan.pdf 3 4 https://bc.libraries.coop/services/connectivity/

Part I - Why Libraries Need Fast Internet / Service Impacts of Poor Connectivity

Internet connectivity is already a critical component of library services and operations, and as we argue below, only likely to become more so. In the following section we examine both the current and future needs that drive demand for improved connectivity.

Library as Internet Access Point As the Canadian Federation of Library Associations Position Statement on Public Access to the Internet5 makes clear, while the public’s access to the Internet is broadly improving, libraries continue to act as critical access points, especially to more vulnerable populations:

“While Statistics Canada found in 2012 that 83% of Canadians had Internet access from computers at home or could afford mobile devices with data plans, nearly 1 in 5 depended on free public access at libraries, retail & community locations to connect.5”

This is especially the case in more remote communities where commercial Internet access is either scarce or prohibitively expensive. But even in otherwise well-served urban areas, libraries continue to play a major, if not the major, role in bridging the ongoing digital divide.

Chart I, below, based on annual library systems reporting back to the Libraries Branch, clearly demonstrates a consistent rise in use of BC public libraries to access the Internet across all library systems via a tally of annual wireless and public Internet access terminal sessions.

Chart I - Total Internet Sessions across all 71 reporting Library Systems 2007-20166

5 http://cfla-fcab.ca/en/guidelines-and-position-papers/public-access-to-the-Internet-position-statement/ 6 Statistics Canada. Table 358-0167 – Canadian Internet use survey, household access to the Internet at home, by household income quartile, Canada and provinces, occasional (percent), CANSIM (database)

Existing and Future Services

We polled the CWG for examples of current and future patron services that would drive the demand for in-branch Internet connectivity. We found these services split into five broad categories: Content use and learning; Video Conferencing; Access to Government Services; Community-driven Content, and; Managed Services.

1. Content Use & Online Learning

The past decade has seen an explosion in the availability of online multimedia content. The popularity of sites like Youtube and Netflix is undeniable. According to Cisco, in 2016 video accounted for 73% of Internet traffic, expected to grow to 82% by 2020.7 In addition to the multitude of free content, more and more libraries are licensing online multi-media content for their patrons through services like Hoopla or Kanopy. And lest it be thought that this content is but mere “entertainment,” increasingly libraries are licensing, and patrons are accessing, online learning content through services like lynda.com which require decent quality Internet connections to use. Similarly, the trend of libraries to become facilitators of Massive Online Open Course cohorts also drives bandwidth consumption in branch. One of the CWG members had a story that illustrates this need very well:

“We have another customer, a middle aged man who needed to complete his GED in order to certify for an apprenticeship. He was out of country and wanted access to the Red Seal program. He was also someone who did not have his own Internet access but through us was able to complete an online program and qualify for an apprenticeship.”

2. Video-conferencing and Telepresence

The bandwidth demands of video are not just for pre-recorded content. Increasingly libraries are being asked to provide facilities for high quality video-conferencing. This is especially the case in more remote communities whose locations make attending meetings and events more difficult, but this also means the locations on the other end (often urban) also need high quality connections to broadcast the events.

And the need for high quality bandwidth to support video-conferencing is not restricted to “events.” Increasingly individuals will look to access various services, from telemedicine to outreach workers, over the Internet, and libraries can play a critical role in increasing this access. An anecdote from one of the CWG members illustrates this well:

“The ... one that I can think of is concerning an elderly woman who does not have Internet at home as she is on a fixed (and limited) income. She came to us because her children and grandchildren live outside of the country. She has no computer equipment of her own but we have been able to help her provide Skype access so she could visit with her family. “

As more and more workers become telecommuters, there is also a demand for the “library as virtual office space” which places demands for bandwidth that all of the various virtual tools (including video conferencing) the modern worker uses. The availability of such spaces and quality Internet connections can have a direct impact on the economic activity of an area.

7 https://www.recode.net/2017/6/8/15757594/future-Internet-traffic-watch-live-video-facebook-google- netflix

Finally, an additional case for telepresence is for training and meeting purposes across libraries in a region – no small thing in such a large province, a potential big savings on time and fuel which could be redirected to front line services and is currently hindered by poor connectivity.

3. Government Services

The past decade has seen a massive shift in all levels of government to deliver services directly to citizens online. One need only consider the prevalence of the term ‘Smart Cities’ or visit government portals such as https://www.canada.ca/en.html or https://www2.gov.bc.ca/ to get a sense of the massive number of services now accessible by Internet from both Federal and Provincial governments.

The library sector itself will become a provider of such service, in addition to the content it licenses, as, e.g. in the case of the emergent BC Digital Library.8 As with the case of the above government portals, well-connected public libraries are a critical element in providing equitable access to digital government services for citizens.

Finally, well connected libraries have a potential to combine needs 2 and 3 in the form of live "town halls," large scale video-conferences that bring far flung citizens across this geographically vast province together in real-time with politicians and other decision makers in ways that have previously been impossible or incredibly costly.

4. Community-Driven Content

Well-connected libraries have the opportunity to facilitate one of the largest shifts the Internet has heralded: participatory culture and the democratization of content production. Already libraries are creating Innovation Labs, Makerspaces and other local digitization projects that allow patrons to create or share locally produced and relevant content. These kinds of projects can produce large amounts of data, and call for the types of scalable, affordable storage options that only better Internet connections can facilitate. Similarly, local streaming video, music, archival and digital preservation initiatives all require robust Internet service.

5. Managed Services

To enhance services, and to gain reliable access to affordable, emergent tools and approaches, BC’s public library sector needs equitable access to robust Internet service. Access to Canadian cloud-based enterprise solutions that power the sector’s Integrated Library Systems and Resource Sharing platforms is essential if the sector is to realize efficiencies, and to support ongoing service transformations like mobile service provision in communities. Managed Desktop and telecommunications solutions are already in use in the sector, but are prohibited from scaling, again due to insufficient connectivity.

8 http://bcdigilib.ca/

Service Impacts of Internet Connectivity

It is not just future-oriented services that drive the need for good Internet. The impact of poor Internet connectivity is already regularly felt across the system. CWG participants provided the following stories of how poor connections already impact patrons, staff and libraries as a whole.

“Customers have said that they would go use Starbuck’s or a neighbouring library’s wireless Internet instead.”

“Even staff have issues using the wireless network. When I need to do IOS upgrades on our iPads, I take them home to do it.”

“I was taking part in a videoconference and I couldn't use my desktop computer (no audio) so I accessed the conference using a laptop and wifi. It was fine before the Library opened but afterwards I kept getting dropped from the conference. I went home to finish the conference and had no problem though I was also using wifi at my home. “

“...staff experience slow downs (unable to load ebooks or conduct an Internet search - it would take so long that the search/activity would time out) when doing programming in the library. Programs that require participants to access the libraries' wifi such as Adult/Senior digital literacy skills (learning to use tablets, smart phones or how to access library's digital collections) and Youth digital literacy skills (teaching basic coding and digital skills.)”

Part II - What is a reasonable Internet connection speed?

This report takes two different approaches to assessing libraries’ current Internet connections. The first is the self-reporting in the survey, which is explored in detail in Appendices I & II.

The second approach, elaborated in detail in Appendices IV & V, looks at industry estimates of bandwidth use for standard applications to establish an average “per client” standard. This standard can then be used to examine existing demands (based on the number of connected workstations and wifi sessions) and determine whether libraries have sufficient capacity to deliver this minimum connectivity standard to all users at peak periods.

The CWG, after considering input from a wide variety of industry groups and surveys, is recommending 5Mbps Down / 1 Mbps Up as a baseline “per device” target speed. Another way to say this is - any library user, be they staff or patron, should reasonably be able to expect to connect to the Internet at their local library branch with a minimum speed of 5Mbps Down / 1 Mbps Up regardless of time of day or number of other patrons in the branch.

Of the 127 branches for which we have solid data, 58 of them would definitely not be able to sustain that minimum throughput at peak times for all of the wired computers in the branch. Note this does not include any wireless connectivity, hence we have established a slightly higher threshold for baseline connectivity. An additional 63 branches would likely also not be able to meet this metric, but are within closer reach. But again, that does not include wireless access. If wireless access is factored in, then literally none of the 127 branches for which we have solid data could currently sustain this minimum service level at peak times.9

9 Excluded from this analysis were 39 branches for systems who did not report back the number of connected

devices on a per branch level. Additional, since the survey only asked for connection speed in ranges, the calculation of capacity for the 50 branches that responded they had connections of "Greater than 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up" is inconclusive.

Part III - Brief Summary of Survey Findings

Extensive details on the survey findings are available in Appendices I & II. Generally speaking, the majority of libraries stated their connections were “satisfactory.” Yet it seems like this may have more to do with diminished expectations than it does with actual capacity. While there are certainly some branches with plentiful Internet connections, the fact that a full 75% of responding branches filter or shape their Internet connections would indicate that the majority operate in an environment of scarce/expensive bandwidth.

The survey did find some potential immediate actions - there look to be a dozen branches in the province that with relatively small (<$1000/year/branch) funding inputs could improve their connections based on faster offerings already available in the area.

The situation is much less clear for the majority of branches. Some could access faster connections, but at unknown cost - either because of additional “last mile” infrastructure requirements or because of lack of local competition in service providers. Additional research on a case-by-case basis will be needed to create detailed actionable plans for many of the remaining branches needing improvements.

Survey results, like work done previously, underscored a clear urban/rural divide with respect to connectivity and options. That said, even branches in metropolitan centres continue to struggle to access affordable connectivity solutions in some cases.

The CWG reviewed the predominant provincial connectivity topographies and approaches (e.g. BCNet and Transit Exchanges [TX], the Provincial Next Generation Network [NGN], and a variety of hybrids). Access to the content peering services available at five (5) TX locations, via the Co-op’s relationship with BCNet is compelling, particularly for larger systems located in these centres. Regional procurement opportunities are well worth considering in these locations.

Part IV - Recommendations and potential approaches to Improving Public Library Connectivity

The CWG Terms of Reference requests analysis along three groupings: Category A - Library branches with easy access/connectivity fixes

• There are 39 libraries with unsatisfactory network connections that know of faster available services at a cost. Of these, 12 could likely be upgraded right away for less than $100/month per branch.

Category B - Library branches that will require some investment in equipment and ongoing costs

• With further investigation, it will be possible to identify a number of service points that can access increased service for little or no infrastructure costs, but ongoing operating costs.

• Similarly, with further investigation, it will be possible to identify a number of service points that can access increased service with a combination of one-time investment and ongoing operating costs. Based on the number of service points and age and condition of existing IT equipment, capital costs could be as little as $400 - $500K.

Category C - Library branches that will require significant investment and longer term planning / Further investigation required

The CWG recommends four key actions to improve public library connectivity in the near term and work toward equity, excellence and practicality: 1. Facilitate meetings of local stakeholders to share information and work

collaboratively on regional connectivity issues

2. Offer annual funding programs for both one-time connectivity infrastructure investments and sustained access to upgraded connectivity offerings

3. Further investigate the specific needs of libraries requiring more complex or

significant investment or infrastructure (categories “B” and “C” ) in order to plan and prioritize next steps

4. Support efforts to develop and promote regional and consortial connectivity offerings

Appendix I - Survey Analysis

Roughly 30% of libraries self-identified their current Internet connection speeds as being “Unsatisfactory” or “Very Unsatisfactory.” The majority of responding branches (63%) indicated they felt their connectivity was “Satisfactory.”

Yet, responses to other survey questions contradict these qualitative responses. The prevalence of traffic shaping alone, indicates insufficient existing throughput generally, and clearly argues against adequate connection speeds to meet future demand. There appears to exist a tendency on the part of libraries and their local governments to view library connectivity as a finite resource to be conserved, rather than a vital public good that needs to be extended. Indeed, this tendency appears to have also influenced survey responses.

Table - Overall Satisfaction with their Internet

Satisfaction Level Percentage (out of 218

respondents)

Very Satisfied - It’s Fast 7% (16 in total)

Satisfied 63% (136 in total)

Unsatisfied 27% (58 in total)

Very Unsatisfied 3% (6 in total)

Other 0.5% (1 in total)

An interactive map displaying branch locations and satisfaction levels is available at https://mapalist.com/map/652447 and it, along with the survey data, confirms previous work and inventories with respect to the least well connected BC public libraries: select rural and remote community branches in the Cariboo, Thompson-Nicola, North East, Kootenay and Vancouver Island / Haida Gwaii regions remain some of the least well served by ISP’s.

(for zoomable interactive view see https://mapalist.com/map/652447) Digging into the numbers

Somewhat unsurprisingly, satisfaction (as self-assessed by branch management, not staff or patrons) correlates reasonably strongly with connection speed. Those branches with connections above 25 Mbps down were more positive about their Internet connections. And again, unsurprisingly, the vast majority of these branches are situated in “Medium” or “Large” population centres, typically well served with choice for Internet connectivity. It is worth noting that very few libraries are currently motivated to change ISP’s.

Satisfaction by Connection Speed

Total Branches

% Unsatisfied/ Very Unsatisfied

% Rural/Small vs Medium/ Large Urban10

% looking to change ISPs

% who have changed ISP in last 2 years

Less than 5Mbps

21 80% (17/21 total)

95.5% rural/small

0% 14% (3)

Less than 10Mbps

23 57% (13/23 total)

100% rural/small

4% (1) 17% (4)

Less than 25Mbps

54 40% (22/54 total)

87% rural/small

2% (1) 30% (16)

Less than 50Mbps

29 14% (4/29 total)

69% rural/small

3.4% (1) 17% (5)

Greater than 50Mbps

91 7.7% (7/91 total)

20% rural/small

5.5% (5/91)

45% (41/91)

OVERALL

180 30% of respondents (64/215 in total)

Immediate Actions

Of the 52 branches who noted their Internet was either “Unsatisfactory” or “Very Unsatisfactory” only three had plans to change their ISPs, although a full 79% (39) were aware of faster Internet being available to them in their community (at a higher price.) Of these 39, 12 had less than 10Mbps connections. These are the immediate easy ones to target, as all have likely 25Mbps

10 N.B. “population served” numbers are for entire library systems, not individual branches, and so some large regional systems end up being coded as “medium-large” population centres even though individual branches may be located in very rural areas.

connections in their community that with a small increase in annual operating funds (on the order of $50-100/month per branch, or <$15K year) could at almost double their available bandwidth.

Of the remaining libraries self-reporting “unsatisfactory” or “very unsatisfactory” connections, 14 had 25Mbps connections - it is hard to estimate without further research what the cost to move to the next level of connectivity would be, though its hopeful that better connections might be available with funding.

Of the remaining 13 who indicated their connections were either “Unsatisfactory” or “Very Unsatisfactory,” the majority are in rural or small population areas with little telecommunications competition or infrastructure. These will require further research to address appropriate solutions.

Is “Satisfactory” Good Enough?

For a detailed examination of calculating minimum bandwidth requirements the reader is referred to Appendix I - What is a reasonable Internet connection speed?

For the 16 “very satisfied” connected branches, ● 10/16 were connected at faster than 50Mbps down/10up (the highest bracket we

provided in our survey) ● 1/16 at 50 Mbps down/10 Mbps up, and ● 5/16 were at 25 Mbps down/2 Mbps up

It is impossible to determine an exact amount of required bandwidth for any branch. The most accurate way would be to monitor individual networks and average the consumption over a number of days. But even then there would be peaks and valleys that are not well reflected, nor would results reflect individual degradations of service individual users might experience when competing for what bandwidth exists.

We are unable to do this kind of network monitoring. The best we can do is estimates based on the number of workstations in a branch and the number of wireless sessions per hour.11 Based on these, we estimate at least 6 of 14 branches which stated connections were “very satisfactory” would not be able to meet minimum bandwidth speeds of 5Mbps down and 1Mbps up per wired client at peak use times with their current connections (e.g. we excluded wifi usage from this estimate).

Of the 136 who listed their connections as “satisfactory”, we estimate that at least 33% (45) would likely not be able to meet minimum bandwidth speeds of 5Mbps down and 1Mbps up per client at peak use times where all workstations are in use. This number is a very rough estimate but does NOT include any wifi use, so if anything it underestimates the ability of branches to meet peek demands and seriously undercuts the idea that the current connections are indeed “satisfactory”.

Bandwidth demands always go up. In situations where more bandwidth is available, applications like video streaming will use it up (and likewise try to use less when less is available.) The assertion that many “satisfactorily” connected libraries would still saturate their connections at peak times is not, in and of itself, damning. They may, but services may degrade gracefully for now. However, connections that seem “satisfactory” within existing constraints may in fact be only minimally satisfying, and likely not future proof at all.

Limiting Access or Bandwidth

While it is impossible to fully know the rationale behind specific libraries choices as to technical restrictions on Internet usage, one can assume that at least some of the filtering and bandwidth shaping reported in survey responses is driven by a desire to ease network demands and provide equitable access to as many patrons as possible. Again, there exists a tendency on the part of libraries and their local governments to view library connectivity as a finite resource to be conserved, rather than a vital public good that needs to be extended. In this survey, of the 175 branches that responded:

● A full 75% filter, shape or otherwise restrict use on their network ● Seven libraries indicated they turned wireless Internet access completely off at the end of

library hours to prevent further use

Eight libraries provided specific numbers as to how they throttle bandwidth on a per device basis. Seven of these provided a maximum speed limit, the average of which was 5Mbps down per device. The last library took a different approach, guaranteeing 512Kbps down/device but limiting the number of devices that could connect once the network’s capacity was reached.

Providing wireless Internet Wifi access in libraries seems a basic service every branch should be able to provide, and yet of the 182 branches that responded to this question, nine indicated they did not provide wifi for patrons. Of the nine who don’t, only two (Alert Bay & the TNRD Bookmobile) reported an unsatisfactory Internet connection, with connection speeds of less than 5 Mbps down/1 Up. All of these branches do provide Internet access in the form of Internet connected workstations and one (Stewart) planning on bringing in wifi soon. But this is worth investigating further - if branches are not able to provide public wifi and yet claim to have sufficient bandwidth, what are the other reasons they are unable (or unwilling) to provide it and are their opportunities that funding or other collaborative approaches might address?

Primary ISPs

One reality that any proposed solution to improving connectivity across BC’s public libraries must address is the wide diversity in providers reported. A full 41% percent of Internet connections were not provided by one of the Big 2 ISPs in the province (Telus and Shaw) and of the remaining 59%, Shaw (37%) and Telus (25%) were nearly evenly split. Unlike other sectors, a one-size or one-vendor fits all approach seems unlikely not just for this reason: provincial budget support for BC’s public libraries sits at ~5% currently compared with 100% in the K-12 or Health Authority context.

ISP Number of Branches Connected Province-wide

Shaw 68

Telus 45

Xplornet 1

Other 75 Top 5: ● Skyway West - 23 ● ABC Communications - 8 ● CityWest - 5 ● School District 27 - 3 ● PLNet - 3

Relationship of Library and Local Government network

Another element that needs to be considered in proposing system-wide solutions for public library connectivity is that the relationships between libraries and their ISPs can differ quite drastically. In the vast majority of cases (85%) of branches reported the relationship is directly with the ISP. This relationship is both useful, in that libraries have some ability to choose, but also problematic, as it turns libraries into mere Internet consumers themselves.

Contrast this relationship with the position of libraries whose local governments provision their bandwidth. While on the one hand this can be seen as a restriction in choice and autonomy for the library, on the other it can enable more strategic approaches to inter-agency collaboration and access to more beneficial connectivity opportunities. In this relationship, libraries see an additional benefit insofar as ISP abuse claims may be at least partially offloaded to network managers within local government.

A subset of this latter group have invested in their own fibre runs, outside of the purview of local government and somewhat distinct from the first scenario above. Greater Victoria Public Library is one such example.

Relation of Library & Local Government IT Networks

Number (out of 182 responding)

We have our own Internet connection, completely unrelated to the local government.

153

We have our own Internet connection, but have to use the same provider as the local government.

2

We are co-located with a school/other local government entity and/or use their Internet connection.

7

The local government provides our Internet connection.11

11

Other 8

Respondent Frustration that Public Sector Entities Not Working Together

One comment came through repeatedly in the write-in section of the survey - there is a widespread frustration that in a number of communities, one entity (often a school but sometimes fire or police) has a fibre Internet connection yet for a host of different reasons (municipal priorities, geography, lack of inter-ministry cooperation) this has not been extended to the other public sector entities in the province. At least 10 branches specifically highlighted a desire for a more coordinated community connectivity strategy. Indeed, this point has been raised repeatedly by the Co-op since as far back as 2009: existing provincial and federal connectivity incentive programs and strategies have consistently failed to approach connectivity as a public good and from a comprehensive public policy perspective, preferring instead to rely on market solutions where possible (“last mile initiatives”), and inclusive, non- interoperable networks and approaches where security or privacy are deemed sacrosanct (K- 12, Health Authorities)

Funding Opportunities and Larger Collaborations

Finally, whether because of lack of awareness, geographic location, or lack of perceived opportunity, libraries overwhelmingly reported that they were neither pursuing additional funding nor connecting to regional or other consortial high speed networking efforts. This represents a real opportunity for the province, both in terms of raised awareness, coordination, and targeted grants.

11 N.B. we know there are more libraries that get their network from the local governments. Again, the overall

number was skewed by large systems not reporting back at the branch level.

Looking for Funding or Connected to Larger Consortia?

% pursuing additional funding for networking (only 167 responded)

2% (3) Yes 98% (164) No

% connected to regional or high-speed networking consortia backbone (only 182 responses)

7% (11) Yes 93% (171) No

Since 2012, the BC Libraries Co-op and BCNet have jointly provided an opportunity for the public library community to access BCNet’s Advanced Network - perhaps the most prominent example of one such strategic opportunity. This private, dedicated, ultra-high-speed, fibre optic infrastructure provides speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second, extends over 8,850 kilometers and directly connects 106 colleges, institutes, research universities, federal and provincial labs and research institution sites in British Columbia. It is one of 12 territorial or provincial partners that collectively form the CANARIE Canadian National Research and Education Network (NREN). All provincial partners connect to the CANARIE national backbone to enable peers across the country and more than 100 global research and education networks.

Currently, the BCNet agreement provides stable pricing, add-on network and peering services for Vancouver and Prince George Public Libraries. The potential to scale this solution is profound, particularly if we use a digital content and cost control lens, rather than a more traditional purely connectivity lens. Indeed, the appeal of this approach, and particularly the peering services that become possible at various provincial transit exchanges has motivated several attempts by Lower Mainland local governments and public libraries to string their own fibre in order to access Vancouver Harbour Centre Transit Exchanges.

The largest impediment to accessing Transit Exchanges via the Co-op and BCNet agreement is geography as they are only located in Prince George, Kelowna, Kamloops, Victoria and Vancouver. Still, even if only those six systems were cross-connected under the agreement...

Appendix II - Survey Results in Detail (N.B. VIRL’s submission came in too late to re-write this Appendix. However, that submission did not substantially alter the overall results, as VIRL’s mixture of urban and rural branches reflects fairly closely the overall connectivity picture already established.)

Notes and assumptions

The survey received responses from 71 libraries/library systems representing 218 branches, or 87% of the total number of public library branches in the province. It should also be noted that a number of the multi-branch systems chose not to submit individual surveys for each of their branches, and so for some questions, totals are less than 218.

The following were considered out of scope both for the purposes of the survey, and for the purposes of this analysis. Each or any of these issues may indeed warrant additional analysis or investigation, as recommendations develop:

● The availability of adequate connectivity in public library service areas (outside of library facilities), particularly in rural / remote or “underserved” regions

● Network infrastructure within libraries ● Total cost of existing library Internet connections ● Development of a business case(s) for funding ● Development of procurement models

By Internet Connection Speed

The most obvious way to approach the survey details is by connection speed. Below we go through each of the five tranches described by the survey in an effort to identify opportunities for improvement.

Details for Branches Connected at Less than 5 Mbps Down/1 Mbps Up

Thirteen of the surveyed branches listed their Internet speeds as less than 5 Mbps down/1 Mbps up. Of those 13, four indicated they were “Satisfied” with this connection, while the other nine (65%) indicated they were either “Unsatisfied” or “Very Unsatisfied.” So while there may be a couple of branches whose needs may be minimally met with this basic connectivity, the majority understandably are not.

Discrete service population stats and wifi usage numbers were not available for seven of the 13 branches. However, for the six that were, all of them demonstrate that their current connectivity is inadequate. Based on an estimated minimum 3 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up base expectation per connected device, these branches would require three to four times their current bandwidth to service all potential workstations and wifi sessions simultaneously.

Of the 13, only two do not implement some sort of filtering or bandwidth shaping to limit the amount of Internet use. Heroically though, 12 of the 13 branches still manage to offer wifi to their patrons.

Among these 13 are a large number of libraries (at least four, possibly eight, as answers were unclear) that depend solely on mobile data connections (3G/4G/LTE via “rocket sticks” or mobile wireless hubs) for their Internet instead of landlines. Other than one of these branches (Fort St. John) most of them are in “small” or “rural” population centres12, ill-served by Internet service providers in general. The breakdown in providers for these 13 were as follows:

ISP #

Telus 4

Shaw 1

ABC Communications 3

CP Electronics 2

12 As defined by Statistics Canada https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/subjects/standard/sgc/notice/sgc-06

Other 3

It is probably unsurprising that none of these branches are connected to wider consortial high- speed networks.

In terms of these most slowly connected libraries and their plans, most seem to be stuck with what they have, either because of lack of choice, or lack of resources

Has your library made changes to its ISP(s) service levels in the past 2 years?

2 yes 11 no

Is your library planning to change its ISP(s) in the near future?

13 no

Are you aware of faster Internet available in your community, regardless of the price?

5 yes 8 no

Twelve of the 13 provide their own Internet connection, completely independently of the local government, while one uses the local government’s network (Granisle Public Library).

The write-in comments for these libraries are worth sharing, as they paint a picture of rural communities that could benefit from faster Internet to the community as a whole, or in other cases, funding or other encouragement for the community to better share the connections that exist.

Location Additional information regarding your location or Internet service availability.

Alert Bay Public Library & Museum

Our ISP used to be called Keta Cable and was acquired by Shaw Cable but we are not offered what Shaw normally offers in other locations. Our current plan is 40GB a month and the speed is only 250kbps that is split between 4 computers Telus offers a smarthub plan but it costs a bit more money but the speed is suppose[d] to [be] much faster, if we had a(sic) more funds it would be the way to go as I have this service at home and it is night and day difference.

Burns Lake Public Library

Fibre optic Internet is available in our community at the forestry office, at the hospital and at one of the band offices. It is in the community but the village is dragging its heels at making a committee and making a plan to get it into the general public

Big Lake IT staff note: Another remote community with the same issues as the Hwy 20 corridor. The school is right beside the community hall where the library is located. The school has high speed Internet, the library and community hall do not.

Library staff note: sharing the connection with the School's Internet is not seen as a viable option since this model is being used in other rural Cariboo communities and does not work to the library's advantage.

Horsefly Would like a minimum of 5 GBps. IT staff comment: Another small remote community with limited options. Again, it would be nice if Internet was provided to the community and all its related services vs individual.

Fort St. John Public Library Association

We are located in a very old building and we share the space with the Cultural Centre. Five years ago, when I began looking into improving our speed, I was told by Shaw Cable that there is only one access point to the building - on the opposite end, and that the length of the cable needed to reach us would negate any increases in speed.

Earlier this year, we were informed that our area had finally received fibre optic. When I inquired about getting that service, I was informed that there was an issue with the foundation of our building which prevents fibre optic cables from reaching our location. (?)

I have worked closely with our IT provider to streamline our connectivity ie; segregated networks, blocking peer-to-peer file sharing. We have two separate Internet routers, one for public and one for staff.


Twenty branches reported Internet connections of less than 10 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up. Of these, there was almost a clean split, with nine describing their connection speeds as “satisfactory” while 11 described them as either “Unsatisfactory” (9) or “Very Unsatisfactory (2).

We have accurate terminal and wifi session counts for only six of the individual branches (the rest being aggregated at the library system level.) But of these six, none would be able to connect all terminals and wifi sessions at a minimum simultaneous connection speed of 3Mbps down / 1 Mbps up, and indeed it’s estimated that most of these would require 3x the current bandwidth to do so.

These libraries are served predominantly by a mixture of DSL and cable modem connections, though at least three of then (Mcbride & District Public Library, Stewart Public Library & Vanderhoof Public Library) use satellite connections, which have some inherent limitations and typically cap out at 25 Mbps down and 100GB of monthly data.

ISP #

Telus 3

Shaw 1

Xplornet 1


SkywayWest 3

Other 9

Somewhat surprisingly, two of these branches are connected to PLNet by virtue of being co- located at schools. However it is doubtful that at the scale of these branches there is much immediate benefit to be found from this.

While most libraries indicated they are not planning on changing ISPs, the good news for this cohort is that there do seem to be options - 9/20 indicated they were familiar with better options (at a higher price) in their location.


4 Yes 16 No


1 Yes 19 No


9 Yes 11 No

Nineteen of the 20 branches do manage to provide wifi for patrons. Thirteen of the 20 implement some sort of filtering or bandwidth shaping, which in part needs to be understood as a response to bandwidth challenges.

Some of the additional anecdotes shared by libraries are illustrative:

Fernie Public Library

Our Internet speed is actually less than what we contract for with Telus. It is a constant struggle.

Hazelton District Public Library

Generally our connection is reliable, but there are occasional slow- downs. Connection speed is sometimes not high enough to view online videos or participate fully in webinars. We believe our ISP is oversubscribed, and as they are still expanding their network in our area there is often live work being done on the cables around town -- we have noticed that on days when we spot the Telus or Citywest trucks around town, our service seems slower or goes in and out.

Some positives: our service now is SO much better - more reliable,

much faster - than just a couple of years ago before Citywest began

offering service in Hazelton. We also have the option to pay more for short, specified periods of time to increase our bandwidth temporarily. We have occasionally taken advantage of this when we had a webinar scheduled, for example. But it is too costly for us to do all the time.

Hudson's Hope Public Library

Our current service is provided free of charge from the company that we use as we are a non-profit. There was recently damage to the fibre optic line that came to our library but they chose not to repair the fibre optic and replace our service with a land radio antennae. This service is slower than our old service and I have trouble obtaining document from our remote server. It also slows down every day at 4:00 pm due to more users on their system. The feed is enough to run Sitka but at times can slow down all other business significantly. We underwent a 24% budget cut from our municipality last year, and therefore cannot afford to subscribe to the new Telus fibre optic service that is now available in our municipality.


As we move to faster Internet connections, it is useful to note that while some of the problems ease, there is still far from universal satisfaction, no doubt because while the connections may be faster, so are the needs and communities they are serving. In the case of library branches connected at 25 Mbps Down / 2 Mbps Up, of the 44 that responded, while 23 rated their Internet as either

“Satisfactory” or “Very Satisfactory,” a notable 41% (18/44) rated their connections as “Unsatisfactory.”

We have accurate terminal and wifi session counts for 20 of the individual branches with connectivity of 25 Mbps down/2 Mbps Up. Of these we estimate 11 (55%) would not be able to connect all terminals and wifi sessions at a minimum simultaneous connection speed of 3Mbps down / 1 Mbps up

These libraries are served predominantly by a mixture of DSL and cable modem connections from a large mixture of ISPs, though three (all from North Vancouver District Public Library) have fibre. At least one of the libraries in this cohort, Castlegar & District Public Library, is connected to a regional network (the Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation).

ISP Count

Telus 15

Shaw 11

Skyway West 15


CityWest 2

These libraries are an interesting cohort - 27% have changed recently, and 41% indicate unsatisfactory connections. And yet only one of these branches has plans to change in the future, even though 68% are aware of better plans in their location. This seems to indicate that, given some funding support, there is capacity in many of these communities to improve connectivity at each service point.


12 Yes 32 No


1 Yes 43 No


30 Yes 14 No

Only one of the 44 branches does not provide public wifi, though they indicate that patrons are encouraged to use Shaw Open wifi. This would indicate that capacity is available and it’s either a funding or staffing issue.

Thirty of the 44 branches (68%) indicate they filter or otherwise limit or shape bandwidth in their branch.

A few choice comments from individual branches may be helpful:

Mackenzie Public Library

Our current connection is 15 MBPS. Maximum available locally is 25 MBPS.

Our IT is provided by the Regional District of Fraser Fort George and paid for by the District of Mackenzie, which means we don't have a lot of control over our choice of connections.

Also, while this speed is available in town and at the Library's physical location, it is not available throughout our service area and lower speeds elsewhere can affect our outreach capabilities as well as online services for our patrons. A suburb just north of Mackenzie as well as several remote camps have satellite access only.

McBride & District Public Library

We would like faster Internet, especially for the after school hours when our lab gets busy. We understand that our connectivity is relatively good, especially for rural northern BC. That said, we're concerned that 25 Mbps service is limited (there may or may not be that level of service available depending on when you connect), even for those willing to pay for it. We're also concerned that for those living outside village limits, Internet options can be

very restrictive. Telus's recent offer for hubs with 100GB filled

quickly, for example, and is no longer available. One solution for our library could be to have two separate connections, but it would require a significant increase to our operational budget at this time.

Fibre exists in our community for the RCMP, hospital and the schools but not privately. As a public institution we would like the opportunity to connect to the fibre that runs behind our building.

Salmo Public Library Telus is unsupportive. Our Internet slows down significantly from 3pm - 9pm We have installed and done all that we can to protect our public Internet and yet we continue to get abuse notifications from Telus.

Pender Island Public Library

Internet service is often lost due to natural events (storms), up to 10 times per year. Reinstating Internet service after outages can take variable times as repair crews travel to our island.

Terrace Public Library It's expensive.


Of the 15 branches reporting connections of less than 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up, four reported

this speed to be unsatisfactory, with one (Nelson Municipal Library) reporting “Other” for its rating. The majority of these branches are situated in “Small” or “Medium” sized population centres.

This higher satisfaction rate in this case seems to be generally appropriate - based on the number of Internet terminals and wifi sessions, only two of these branches would not meet the minimum 3 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up baseline if all terminals and wifi sessions were to be simultaneously connected.

While satisfaction seems high and capacity decent for this pool of branches, there may still be some room to grow. Seven of 15 branches indicated they were aware of faster Internet in their area.


5 Yes 10 No


1 Yes 14 No


7 Yes 8 No

These faster connected branches tend to connect either over a mixture of fibre, cable and DSL, though surprisingly one is managing to get into this bracket connecting at the highest speed of satellite available.

ISP Count

Shaw 4

Telus 3

Other 8

Three of the branches indicate they are connected to regional or consortial networks - two via schools to PLNet and one to the Columbia Basin Broadband network.

Somewhat shockingly, one of the branches does not provide wireless to patrons, though this may be because they are co-located with a school and use its net connection. Of the 15, 10 (66%) report filtering or otherwise shaping net access to conserve bandwidth.

Details for Branches Connected at Greater than 50 Mbps Down/10 Mbps Up

- # and % satisfied - % of branches that might meet max base usage?

- Type of connections & ISP mix - Looking to change? - Percent connected to regional/consortial high speed network

Finally we get to the best connected group of libraries in the province, which, unsurprisingly, show the highest degree of satisfaction (92%) of the 83 branches that are connected above 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up. Yet still, nine branches reported being unsatisfied with their Internet despite the relatively fast connections. Four of these are from the same regional library (FRVL) while two others complain of inconsistent connections and data caps as the reason for their dissatisfaction.

We only really have accurate numbers for 20 branches as to the number of connected Internet terminals and wifi sessions, and unsurprisingly, given the larger Internet connections, all but four seem likely to be able to serve all devices connected simultaneously at 3 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up benchmark connections.

Commercial providers at this level skew towards Shaw, though at this level many of the connections are via larger local government contracts and/or supplemented with second connections.

ISP Count

Telus 10

Shaw 29

Skyway West 4

Other 9

At these speeds, we start to see far more libraries connected via fibre, though a surprising number (12 cable modem, eight DSL) still relying on older connectivity means.

At least two library systems (though Prince George self-reported a slower Internet connection) at this level, VPL and PGPL, are connected to BCNet via the Co-op’s agreement and are able to take advantage of the transit peering available through this connection to offload a good portion (estimated to be as much as 60%) of their commercial Internet traffic to these connections.

Finally, many of these branches have recently upgraded to these higher speeds. And unsurprisingly, as most are located in urban areas, many could get faster Internet (for a price) if they needed, though most seem not to be planning changes of ISP in this regards.


37 yes 10 No


4 yes 43 No


31 Yes 16 No

By Satisfaction Level We can also look at branches by their reported satisfaction levels to see if there are any common threads that might lend themselves to solutions

Branches Reporting “Very Unsatisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory” connections

Satisfaction, while it does have some small relation to overall connectivity speed, is not solely dictated by that (which makes sense - connection speed is not an absolute measure but is only relevant in relation to overall branch demand.) So we see dissatisfaction across all levels of connectivity, though the largest number appears in the “Less than or equal to 25 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up” category.

Connection Speed # of Very or Unsatisfied

Less than 5 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up 9

Less than or equal to 10 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up 11



Greater than 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up 7

In terms of their being a single ISP one could work with, a good portion of less satisfied branches deal with the same 3 providers However realistically, SkywayWest is mostly a reseller of other people’s infrastructure, and in many cases the issue would be the limitations of DSL lines that Telus is unlikely to upgrade without external incentives.

ISP Count

Skyway West 23

Shaw 7

Telus 12

Other 10

While only three reported planning on changing ISPs in the near future, 39 reported faster available connections in their region, which does bode well for at least incremental improvements (for a price.)

Finally, of the 53 branches reporting general lack of satisfaction with their connections, at least 20 wrote additional comments to the effect that geography and lack of choice were real impediments to improving their situations.

Branches Reporting “Satisfactory” connections

We do see more highly connected branches reporting satisfaction, though it is far from uniform:

Connection Speed # of “Satisfied” Branches

Less than 5 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up Count 4

Less than or equal to 10 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up Count

9


18


9

Greater than 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up Count 70

There is a good deal of concentration of providers for branches who deem their connections satisfactory:

ISP Count

Telus 20

Shaw 39


Other 18

Forty-five of 77 (58%) branches reporting satisfactory connections had changed in the past two years. Five of 77 plan changes to their ISP, and 43 of 77 said they were aware of better connections.

In general, branches describing themselves as “Satisfied” seem to have decent opportunities to improve their connections, for a price, and generally represent some of the better connected library branches in the province.

One of the real opportunities here is connecting some of the larger of these branches to high- speed regional networks - only nine of the 77 reporting satisfaction were thusly connected.

Branches Reporting “Very Satisfactory” Connections

It can hardly come as a surprise that there were no libraries in the lowest two connection speeds reporting they were “very satisfied” with their Internet connections, and indeed only 14 of the 178 reporting branches described their connections this way.

Connection Speed # Reporting “Very Satisfied”


5


1

Greater than 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up Count

8

Nine of 14 reported having improved their Internet in the last two years, and none had plans to do so again in the near future. If they did, at least six of them were aware of even better plans in their area.

Telus connected three of these libraries, and Shaw one, though the majority were with either smaller providers or their municipalities.

Surprisingly, none of these branches were connected to high-speed regional consortia; given the urban location of at least half of them, this represents a real opportunity for future growth.

Appendix III - Immediate Actions

Below is the list of libraries who indicated they are either “unsatisfied” or “very unsatisfied” with their library’s Internet connection, who also indicated they were aware of faster offerings already available in their area, and who’s existing Internet connection was at or below 10Mbs down/1Up:

1. Alert Bay Public Library & Museum 2. Beaver Valley Public Library 3. Burns Lake Public Library 4. Fernie Public Library 5. Fort St. John Public Library Association 6. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Agassiz Library 7. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Boston Bar Library 8. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Mount Lehman Library 9. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Sardis Library 10. Hudson's Hope Public Library 11. Lytton Branch - Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library System 12. Mcbride & District Public Library - Lena Schultz RR

There were also a number of libraries indicating unsatisfactory connections, and who knew of better connections in their community but whose current connections were above 10Mbps down / 1Up. These can’t necessarily be called “low hanging fruit” as it is unclear in each case what the next level of connectivity would cost - in some cases it might be multiple hundreds/month. Still, in general these could all have better Internet connections potentially without major infrastructure investments:

1. Cache Creek Branch - Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library System 2. Clinton Branch - Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library System 3. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Abbotsford Community Library 4. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Aldergrove Library 5. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Brookswood Library 6. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Chilliwack Library 7. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Clearbrook Library 8. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Fort Langley Library 9. Fraser Valley Regional Library - George Mackie Library 10. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Hope Library 11. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Ladner Pioneer Library 12. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Langley City Library 13. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Maple Ridge Public Library 14. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Mission Library 15. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Muriel Arnason Library 16. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Murrayville Library 17. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Pitt Meadows Public Library 18. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Terry Fox Library 19. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Tsawwassen Library 20. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Walnut Grove Library 21. Fraser Valley Regional Library - White Rock Library 22. Fraser Valley Regional Library - Yarrow Library 23. Grand Forks & District Public Library 24. Invermere Public Library 25. Mackenzie Public Library

26. North Vancouver City Library 27. Trail & District Public Library

Appendix IV - Calculating a reasonable “per client” Internet connection speed?

In terms of figuring out whether a library’s Internet connection is adequate or sufficient, the first thing to keep in mind is the adage that network demands will always increase to meet available supply. How much bandwidth is enough? The answer is - More!

More seriously, we need to approach the issue of sufficient bandwidth from at least two directions:

1. How much bandwidth should be dedicated, on average, to the individual device/user? 2. Based on an agreed up on average, how much bandwidth does any public library

branch need?

In the first case, we can look to a variety of industry estimates of how much bandwidth common use scenarios need. In the second, we can take the average for various use scenarios and multiply it by the number of simultaneous staff and patron users at peak times.

Calculating Average User Bandwidth Needs

Staff Needs

In the commissioning of this survey analysis and report, Libraries Branch understood that the Co-op has significant practical experience operating shared service enterprise solutions across BC’s public libraries. In this way, the Co-op is uniquely positioned to comment on several aspects of local library bandwidth needs, based on its decade of experience hosting the Evergreen ILS (Sitka Consortia)14, NNELS and other server-side applications, and providing 9x5 support (and 24x7 emergency support) for BC libraries. Indeed, in 2011, the Co-op conducted comprehensive IT-Assessments for libraries in the North Central and North Coast (now NorthWest) Library Federations.

From a decade of experience, the Co-op has determined that a library with a single staff workstation running Evergreen needs a minimum 3Mbps down and ~just under 1Mbps up to connect consistently with the Sitka servers at Harbour Centre, Vancouver. This is a bare minimum. Evergreen uses very little upstream bandwidth, but - like many web applications - it is greatly impacted by latency, so if there is other traffic using lots of downstream or upstream bandwidth, latency will be affected.

14 An integrated library system (ILS), is an enterprise resource planning system for a library. Sitka is the name for the ILS shared service run by the BC Libraries Cooperative. Sitka employs the open source ILS software Evergreen for a growing consortium of 91 public, post-secondary, K-12, government and special libraries across Canada.

Table 1 – Bandwidth Levels and Effect on Evergreen/Sitka Service

Downstream Upstream Latency (to SITKA)

Quality of Service

3Mbit 768Kbit <200ms Bare Minimum To Function 6Mbit 1Mbit <125ms Adequate - ok functionality, not great

(Many older DSL links cap out here) 12Mbit 2Mbit <75ms Ideal

Clearly, the older definition for “high speed networking” in BC, of 5 Mbps down /1Mbps up, does not meet what the Co-op has determined to be an “Adequate” level of service for an entire library branch: it barely achieves an adequate level of service for a single workstation operating a single web-based enterprise application in real-world operating conditions.

Patron Needs - Industry Benchmarks

The above do NOT factor in all the additional demands on a library’s Internet connection, whether these are from patron usage, via either public access terminals or library-provisioned wifi. To calculate that usage, we can survey a few different sources – Library Edge's Benchmarks, the Canadian Radio-Television and Communications Commission (CRTC), and estimates from large content providers like Google.

Bandwidth Need Definitions from Library Sector Organizations

In their “Benchmarks” series, industry think-tank Library Edge15 stipulates the following three possible service levels for patron bandwidth provision:

Table 2 – Library Edge Bandwidth Benchmarks Level 1 Each public Internet user is allocated at least 512 kbps download and 128 kbps upload of

network bandwidth capacity Level 2 Each public Internet user is allocated at least 768 kbps download and 256 kbps upload of

network bandwidth capacity Level 3 Each public Internet user is allocated at least 1 mbps download and 500 kbps upload of

network bandwidth capacity

However, it is important to note, these Benchmarks were created in 2012 and were based on CRTC estimates of bandwidth requirements16 that have since been superseded (cf. below section on updated CRTC guidelines). Nevertheless, they offer a useful starting point, and more importantly offer a formula for how to calculate the minimum bandwidth requirements for a library that can be easily updated with more contemporary need estimates.17

15 http://www.libraryedge.org/benchmarksv1/organizational-management#Benchmark_9

16 http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/PolicyMonitoring/2012/cmr4.htm#t452

17 To calculate Class of Service as a proportion T = 1.5*Ns*B + Np*B B = T/(1.5*Ns + Np) • Where T is the total bandwidth (downstream or upstream, choose one) available on the library's

connection. • Ns is the number of staff workstations, Np is the number of public workstations and B is the

maximum bandwidth allocated under full load to each sector, assuming all workstations in heavy use, let's say at a peak period).

• Solve for B. This is the maximum bandwidth allocated to each public workstation.

More recently, in 2015, the ALA published a set of speed tests for their constituents and produced the following bandwidth estimates for typical usages:

source – “Broad Band Quality in Public Libraries – Speed Test Highlights” http://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/Speed_Test_FINAL_0.pdf

2016 CRTC Use Case Estimates

In late 2016, the CRTC, as part of the regular monitoring of service levels and demands, published the below table outlining estimated bandwidth use for Canadians to access specific services:

Table 3 – 2016 CRTC Service Levels & Quality

Average Download Bit Rate

Description Examples of Services and Quality Settings

0.0 – 0.5 Mb/s Streaming audio, mobile-quality streaming video, voice and SD video calling

Streaming radio, Twitch audio-only/mobile video, Skype audio and SD video calling, YouTube 144p/240p

0.5 – 2.0 Mb/s Standard-definition streaming video, HD video calling

Skype HD video calling, Netflix low/medium, Shomi Good, YouTube 360p

2.0 – 3.5 Mb/s Low bit rate HD streaming video

CTV/Global/TSN GO, Bell TV, Crave TV (mobile devices), Shomi Better, YouTube 480p/720p, Twitch high

3.5 – 5.0 Mb/s High bit rate HD streaming video

Netflix HD (mobile devices), Twitch source, YouTube 720p60/1080p

5.0 – 10.0 Mb/s Very high bit rate HD streaming video Shomi Best, Crave TV, YouTube 1080p60, Netflix HD

10.0 – 20.0 Mb/s UHD streaming video Netflix UHD, YouTube 1440p 20.0 – 50.0 Mb/s

High frame rate UHD streaming video

Netflix UHD (some titles), YouTube 1440p60/2160p/2160p6015

source: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/policymonitoring/2016/cmr5.htm#t5313

• 1.5*B is the maximum bandwidth allocated to each staff workstation. • Repeat for upstream numbers if desired.

Summary - Individual User Average Bandwidth Needs

While there is not a single standard definition for how much bandwidth is sufficient for an individual library patron, if we look across all of the above examples, the CWG recommends an ideal minimum would be 5Mbps down / 1Mbps up per connected device which be sufficient to permit access to common services like standard definition streaming video, basic audio and video conferencing via Skype, streaming music, email, or basic web usage.

Appendix V – “Peak Load” Estimates

In this report, we posit a desired minimum connection speed per client of 5Mbps down / 1 Mbps Up. While we recognize that it is not realistic that all devices in a library would be connected simultaneously and all require this simultaneous throughput at the same time, it is useful as an approximate way to illustrate the ability for the libraries’ current internet connections to handle their potential traffic. The calculations below do NOT include wifi connections, which are increasingly the majority of traffic, which gives further credence to this assessment of the internet connection’s suitability. This is an effort to paint a picture of how well current capacity meets potential demand but should not be taken as prescriptive of which libraries should upgrade their connections and is no replacement for actual network usage monitoring and real time speed tests.

This list only includes those libraries that responded to the survey and provided connection speed data at the individual branch level.

Interested readers may wish to visit http://sleslie.libraries.coop/bandwidth-calc/ where they can enter their own numbers and test various scenarios of what peak load looks like for their own library.

Colour Coding: Red means “Very likely under-resourced during peak usage periods,” Yellow means “Within reasonable (~20Mbps) reach of peak demand need.” Those left un-coloured indicate connections which likely can handle even this peak load scenario.

ID Branch

(Location Name)

System Name

Internet Connection Speed

# Wired Devices

Peak Load (devices x 5Mbps) Download

Facility Actual (Mbps) [Low]

Facility Actual (Mbps) [High]

Actual - Target (Mbps) [Low]

Actual - Target (Mbps) [High]

BNVD 002

Lynn Valley Branch

North Vancouver District Public Library

≤ 25 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up

83 415 10 25 -405 -390

BPG0 01

Bob Harkins Branch

Prince George Public Library


75 375 25 50 -350 -325

BABF 008

Clearbrook Branch

FVRL ≤ 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up

52 260 25 50 -235 -210

BABF 021

Terry Fox Branch


36 180 10 25 -170 -155

BP00 1

Penticton Public Library

Penticton Public Library


30 150 10 25 -140 -125

BABF 012

Ladner Pioneer Branch


29 145 10 25 -135 -120

BKO0 13

Mission Branch


29 145 10 25 -135 -120

BNVD 001

Capilano Branch



29 145 10 25 -135 -120

BNVD 003

Parkgate Branch



29 145 10 25 -135 -120

BTE0 01

Terrace Public Library

Terrace Public Library


29 145 10 25 -135 -120

BABF 018

Murrayville Branch


27 135 10 25 -125 -110

BABF 020

Sardis Branch


23 115 5 10 -110 -105

BABF 016

Abbotsford Branch


24 120 10 25 -110 -95

BABF 022

Tsawwassen Branch


23 115 10 25 -105 -90

BABF 024

White Rock Library


23 115 10 25 -105 -90

BABF 017

Muriel Arnason Branch


21 105 10 25 -95 -80

BTR0 01

Tumbler Ridge Public Library

Tumbler Ridge Public Library


20 100 10 25 -90 -75

BNVI 003

Campbell River Branch

VIRL ≤ 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up

25 125 25 50 -100 -75

BABF 019

Pitt Meadows Branch


26 130 10 25 -120 -105

BFJ0 01

Fort St John Public Library

Fort St. John Public Library Association

< 5 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up

21

105

0

5

-105

-100

BNE0 01

Nelson Municipal Library

Nelson Municipal Library


30 150 25 50 -125 -100

BNVI 007

Courtenay Branch


30 150 25 50 -125 -100

BCHE 001

Chetwynd Public Library

Chetwynd Public Library


19 95 10 25 -85 -70

BABF 023

Walnut Branch


19 95 10 25 -85 -70

BBUL 001




14 70 0 5 -70 -65

BF00 1




14 70 5 10 -65 -60

BKIT0 01

Kitimat Public Library

Kitimat Public Library


17 85 10 25 -75 -60

BFBV 001

Beaver Valley Public Library

Beaver Valley Public Library


13 65 5 10 -60 -55

BABF 002

Agassiz Branch


13 65 5 10 -60 -55

BCD0 01

Castlegar and District Public Library

Castlegar & District Public Library


16 80 10 25 -70 -55

BGF0 01

Grand Forks and District Public Library

Grand Forks & District Public Library


16 80 10 25 -70 -55

BNVI 022

Port Hardy Branch

VIRL < 5 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up

11 55 0 5 -55 -50

BPG0 02

Nechako Branch

Prince George Public Library


12 60 5 10 -55 -50

BPI00 3

Pender Island Branch



15 75 10 25 -65 -50

BNA0 01

Nakusp Public Library

Nakusp Public Library


10 50 0 5 -50 -45

BABF 003

Aldergrove Branch


14 70 10 25 -60 -45

BNVI 017

Nanaimo Wellington Branch


19 95 25 50 -70 -45

BNVI 018

Parksville Branch


19 95 25 50 -70 -45

BNVI 030

Sidney/North Saanich Branch


19 95 25 50 -70 -45

BHH0 01

Hudsons Hope Public Library

Hudson's Hope Public Library


10 50 5 10 -45 -40

BNVI 001

Bella Coola Branch


10 50 5 10 -45 -40

BVDH 001

Vanderhoof Public Library

Vanderhoof Public Library


10 50 5 10 -45 -40

BMB 002

McBride Branch



13 65 10 25 -55 -40

BHA0 01

Hazelton Public Library

Hazelton District Public Library


9 45 5 10 -40 -35

BBI00 1

Bowen Island Public Library

Bowen Island Public Library


12 60 10 25 -50 -35

BABF 011

Hope Branch FVRL ≤ 25 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up

12 60 10 25 -50 -35

BMK 001




12 60 10 25 -50 -35

BSA0 01

Salmo Public Library

Salmo Public Library


12 60 10 25 -50 -35

BNVI 025

Quadra Island Branch


12 60 10 25 -50 -35

BNVI 021

Port Clements Branch


8 40 5 10 -35 -30

BLP0 03

Lillooet Branch

Lillooet Area Public Library


11 55 10 25 -45 -30

BGR0 01

Granisle Public Library

Granisle Public Library


6 30 0 5 -30 -25

BNVI 006

Cortes Island Branch


6 30 0 5 -30 -25

BNVI 012

Gold River Branch


6 30 0 5 -30 -25

BNVI 013

Hornby Island Branch


6 30 0 5 -30 -25

BNVI 024

Port Renfrew Branch


6 30 0 5 -30

-25 BABF 005

Brookswood Branch


10 50 10 25 -40 -25

BABF 026

Yarrow Library

FVRL


10 50 10 25 -40 -25

BNVI 031

Sointula Branch


5 25 0 5 -25 -20

BNVI 034

Tahsis Branch


5 25 0 5 -25 -20

BNVI 035

Tofino Branch

VIRL < or equal to 10 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up

6 30 5 10 -25 -20

BT00 1

Trail and District Public Library

Trail & District Public Library


14 70 25 50 -45 -20

BNVI 009

Cowichan Lake Branch


14 70 25 50 -45 -20

BNVI 033

South Cowichan Branch


14 70 25 50 -45 -20

BAB M001

Alert Bay Public Library and Museum

Alert Bay Public Library and Museum


4 20 0 5 -20 -15

BFRL 001

Fraser Lake Public Library

Fraser Lake Public Library


8 40 10 25 -30 -15

BKAS L001

Kaslo and District Public Library

Kaslo & District Public Library


8 40 10 25 -30 -15

BVAL E001

Valemount Public Library

Valemount Public Library


8 40 10 25 -30 -15

BPE0 01

Pemberton and District Public Library

Pemberton & District Public Library


13 65 25 50 -40 -15

BS00 1

Smithers Public Library

Smithers Public Library

≤50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up

13 65 25 50 -40 -15

BNVI 014

Ladysmith Branch


13 65 25 50 -40 -15

BWL C003

Anahim Lake Branch

Cariboo Regional District Library System


3 15 0 5 -15 1. -10

BWL C004

Big Lake Branch



3 15 0 5 -15 -10

BWL C005

Bridge Lake Branch



3 15 0 5 -15 -10

BWL C006

Forest Grove Branch



3 15 0 5 -15 -10

BWL C007

Horsefly Branch



3 15 0 5 -15 -10

BLP0 02

Gold Bridge Branch



3 15 0 5 -15 -10

BSP0 01

Stewart Public Library

Stewart Public Library


4 20 5 10 -15 -10

BABF 009

Fort Langley Branch


7 35 10 25 -25 -10

BGRE 001

Greenwood Public Library

Greenwood Public Library


7 35 10 25 -25 -10

BPI00 1

Galiano Island Branch



7 35 10 25 25 -10

BPO C001

Pouce Coupe Public Library

Pouce Coupe Public Library


7 35 10 25 -25 -10

BKCT 002

Ashcroft Branch

TNRD ≤ 25 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up

7 35 10 25 -25 -10

BKCT 003

Barriere Branch


7 35 10 25 -25 -10

BNVI 010

Cumberland Branch


12 60 25 50 -35 -10

BNVI 011

Gabriola Island Branch


12 60 25 50 -35 -10

BNVI 032

Sooke Bracch


12 60 25 50 -35 -10

BABF 004

Boston Bar Branch

FVRL < 5 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up

2 10 0 5 -10 -5

BABF 025

Yale Library FVRL < 5 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up

2 10 0 5 -10 -5

BNVI 039

Woss Branch VIRL < 5 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up

2 10 50 5 -160 -5

BWL C008

Lac La Hache Branch



3 15 5 10 -10 -5

BWL C009 Likely Branch Caribo

o Regional District Library System


3 15 5 10 -10 -5

BWL C010

McLeese Lake Branch



3 15 5 10 -10 -5

BWL C011

Nazko Branch



3 15 5 10 -10 -5

BWL C013

Tatla Lake Branch



3 15 5 10 -10 -5

BWL C014 Wells Branch Caribo

o Regional District Library System


3 15 5 10 -10 -5

BMB 001

Dome Creek Branch


≤10 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up

3 15 5 10 -10 -5

BPI00 5

Saturna Branch



3 15 5 10 -10 -5

BKCT 012

Lytton Branch


3 15 5 10 -10 -5

BNVI 015

Masset Branch


6 30 10 25 -20 -5

BNVI 023

Port McNeill Branch


6 30 10 25 -20 -5

BNVI 027

Queen Charlotte Branch


6 30 10 25 -20 -5

BNVI 036

Ucluelet Branch


6 30 10 25 -20 -5

BABF 015

Mount Lehman Branch


2 10 5 10 -5 0

BM00 1

Midway Public Library

Midway Public Library


5 25 10 25 -15 0

BPI00 2

Mayne Island Branch



5 25 10 25 -15 0

BKCT 009

Clinton Branch

TNRD


5 25 10 25 -15 0

BKCT 016

Savona Branch

TNRD


5 25 10 25 -15 0

BNVI 028

Sandspit Branch


5 25 10 25 -15 0

BNVI 029

Sayward Branch


5 25 10 25 -15 0

BELK 001

Elkford Public Library

Elkford Public Library


10 50 25 50 -25 0

BFSJ A001

Fort St James Public Library

Fort St. James Centennial Library


10 50 25 50 -25 0

BSPA 001

Sparwood Public Library

Sparwood Public Library


10 50 25 50 -25 0

BNVI 005

Comox Branch


10 50 25 50 -25 0

BPI00 4

Piers Island Branch



1 5 5 10 0 5

BKCT 011

Logan Lake Branch


9 45 25 50 -20 5

BLP0 01

Bridge River Branch



3 15 10 25 -5 10

BRHP 001

Radium Hot Springs Public Library

Radium Hot Springs Public Library


3 15 10 25 -5 10

BKCT 008

Clearwater Branch


8 40 25 50 -15 10

BKCT 001

Bookmobile TNRD ≤ 25 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up

2 10 10 25 0 15

BNVI 037

Union Bay Branch


2 10 10 25 0 15

BKCT 006

Cache Creek Branch


7 35 25 50 -10 15

BKCT 007

Chase Branch

TNRD ≤ 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps

7 35 25 50 -10 15

BNVI 002

Bowser Branch

VIRL


5 25 25 50 0 25

BKCT 004

Blue River Branch


4 20 25 50 5 30

BNVI 004

Chemainus Branch


4 20 25 50 5 30

BWL C002

Alexis Creek Branch



3 15 25 50 10 35

Documents

2018 Connectivity Survey Report-v5-20180705 · 2018. 9. 27. · Connectivity Working Group Final Report – July 2018 . ... Connecting Communities: a vision for public library service