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WirelessServicesinLibraries

Chris(ngerTomerSchoolofInforma(onSciences

UniversityofPi:sburghPi:sburgh,Pennsylvania,U.S.A.

Abstract

Sincetheturnof the21stcentury, librariesofalmostall typeshavebeenprovidingclientswithaccesstotheInternetthroughwirelessnet-works.Intheprocess,wirelessnetworkinghasbecomeanimportantpart of the con(nuing effort to extend access to library servicesthrough networked informa(on technologies. The expansion of thewirelessaccessofferedbylibraries,nowapproachingubiquityamongacademicandpubliclibraries,hasbeendrivenbyanumberoffactors,nottheleastofthembeingthetremendousgrowthinthenumbersofso-called“smart”devicescapableofconnec(ngtowirelessnetworksandtheparallelincreasesinthebandwidthavailableviawirelessnet-works.Lookingtothefuture,wirelessaccessasprovidedlibrariesisvitaltotheir func(on as public compu(ng centers. The con(nued develop-mentofandimprovementsinmobileapplica(onsisalsoessen(al,buttheconstruc(onofmobile-friendlyWebsitesisprobablyfarmoreim-portant,giventheevidencethatmobileusersareaccessingcontentwithincreasingfrequencyandinprogressively largernumbers.Simi-larly,thesecurityandprivacyofmobileapplica(onsandservicesmustbe ensuredwith the greatest possible vigor, inasmuchas the confi-denceofusersiscloselyalignedwiththeircon(nuinguseofdigitalli-braryresources.

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Introduc5on

Sincetheturnof the21stcentury, librariesofalmostall typeshavebeenprovidingclientswithaccesstotheInternetthroughwirelessnet-works.Intheprocess,wirelessnetworkinghasbecomeanimportantpart of the con(nuing effort to extend access to library servicesthrough networked informa(on technologies. The expansion of thewirelessaccessofferedbylibraries,nowapproachingubiquityamongacademicandpubliclibraries,hasbeendrivenbyanumberoffactors,nottheleastofthembeingthetremendousgrowthinthenumbersofso-called“smart”devicescapableofconnec(ngtowirelessnetworksandtheparallelincreasesinthebandwidthavailableviawirelessnet-works;andithasbeenconstrainedbyoOeninelas(cbudgets,confu-sionbornofcompe(ngtechnologiesandstandards,andtheotherde-mandsonthenetworkbandwidthavailabletolibraries.Publiclibrariesandacademiclibrarieshavebeenmostac(veintheuseofwirelessnetworkingasameansofextendingservices,butthepro-visionofwirelessaccesswithintheK-12educa(onalenvironmenthasalsoreachedsignificantlevelsintermsofbothinstalla(onsanditsef-fectsonaccesstolibraryresources.1 1Mostof thewirelessnetworks inplace in librarieshavebeen installedandmanagedlocally,butlatelyatleastafewlibrarieshavebeguntomakewirelessnetworkingservicesavailabletoclientsthroughservicesprovidedbytelecommunica(onscompaniessuchasVerizon.Forexample,theSea:lePublicLibraryhasini(atedaprogram,underwri:enbyGoogle, through which the Library lendsWi-Fi hotspots, in the form of Verizon’s 4G-compa(bleJetpackMiFi,toclients.(Inthisinstance,“mobilehotspots”referstoportabledevicesprovidewirelessInternetaccess,typicallyusingmobilebroadbandservicefromcellularproviderstoprovide3Gor4GInternetaccess.)Undertheprogram,aclientmayborrowthehotspotforuptothreeweeks,whileenjoyingunlimiteddataaccesstotheVerizonnetwork.Thesystemhasbeenverypopular,andasaresult,theCityofSea:lehaselectedtoassumefinancialresponsibilityfortheprogramandprovidefundingthatwill place at least 1,000 hotspots into service. For addi(onal informa(on, see: Ridley,James.Sea:lePublicLibrary’sfreeWi-Fihotspotprogramreceivescityfunding,450moredevices. Geekwire, December 2, 2015. h:p://www.geekwire.com/2015/sea:le-public-librarys-free-wifi-hotspots-find-more-permanent-funding-as-google-grant-runs-out/.LastaccessedFebruary20,2016.

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Inthebeginning,theforemostbenefitsofwirelessnetworkingwereitscompara(velylowcost,theeaseofimplementa(on,andconfigura-(ons that permi:ed the connec(on of personal devices, thus aug-men(ngthelocalcompu(nginfrastructure.Inrecentyears,ithasbe-comeobviousthatthesebenefitshavebeenfarexceededbytheim-pactthatwirelesstechnologiesingeneralhavehadonaccesstoandtheuseoflibraryresources.Intheyearsbetween2011-2015,mobileInternetusageincreasedby394%,withtabletusagegrowingbymore1,700%,withmobiledevicesaccoun(ngfor60%ofalldigitalmedia(me.AccordingtocomScore:

Across every age demographic, there is a substan(allyhigherpercentageofmul(-plagormandmobile-onlyin-ternetusersthanthepreviousyear.Morethan3/4thsofalldigitalconsumers(age18+)arenowusingbothdesk-topandmobileplagormstoaccesstheinternet,upfrom68percentayearago.Mobile-onlyinternetusageisalsobecomingmoreprevalent,driven largelyby the21per-centofMillennialswhoarenolongerusingdesktopcom-puterstogoonline.Meanwhile,the55-years-and-olderconsumersegmentisactuallythefastestgrowingfac(onofmobile users, increasing its combinedmul(-plagormandmobile-onlyshareofaudiencefrom60percentto74percentinthepastyear.2

2U.S.DigitalFuture inFocus2015.comScore. U.S.DigitalFuture inFocus2015. . LastaccessedFebruary27,2016.p.4.

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In2015,itwasreportedthatthenumberofmobile-onlyInternetusershadexceededthenumberofadesktop-onlyusers.34Inaddi(on,itwasreported that mobile search, which includes queries conducted viamobileapplica(onsandmobilebrowsers,accountedfor29percentofallsearchac(vity,withsmartphonesgenera(ngamuchgreatershare(20percent)thantablets(9percent).5And,inspecificregardtolibrar-ies,the2014PewResearchCenterreporteden(tledLibrariesattheCrossroadsindicatedthat50%oftheuserswhoaccessedapublicli-braryWebsitedidsothroughasmartphoneortabletcomputerusingawirelessconnec(on.6Theimpactofthewirelessinstalla(ons?Withinlibrariesthemselves,wirelessaccesshaschangedtherela(onshipbetweenlibrariesandus-ers,mainlybyenabling clients to connectpersonaldevices, suchaslaptopcomputers,tabletcomputers,andsmartphones,totheInternetthrough wireless access points provided by the libraries, thus aug-men(ngthetechnologiesmadeavailablebylibrariesforpublicuseandexpandingtheroleofpubliclibrariesascomputercenters.TheabilityofconsumerstoconnecttotheInternetthroughtheuseofmobiledeviceshasbeenofevengreaterimpact,compellinglibrarianstotakethosedevicesintoaccountinthepresenta(onofinforma(onandservicesviatheWorldWideWeb.Intheearlydays,mostofthe

3Mobile InternetUsageSkyrockets inPast4Years toOvertakeDesktopasMostUsedDigital Plagorm. ComScore. h:ps://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/Mobile-Internet-Usage-Skyrockets-in-Past-4-Years-to-Overtake-Desktop-as-Most-Used-Digital-PlagormLastaccessedFebruary24,2016.4NumberofMobile-OnlyInternetUsersNowExceedsDesktop-OnlyintheU.S.comScore.h:ps://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/Number-of-Mobile-Only-Internet-Users-Now-Exceeds-Desktop-Only-in-the-U.S.LastaccessedFebruary26,2016.5U.S.DigitalFuture inFocus2015.comScore. U.S.DigitalFuture inFocus2015. . LastaccessedFebruary27,2016.p.16.6 Horrigan, John. Libraries at the Crossroads: Pew Research Center, September 2015,Availableat:h:p://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/2015/Libraries-at-crossroads/.

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librariesrespondingtothepresenceofmobiledevicesfocusedonde-velopingmobileWebsitesthatwereminimalincontent,withthede-signpredicatedontheassump(onthatmobiledeviceusersemployedthem for simple tasks only. Under this view, amobilewebsitewastreatedasacompaniontothefullsite,furnishingmerelybasicinfor-ma(on,suchasaddress,direc(ons,contactinforma(on,hoursofop-era(on,etc.,andwiththeexpecta(onthatmobileuserswouldvisitthefullWebsiteonadesktoporlaptopcomputerforanythingmorethanthat.Thatapproachmayhaveworkedforawhile,butithasbeenclearforsome(methatmobileusersarenolongersa(sfiedwithsimplemobileWebsites.In2012,itwasreportedthatapproximately40%ofunder-graduateandgraduatestudentsusedasmartphoneonadailybasis,andthat54%ofthemthedevicesforacademicpurposes.Inanotherstudypublishedtwoyearslater,inves(gatorsreportedthat51%oftherespondentsusedamobiledevicetoaccesslibraryresources.Almosthalf of them used a smartphone or tablet to search research data-bases.Slightlylessthanhalfofthestudentsindicatedthattheywere“comfortable”readingar(cles,especiallyar(clesofshorterlength,ontheirmobiledevices.7,8In addi(on, themobile compu(ngandnetworking capabili(esof li-brary users have inspired the crea(on of applica(ons specially de-signedtosupporttheuseoflibraryresources,e.g.,onlineintegratedlibrarysystems,databases,eBooks,etc.,throughtabletcomputersandsmartphones.Themobilelibraryapplica(onshaveplayedakeyrolein

7Dresselhaus,A.,andShrode,F.(2012).Mobiletechnologies&academics:Dostudentsusemobiletechnologyintheiracademiclivesandarelibrariansreadytomeetthisnewchallenge? Informa(on Technology and Libraries. Retrieved from[h:p://works.bepress.com/angela_dresselhaus/8/]8Caniano,WilliamT.,andAmyCatalano(2014)AcademicLibrariesandMobileDevices:User and Reader Preferences, The Reference Librarian, 55:4, 298-317,DOI:10.1080/02763877.2014.929910

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renderinglibrariesmorevisibleandmoreusefulonthemobileWeb,butinthelongrunini(a(vesaimedatreformaunglibrarycontentinaccordwithHTML5,CSSanditsMediaQueriescapability,andtheWebAccessibilityIni(a(ve’s(WAI)MobileAccessibilityguidelineswillprovemuchmoreimportant.9,10,11InmanypartsoftheworldotherthanUnitedStates,thenumbersofmobileusersarehighandcon(nuingtoclimb.Inmanyoftheworld’sindustrializedcountries,thevastmajorityoflibrariesareconnectedtotheInternetandofferWi-Ficonnec(ons,eitherthroughthelibrariesorpublicWi-Fisystems,suchasthosedeployed intheScandinaviancountries.But inother loca(onsacrosstheworld,wherewiredcon-nec(vity to the Internet is limited, since the physical infrastructurenecessaryforwirednetworkingislackingandeconomicfactorsargueagainstcrea(ngsuchfacili(es,wirelessaccesstolibrariesisevenmoreimportant.Manyof those loca(onsare indevelopingcountries,butsomeareinmoreremote,lesspopulouspartsofindustrializedna(ons.Forexample,in2014theScoushgovernmentfundedaprogramthatprovided125librarieswithWi-Ficapabili(esandupgradedexis(ngca-pabili(esin6otherlibraries.12,13IntheUnitedStates,theFederalCom-munica(onsCommission’sBroadbandInRuralAreasprogramhaspro-vided$1.5billioninordertoprovidebroadbandconnec(vity,including 9WorldWideWebConsor(um.HTML5:avocabularyandassociatedAPIsforHTMLandXHTML. W3C Recommenda(on. (2014). h:p://www.w3.org/TR/html5/. Last accessedFebruary26,2016.10 World Wide Web Consor(um. Media Queries. W3C Recommenda(on (2012).h:ps://www.w3.org/TR/css3-mediaqueries/.LastaccessedFebruary26,2016;andWorldWide Web Consor(um. Media Queries Level 4. W3C Working DraO. (2016).h:ps://www.w3.org/TR/mediaqueries-4/.LastaccessedFebruary26,2016.11 See: World Wide Web Consor(um. Mobile Accessibility.h:ps://www.w3.org/WAI/mobile/.LastaccessedFebruary25,2016.12 Kingo Mchombu and Catherine Maggy Beukes-Amiss. "The Role of Libraries inContemporary African Society." Library Trends 64, no. 1 (2015): 112-124.h:ps://muse.jhu.edu/(accessedFebruary26,2016).13 Robertson, Iain. WiFi Projects in Scoush Libraries. Scoush Library & informa(onCouncil.(2015).

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wirelessbroadbandservices,tomorethan7millionconsumersin45statesandtheCommonwealthoftheNorthernMarianaIslands.14

GrowthRates

AccordingtodataproducedbythePewInternetResearchProjectin2015,nearly two-thirdsof theadultpopula(on in theUnitedStatesownedasmartphone,andtherearerecentes(matesthatthenumberofmobiledevicesinusegloballymayalreadyoutnumberthetotalpop-ula(on.15Forexample,in2014itwasnotedthatHongKonghasacell-phonepenetra(onrateof237percent,anditisan(cipatedthatmorethan7billionnewWi-Fideviceswillbeenabledinthenext3years.1617By2020,itispredictedthat24billiondeviceswillbeconnectedtotheInternet,withthevastmajorityofthemusingsomeformofwire-lessconnec(vityforaccesstotheInternet.It isalso interes(ngtonotethataccordingtothePewstudy19%ofAmericansrelyprimarilyonasmartphoneforaccessingonlineservicesandinforma(onandforstayingconnectedtotheworldaroundthem,andtheydosobecausetheylackbroadbandaccessathomeorhavefew,ifanyop(onsforonlineaccessotherthantheirsmartphone.Ofequalimportance,Pewreportsthatsmartphone-dependentusersarefour(mesmorelikelytobeAfrican-AmericanorHispanicthanwhite,tendtobeyounger,andcomefromhouseholdswithlowerincomesand levels educa(onal a:ainment. Indeed, 7% of Americans own a

14Ma:ey,Carol.AMilestoneinExpandingBroadbandtoRuralAmerica.FCCBlog.August28,2015.h:ps://www.fcc.gov/news-events/blog/2015/08/28/milestone-ex-panding-broadband-rural-america.LastaccessedFebruary26,2016.15 Pew Research Center, April, 2015, “The Smartphone Difference” Available at:h:p://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/. Last accessedFebruary24,2016.16Baker,David,andEvans,Wendy.DigitalInforma(onStrategies.ElsevierScience,2015.1750IncredibleWiFiTechSta(s(csThatBusinessesMustKnow02/12/201402:29pmET.Updated Apr 14, 2014. HuffPost Tech h:p://www.huffingtonpost.com/vala-afshar/50-incredible-wifi-tech-sb4775837.html

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smartphonebuthaveneithertradi(onalbroadbandserviceathome,noreasilyavailablealterna(vesforgoingonlineotherthantheircellphone.ThePewreportdocumentstheuniquecircumstancesof this“smartphone-dependent”popula(on, andalsoexplores theways inwhichsmartphoneownersusetheirphonestoengageinawiderangeofac(vi(es.Takentogether,thesenumberssuggeststronglythatforpubliclibrar-iesinpar(cular,andformanyacademiclibrariesaswell,thequalityofwirelessaccessisofcri(calimportanceinbuildinguserpopula(onsofsignificantsizeandloyalty.Thevastmajorityoftheselibrariesalreadyprovidewirelessaccess,butitisreasonabletopresumethatthequal-ityoftheaccessdeliveredisoOeninadequatetotheneedsofusers.Studiesshowingthatmanylibrarieshavenofirmcommitmenttoex-pandingorupgradingtheirwirelessinfrastructuresuggestthatquali-ta(ve problems leading to the dissa(sfac(on of users will becomemoreacuteasthespeedssupportedbynewdevicesincreasesatwhatareexpectedtobedrama(crates.Themorepressingissueisthesupportthatlibrariesprovideformobileusersthroughapplica(onsdesignedforuseonmobiledevicesandtherefiung of Web pages to meet the requirements of devices, like,smartphonesandtabletcomputers,withsmallerscreensandtouch-basedinput.Manylibrarieshaverespondedbycrea(ngmobile“apps”andmakingthemavailabletousers.Smallernumbersoflibrarieshaverevisedtop-levelWebpagesandtheinterfacesforkeyresourcessuchasonlinecatalogsforuseonmobiledevices,butmosthavenotdoneso.InK-12educa(on,theproblemsmaybemoresevere.Thereappeartobemanyeducatorswhobelieve,onthebasisofadop(onpoliciesandsalesfigures,thatmobiledeviceswillsoonbeaubiquitouselementinprimaryandsecondaryeduca(on,that"by2020,butprobablyduring

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the2017–2018schoolyear—everystudent ineverygrade ineveryschool in theU.S,will beusingamobile compu(ngdevice,24/7."18However, according to TomWheeler, the chairman of the FederalCommunica(onsCommission,nearly60%ofschoolsinAmerica"lacksufficientWi-Ficapabilitytoprovidestudentswith21stCenturyedu-ca(onaltools."19Manyschoolshavenowirelessnetwork,andmanyoftheschoolsthatdohaveWi-Fidonothavenetworkscapableofmeet-ingthecapacityneedsofstudentsandteachers.Asignificantnumberofschooldistrictshaveadopted“bringyourowntechnology”(BYOT)programstoaugmentthenumbersofconnecteddevices,butinmorethanafewinstancesthoseprogramsmaybetaxingthecapabili(esoftheexis(ngwirelessinfrastructure.NorisitclearhowoOenortowhatextentthe“bringyourowntechnology”programsinschoolsaresup-portedbyeduca(onortraining.20,21

MobileApps

Asnoted inan issueofLibraryTechnologyReportsdedicatedto theimpactofcompu(ngonlibraryservicesandusers:

18Norris,CathleenA.,andElliotSoloway."MobileTechnology in2020:Predic(onsandImplica(onsforK–12Educa(on."EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGY(2015):12.19 Wheeler, Tom. Closing the Wi-Fi Gap in America’s Schools and Libraries.h:ps://www.fcc.gov/news-events/blog/2014/06/06/closing-wi-fi-gap-america%E2%80%99s-schools-and-libraries.LastaccessedFebruary24,2016.20See:McCrea,Bridget."9ITBestPrac(cesforBYODDistricts:DistrictswithSuccessfulBringYourOwnDeviceProgramsShareTheirKeyStrategiesforRollingoutandManagingStudent-OwnedDevicesinSchool."THEJournal(TechnologicalHorizonsinEduca(on)42,no.1(2015):26;Grant,MichaelM.,SuhaTamim,DorianB.Brown,JosephP.Sweeney,Fa(ma K. Ferguson, and Lakavious B. Jones. "Teaching and learning with mobilecompu(ngdevices:CasestudyinK-12classrooms."TechTrends59,no.4(2015):32-45;andGurung, Binod, andDavid Rutledge. "Digital learners and the overlapping of theirpersonalandeduca(onaldigitalengagement."Computers&Educa(on77(2014):91-100.21Inthebusinesssector,accordingtoDeloi:e,BYOTprogramshavebeensuccessful.Inmanyinstances,an(cipatedhigherdemandsfortechnicalsupporthavenotmaterialized,althoughonly20%ofthecompanieswithBYOTprogramsprovideeduca(onortrainingforusers.

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.....today’smobileusersarenolongersa(sfiedwithsim-plemobilewebsiteswithonlyasmallfrac(onofthein-forma(on and features that are available on desktopwebsites. The small screen sizeof amobiledevicemaymakeperformingcertaintasksmoretediousorcumber-some,butmobileusersdoexpecttoperformmoreandmoretasksontheirmobiledevices.22

Mobile applica(ons havebeen an element of library service on theWorldWideWebsince2010,andonewhoseperceived importancehasgrowninaccordwiththeriseofmobiledevicesasameansofac-cessinglibrarycontentandservices.Accordingtothe2015LibraryEdi-(onoftheNMCHorizonReport:

Increasingly,theseonline[library]servicesandresourcesarebeingaccessedviamobiledevicesaspeopleexpecttostudyandconductresearchany(me,anywhere.Thus,ac-ademicandresearch librariesmustnotonlyhavearichmobilepresencethroughappsandresponsivedesignap-proaches,butalsounderstandtheevolvinglandscapeofsmartphoneandtabletdelivery.23

Leadershipgroupswithinlibrarianshipareworkingtomeettheneedformobileapplica(onsandWebsitesbasedonprinciplesofresponsivedesign by facilita(ng the exchange of effec(ve use cases and guid-ance.24 For example, the Interna(onal M-Libraries Conference con-venes experts in the field to share their knowledge and experience 22BohyunKim.LibraryTechnologyReports.Aug/Sep2013,Vol.49Issue6,p.15-28.23NewMediaConsor(um(NMC).NMCHorizonReport:2015LibraryEdi@on.(2015).p.7.24ResponsiveWebdesignisanapproachtoWebdesignthataimsatprovidingop(malviewingandinterac(onexperience—readingandnaviga(onwithaminimumofresizing,panning,andscrolling—acrossawiderangeofdevices.Sitesbasedonresponsivedesigntypicallyadaptlayoutstotheviewingenvironmentbyusingfluid,propor(on-basedgrids,images sized in rela(ve units, and CSS3 media queries. Responsive Web design nowaccountsformorethanhalfoftotalInternettraffic—see"CiscoVisualNetworkingIndex:GlobalMobileDataTrafficForecastUpdate2014–2019WhitePaper".Cisco.January30,2015.RetrievedAugust4,2015—atrendnowsoprevalentthatGooglehasbegunto

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withmobile-centric innova(ons foracademicand research libraries.M-Librarieswasestablishedin2007bytheOpenUniversityandAtha-bascaUniversitytopromotethedeliveryoflibraryservicesusingmo-biledevices,whensuchdevelopmentswereintheir infancy.Confer-enceshavebeenheldeverytwoyears,beginningin2009,focusingon“smart”librariesandusers,sustainability,innova(on,anddataandin-telligence.LibrarySuccess,aso-called“bestprac(ceswiki, invites li-braryprofessionalstocontributetotheM-Librariesforum,whichpro-videscomprehensivelistsofacademiclibrariesthathavemobileinter-faces,apps,collec(ons,tours,andSMSservices,aswellasguidanceabouthowtodevelopanddeploymobileservices.25IntheUnitedKing-dom,JISCinpar(cularhassupportedthedevelopmentofmobileap-plica(onsandmobile-friendlycontentforlibraries,theJISCMobileIn-frastructureforLibrariesProgramandtheMobilizingAcademicCon-tentOnlineproject,whichwaslaunchedtoestablishabestprac(cestoolkit.2627The rapid growth of mobile technology has underscored the im-portance of understanding the behaviors and needs of users as ameansofinformingthedesignofserviceableWebsites,andtherearea number of frameworks for research and development that haveemerged.Thereis,forexample,theservicedesignmethodologythatwas developed at Finland’s Aalto University; thismethod leveragesemploysuserprofilesandfocusgroupsasabasisfordevelopingnew

boostthera(ngsofsitesthataremobile-friendlyifthesearchwasmadefromamobiledevice.25M-LibrariesForum,h:p://www.libsuccess.org/M-Libraries.LastaccessedFebruary27,2016.26JISC,formerlyknownastheJointInforma(onSystemsCommi:ee,isapublicbodyinthe United Kingdom that supports higher educa(on and research, including researchrelatedtodigitalresourcesandtechnologyservices.27SeeMobilizingAcademicContentOnline.h:p://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/macon/.LastaccessedFebruary27,2016.

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services.28TheWorldWideConsor(um(W3C)sponsorsaMobileWebIni(a(ve, suppor(ng the development of mobile Web applica(onsthatcantakefulladvantageoftheOpenWebPlagorminaccordwithitsStandards forWebApplica(onsonMobile.This support includesW3Cwidgets,whichprovide a packaging format todistributeWeb-based applica(ons; theMobileWeb Best Prac(ces and theMobileWebApplica(onBestPrac(ces,whichofferguidancetodevelopersonhowtocreatecontentandapplica(onsthatworkwellonmobilede-vices;andthemobileOKChecker.29,30,31,32ExamplesofmobileWebsitesdevelopedintheserviceoflibrariesandreadersarenowabundant.TheM-LibrariesWiki,ath:p://www.lib-success.org/M-Libraries,offersanextensiveandclassifiedlistthatcanbehelpfuliniden(fyingexemplarysitesanddevelopmentaltrends.

DigitalInclusionandLibraries

Accordingto2013DigitalInclusionSurvey,whichsurveyed1669publiclibraries, 97.5% offered public wireless Internet access. Specifically,

28See:Kekolah(,P.,&Karikoski, J. (2013).AnalysisofMobileServiceUsageBehaviourwithBayesianBeliefNetworks. JournalofUniversalComputerScience;andSoikkeli,T.,Karikoski, J.,&Hämmäinen,H. (2013).CharacterizingSmartphoneUsage:DiversityandEndUserContext. Interna@onalJournalofHandheldCompu@ngResearch.vol.4,no.1,pp.15-36.29WorldWideWebConsor(um.StandardsforWebApplica@onsonMobile;CurrentStateand Roadmap. h:p://www.w3.org/Mobile/mobile-web-app-state/. Last accessedFebruary27,2016.30WorldWideWebConsor(um.MobileWebBestPrac(ces1.0BasicGuidelines.W3CRecommenda(on29July2008.h:p://www.w3.org/TR/mobile-bp/. Last accessedFebruary27,2016.31 World Wide Web Consor(um. Mobile Web Applica(on Best Prac(ces. W3CRecommenda(on14December2010.h:p://www.w3.org/TR/mwabp/. Last accessedFebruary26,2016.32SeeWorldWideConsor(um.MobileOKChecker.h:ps://validator.w3.org/mobile/.LastaccessedFebruary20,2016.

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99.2%oftheurbanlibrariespolledand95.3%oftherurallibrariesac-countedforofferedWi-Fiservices.Slightlymorethanone-thirdofthelibrariesinthesurveysupportedwirelessprin(ng.33In termsof the speedof connec(vity,datapresented inBroadbandQuality inPublicLibraries:SpeedTestFindingsandResults indicatesthatinurbanlibrariesthemedianspeedofadownloadbasedonaWi-Ficonnec(onduring lightusage is19,618Kbps (19.16Mbps)versus1,009Kbps(.99Mbps)duringheavyusage,whereashemedianuploadspeedforaWi-Ficonnec(onduringlightusageis10,517Kbps(10.27Mbps),asopposedto291Kbps(.28Mbps)duringheavyusage.Forsuburbanpubliclibraries,thedataindicatesthatthemediandown-load speed foraWi-Fi connec(onduring lightusage is16,198Kbps(15.81Mbps),and9,017Kbps (8.80Mbps)duringheavyusage.Themedianuploadspeedduringlightusageis7,617Kbps(7.44Mbps)ver-sus3,445Kbps(3.36Mbps)duringheavyusage.Fortownlibraries,themedian speed during light usage is 9,783 Kbps (9.55Mbps) versus7,293Kbps(7.12Mbps)duringheavyusage.Themedianuploadspeedduringlightusageis3,056Kbps(2.98Mbps)versus2,569Kbps(2.51Mbps)duringheavyusage.And,forrurallibraries,themediandown-loadspeedduringlightusageis9,783Kbps(9.55Mbps)versus7,293Kbps(7.12Mbps)duringheavyusage,andthemedianspeedduringlightusageis3,056Kbps(2.98Mbps)versus2,569Kbps(2.51Mbps)duringheavyusage.34Inallinstances,thereissubstan(alvariancefromloca(ontoloca(on.MorethanaquarteroftheusersofcitylibrariesexperienceaverageWi-Fi download speeds in the 10.1Mbps-24.9Mbps range, whereasslightlymorethan20%haveaccessatspeedsbelow1.5Mbps.More 33 Bertot, John Carlo, et al. 2013Digital Inclusion Survey: Survey Findings and Results.Informa(onPolicy&AccessCenter,UniversityofMaryland.2014.34Berto,JohnCarlo,etal.BroadbandQualityinPublicLibraries:SpeedTestFindingsandResults.Informa(onPolicy&AccessCenter,UniversityofMaryland.(2015.)pp.10-20.

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thanone-thirdofthesuburbanlibrariesincludedinthesurveyprovidedownloadspeedsinthe10.1Mbps-24.9Mbpsrange.The speeds delivered by town and rural libraries tend to be muchslower.Almosthalfofthetownlibrariessurveyprovidedwirelessser-vices intherangeof1.6Mbps-10Mbpsrangefordownloads.Almosthalfoftherurallibrariesareinthesamerangefordownloads,butrurallibrariesfallsubstan(allybehindtownlibraries intermsofWi-Fiup-loadspeeds,withmorethanhalfofthemrepor(nguploadspeedsof1.5Mbpsor less,whereasslightly lessthanhalfofthetownlibrariesreportedaverageuploadspeedsinthe1.6Mbps-10Mbpsrange.(Thestudyalsoconsidersthe“dropoff”betweensubscribedspeedandac-tualspeedofnetworkconnec(ons.Thedatapresentedindicatethatthedifferencesareconsiderable,andcertainlygreatenoughtohaveasignificantimpactonmanytypesofInternetuse—forexample,up-loadspeedsdropoffby47%forcitylibraries,55%insuburbanlibrar-ies,67%intownlibraries,andby76%inrurallibraries—butthedataarebasedonwiredconnec(onsonlyanddonottakeWi-Ficonnec(v-ityintoaccount.35)Unfortunately, the aforemen(oned report offers almost no infor-ma(onabout themore specificnatureof theWi-Fi deployments inthose libraries or the quality of services that are delivered throughwirelessconnec(ons.Thereportdoessuggest,however,thatslightlymorethanhalfofthelibrarianssurveyedinthisstudybelievethatthebandwidthprovidedbytheirrespec(velibrariesforpatronsisnotad-equate,withthemajorityofthemoftheviewthatthecostsofincreas-ingbandwidthweretheforemostconstraint.

35Berto,JohnCarlo,etal.BroadbandQualityinPublicLibraries:SpeedTestFindingsandResults.opcit.pp.26.

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TypesofWirelessNetworksandRelevantStandards

Owingmainlytostandardiza(on,thetechnicalframeworkintermsofwhichwirelessnetworksfunc(onhasremainedstablesincethemid-1990s,withchangesanddevelopmentsrunningbygeneralagreementthroughprocessesa:endingIEEE802.11,thesetofstandardsforwire-less localareanetwork (WLAN)computer communica(on,asdevel-opedbytheIEEELAN/MANStandardsCommi:ee(IEEE802),foruseinthe2.4GHzand5GHzpublicspectrumbands.36Therearetwotypesofwirelessnetworks.Thefirsttypeisaso-called“adhoc,”orpeer-to-peernetwork,consis(ngoftwoormorecomput-ers each equipped with a wireless networking interface card. Eachcomputermaycommunicatedirectlywithalloftheotherwireless-en-abledcomputersonthepeer-to-peernetwork.Thecomputersonthenetworkcansharefilesandotherresources,suchasaprinter,underthisconfigura(on,buttheymaynotbeabletoaccessresourcesonawiredLAN,unlessoneofthecomputersinthepeer-to-peernetworkalsoactsasabridgetothewiredLAN.Awirelessnetworkmayalsouseaphysicalaccesspoint,commonlyreferredtoasabasesta(on.Inthisconfigura(on,theaccesspointactsasanetworkhub,providingcon-nec(vityforthewirelesscomputers.Themainpurposeoftheaccesspointistoprovidealink(or“bridge”)fromawirelessLANtoawiredLAN,thusallowingwirelesscomputeraccesstoLANresources,suchasfileserversoranexis(ngInternetconnec(on.Thissecondtypeofnet-work is the one used almost universally by public libraries offeringwirelessservices.Thereare two typesofaccesspoints. Thefirstandmost commonlyemployedisthededicatedhardwareaccesspoint.Itisawirelessde-vicethathandlesallthenetworktraffictoandfromitsassociatedcli-ents,usuallywithinarangeofabout300feetandwiththeop(onofa 36 See IEEE Web Portal at h:p://standards.ieee.org/findstds/standard/802.11-2012.htmlforaddi(onalinforma(onabouttheIEEEandthe802.11standard.

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codedradiofrequencyforsecuretransmissions.Inthevastmajorityofinstalla(ons,thehardwareaccesspointisconnectedtoatradi(onal,“wired”Ethernetnetwork,therebyac(ngasbridgebetweenthewiredandwirelessnetworks.37Inmanyinstances,becausethewiredLANisconnectedtotheInternet,sharedaccesstotheInternetisavailabletotheclientsconnec(ngthroughthewirelessaccesspoint.ThesecondtypeofwirelessaccesspointisthesoOwareaccesspoint.AsoOwareaccesspointisanapplica(onthatrunsonacomputerequippedwithawirelessnetworkinterfacecardconfiguredforuseinanadhocorpeer-to-peerwirelessnetwork.Typically,theapplica(onisasoOwarerouterthatprovidesexternalconnec(vitythroughthePoint-to-PointProtocoloverEthernet(PPPoE)specifica(on.

RecentDevelopmentsinWLANStandards

The newest genera(on of Wi-Fi signaling in popular use is IEEE802.11ac.38Itu(lizesdualbandwirelesstechnologyandchannelbind-ing,suppor(ngsimultaneousconnec(onsonboththe2.4GHzand5GHzWi-Fibandstoincreasethebandwidthavailabletocompa(blede-vices. Offering backward compa(bility to 802.11b/g/n, 802.11ac isratedupto1300Mbpsonthe5GHzbandandupto450Mbpson2.4GHz.Thepreviousversionsofthe802.11standardshavetypicallyused20MHzchannels,although802.11nusedupto40MHzwidechannels.The802.11acstandarduseschannelbandwidthsupto80MHzwideas

37Mosthardwareaccesspointscannotcommunicatewitheachotheronthebasisofawireless connec(on. Typically, anaccesspoint can communicateonlywith itswirelessclients. The excep(on is the wireless repeater, a device that receives a signal andretransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of anobstruc(on,sothatthesignalcancoverlongerdistanceswithoutdegrada(on.Whatismoreimportant,wirelessaccesspointscannotbeusedtobridgewirelessLANs.38The802.11familyofstandardsspecifiesanover-the-airinterfacebetweenawirelessclient and a base sta(on or between two wireless clients. The IEEE accepted thespecifica(onin1997.

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standardwithop(onsof160MHzortwo80MHzblocks.Accordingtothe IEEE, 802.11ac raises data throughput rates a:ainable onWi-Finetworkstoaminimumofaround1Gbps,withspeedsupto6.93Gbpspossible.Therearebo:lenecks,however.Routersbasedon802.11acgenerally use mul(ple antennas to increase overall data rates, butwhenauserwithasingle-antenna802.11ac-compa(blesmartphoneconnectstosucharouter,thedatarateislikelytobesomewherebe-tween400Mbps—thetheore(calmaximum—and200Mbps.Effortstoextend802.11acarealreadywellunderway.Forexample,IEEE802.11adisanamendmentthatdefinesanewphysicallayerfor802.11networkstooperateinthe60GHzmillimeterwavespectrum-- this frequencybandhas different propaga(on characteris(cs thanthe2.4GHzand5GHzbands,whereWi-Finetworksnormallyoperate--IEEE802.11afisanotheramendment,thatallowsWLANopera(onin theso-called"TVwhitespacespectrum,"which is situated in theVHFandUHFbandsbetween54and790MHz,andIEEE802.ah,whichoffers,owingtothefavorablepropaga(oncharacteris(csofthelowfrequencyspectra,improvedtransmissionrangewhencomparedwiththeconven(onal802.11WLANsopera(nginthe2.4GHzand5GHzbands.Thedeploymentofthenewerstandardsislikelytooccuroverthenextfewyears--routerssuppor(ng802.11acarereadilyavailableatthiswri(ng--butavailableinforma(onaboutreplacementschedulesde-visedbylibraries,orthelackthereof,suggestthatthecapabili(esof802.11acanditsamendmentsareunlikelytohaveanybroadeffectintheshorttermonthewirelessservicesofferedbylibraries,par(cularlyservicesbasedon local installa(ons.According to thePublic LibraryTechnologyLandscapereportfrom2012:

Overall,amajorityofpubliclibraries(63.2percent)donothave replacement schedules and replace their work-

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sta(ons only as needed. There is a stark differencebe-tweenthereplacementpolicyschedulesofurbanandru-rallibraries.Themajorityofurbanlibraries(57.3percent)haveanestablishedreplacementpolicy,whereasthema-jorityofrurallibraries(69.5percent)donot.Themajorityof suburban libraries (53.4 percent) had a replacementschedulein2010-2011,butthispercentagedecreasedto41.9percentin2011-2012.39

SecurityIssues

Thesecurityvulnerabili(esofwireless localnetworks fallwithin thefollowingareas:

• Passivemonitoring;• Unauthorizedaccess;and• Denial-of-servicea:acks

WirelessLANsradiosignalsthatoOengobeyondthelimitsoftheareaan organiza(on physically controls. For instance, radiowaves easilypenetratebuildingwallsandcanbereceivedfromthefacility’sparkinglotandpossiblyafewblocksaway.Asaresult,itispossibleforanun-authorizedpersontogainaccesstoawirelessnetwork,uselicensedresourcesonanillicitbasis,andevenpassivelyretrievesensi(veinfor-ma(onaboutconfigura(ons,licensesandotherpermissions,orlegi(-mate users. How difficult is it to engage in passive monitoring? Ahackerwithawirelesslaptopandso-called"packetsniffer"couldcap-ture data streaming across a library'swireless network froma parkbenchacrossthestreetfromtheirtown'spubliclibraryandthen,forexample, extract sensi(ve informa(on, including passwords. Themethodforresolvingissuesofpassivemonitoringistoimplementse-cure connec(ons between all client devices and the access pointsthroughencryp(on.Anencryp(onschemealterstheinforma(onbits

39AmericanLibraryAssocia(on.Publiclibrarytechnologylandscape.(2012).p.22.

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ineachframeofdatatransmi:edbyusingencryptedkeys.Thegoalisto make data captured via passive monitoring unusable. However,someofencryp(onschemesaremuchmoreeffec(vethanothers.TheWiredEquivalentPrivacy(WEP)scheme,whichwaspartoftheoriginal802.11standard,isrela(velyeasytocrack,whereasotherencryp(onmethods,suchasWi-FiProtectedAccess(WPA),aremuchmorediffi-culttobreakandthereforeoffermuchstrongersecurity.40Theextent towhichunauthorizedaccess toawirelessnetwork is aproblemdependslargelyontheskillwithwhichwirelessnetworksandconnectedwirednetworksaremanagedwheresecurityisconcerned.Many organiza(ons lock down servers and applica(ons effec(vely,closeunusedports,andapplysoOwarepatchesandupdatesregularlytoguaranteetheintegrityoftheirnetworks,butmanyotherorganiza-(onsareconsiderablylessvigilant,evenwhenconfrontedwithabun-dantevidenceoftheproblemsthatcanariseinapoorlysecurednet-work.Perhapsmoretothepoint,anynetworkthatpermitsexternalaccessispoten(allyvulnerable.Theobjec(veofsecurityregimesistoreducethenumberofunauthorizedintrusionstoaminimum.Wirelessnetworksarepar(cularlyvulnerabletodenial-of-serviceat-tacks.41 Today,mostwireless networks in place rely on the2.4Ghzband. IntheUnitedStates,underFederalCommunica(onsCommis-

40WEPisusedatthetwolowestlayersoftheOSI(OpenSystemsInterconnec(on)model-thedatalinkandphysicallayers--andthereforedoesnotofferend-to-endsecurity.(TheOSI model, which divides a communica(on system into seven abstract layer, is aconceptualframeworkthatcharacterizesandstandardizesthecommunica(onfunc(onsof a telecommunica(on or compu(ng system independent of its underlying internalstructure and technology, with the aim of promo(ng interoperability by means ofstandardprotocols.)41Adenial-of-servicea:ack(DoS)isanexplicita:empttopreventlegi(mateusersofaservicefromusingthatservice.TherearetwogeneralformsofDoSa:acks:thosethataredesignedtocrashservicesandthoseareintendedthatfloodserviceswithdatapacketsandthusrenderthemunabletorespondtootherrequestsforservice.

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sion’sregula(ons,the2.4Ghzbandprovidesonlythreenon-overlap-pingchannels--channels1,6,and11--whichmeansthattarge(nganddirec(ngadenial-of-servicea:ackonawirelessnetworkcanberela-(velysimple,sinceana:ackerneedsonlytocauseenoughinterfer-ence into those three channels to cause a serious service interrup-(on.42 In addi(on,denial of service a:acks can launched in concertwiththeuseofaso-called"rogueaccesspoint."Therogueaccesspointcanbesetupinachannelnotusedbyalegi(mateaccesspoint.Then,adenialofservicea:ackmaybelaunchedatthechannelscurrentlyinuseonthelegi(mateaccesspoint,causingendpointdevicestore-as-sociatewithachannelinuseontherogueaccesspointandcrea(ngcondi(onsunderwhichusersmayunwiunglyrevealconfiden(al in-forma(onofvarioustypes,e.g.,userID,password,address,telephonenumbers,creditcardnumbers,SocialSecuritynumber,etc.There isno foolproofmethodof thwar(ngdenial-of-servicea:acks,butpacketfiltering,afirewalltechniqueusedtocontrolnetworkac-cessbymonitoringoutgoingandincomingpacketsandallowingthemtopassorhaltbasedonsourceanddes(na(onInternetProtocol(IP)addresses, protocols and ports, is probably the most effec(ve andmostwidelyusedofthemeansavailable.TheuseofMediaAccessCon-trol(MAC)addressfilteringcanalsobeeffec(veundercircumstancessufficientlycontrolledtopermititsimplementa(on.43

42Anon-overlappingchannelisonethatdoesnotsharefrequencyspace,meaninginthiscasethattheuseofthechannelsisrestrictedtodevicessuppor(ngwirelessnetworking,and that other devices, e.g., microwave ovens, telephones, etc., designed to operatewithinthe2.4Ghzband,arenotlicensedtousethesespecificchannels.43AMACaddress,alsocalledphysicaladdress,isauniquealphanumericstringseparatedbycolons,e.g.,00:02:D1:1A:2D:12,thatisusedtoiden(fynetworkeddevicesastheysendand receivedataover thenetwork.MACaddressesareusedasanetworkaddress formostIEEE802networktechnologies,includingEthernetandWi-Fi.

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Bluetooth,orWirelessPersonalAreaNetworks

Anincreasingnumberofwirelessdevicesalsosupportashort-rangedatatransfertechnologyknownasBluetooth.Bluetooth,astandarddevelopedbyatelecommunica(onsindustryconsor(um,isaso-called“WPAN(wirelesspersonalareanetwork)technology”thatisdesignedtoconnectpersonaldeviceswithinasmallarea.Althoughlibrarytech-nologistshavefocusedmainlyon802.11-basednetworkingtechnolo-gies,Bluetooth-baseddevicesareimportantinmanyseungs,andtheymayplayamuchlargerroleintheyearsahead.ThepurposeofBluetoothtechnologyistodevelopanddeployastand-ardized,low-poweredradiochipthatmaybeusedtoconnectdeviceswithinawirelessnetworkwitharangeof10metersextendinginalldirec(ons.TheBluetoothchipisdesignedtoreplacecablesbytakingtheinforma(onnormallycarriedbycablestoandfromdevicessuchasprinters,keyboards,mice,andPDAsandtransmiungittoaradiore-ceiver.Bluetooth chips are commonly placed in computers, printers, key-boards,andmice,replacingshort-rangecables.Theyarealsofoundinawidevarietyofotherdevices,includingsmartphonesandtabletcom-puters.44RecentversionsoftheBluetoothspecifica(onincludetheuseofacollocated802.11linkrunningatdatatraffic(Version3.0and4.0oftheBluetoothCoreSpecifica(on),aprivacylayerandIPconnec(v-ity, including IPv6 connec(ons, to support connected buildings andotherIoTimplementa(ons(Bluetoothv4.2).45

44 The Bluetooth specifica(on was originally conceived by Ericsson in 1998, before anumberofothercompaniesbegantocollaborateandeventuallylaunchedtheBluetoothSpecialInterestGroup.45Bluetoothusesthemicrowaveradiofrequenciesinthe2.402-2.480GHzrange.USB3.0devices,portsandcablesinterferewithBluetoothdevices,owingtothecloseopera(ngproximityofBluetoothandUSB3.0usageintheradiospectrum.Theconflictscanresultinadropinthroughputorcompleteconnec(onlossoftheBluetoothdevice/sconnectedtoacomputer.Solu(onsrangefromincreasingthedistanceofUSB3.0devicesfromany

22

ThefutureofBluetoothmayturnlargelyonitssupportforatechnol-ogycalled“beamforming,”whichconcentratesdata transmissionsothatmoredata reaches the targeteddevice insteadof radia(ngoutintotheatmosphere.BeamformingisalsosupportedbyIEEE802.11ac.Atpresent,Bluetooth’ssupportforbeamformingisakeyelementinnew technologies that support remote chargingofwireless devices,butitalsoholdstheprospectofbeingtoconnectamobiledevicetoBluetooth-compa(bledisplaydevicesatrateshighenoughtosustainhigh-resolu(onpictures.46

RFID

Anotheraspectofwirelesstechnologyinlibrariesistheuseofradio-frequencyiden(fica(on,orRFID,andwirelesssensors.47Ac(vi(esthatcanbenefitfromtheuseofRFIDincludecircula(on, inventoryman-agement,anditemprocessing.Inaddi(ontomakingeachofthesela-bor-intensive ac(vi(es more efficient, RFID installa(ons also guardagainstthelossofphysicalitemsthroughmisplacementortheO.4849

Bluetooth devices to purchasing USB cables with higher-quality shielding to applyingaddi(onalshieldingtotheinternalBluetoothcomponentsofacomputer.46Wirelesspowersystemchargesdevicesupto20feetaway.ExtremeTech.January6,2015. h:p://www.extremetech.com/extreme/196868-wireless-power-system-charges-devices-up-to-20-feet-away.LastaccessedFebruary26,2016.47RFIDuseselectromagne(cfieldstoiden(fyandtracktagsa:achedtoobjects.Thetagscontainelectronicallystoredinforma(on;passivetagscollectenergyfromanearbyRFIDreader'sinterroga(ngradiowaves,whereasac(vetagshavealocalpowersource,suchasaba:ery,andcanoperateataconsiderabledistancefromanRFIDreader.48 Hardgrave, Bill C., John Aloysius, and Sandeep Goyal (2009). "Does RFID improveinventory accuracy? A preliminary analysis". Interna@onal Journal of RF Technologies:ResearchandApplica@ons1(1):45–56.doi:10.1080/17545730802338333.49 Suthar,AshokkumarA.RFID:AnEmergingTechnology for Libraries.Asian JournalofMul@disciplinaryStudies.2(7):43-46.

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A2013studysuggeststhatifthequalityofaRFIDimplementa(onis"good,"theuseofresourcesincreasesandusersa(sfac(onishigher.50Thereare,however,concernsaboutthepossibilityofRFIDimplemen-ta(onsinlibrariesleadingtotheviola(onoftheprivacyofreaders.EffortstosecureRFIDsystemshavebeenextensive,butconcernsper-sist,owingtothenatureofRFIDimplementa(onsandthepossibilityofpersonally-linkedinforma(onbeingcollectedandread.51Thereis,moreover,aninterest,nascentatthiswri(ng,inusingRFID,wirelesssensors,andar(ficial intelligence in concert toautomateaspectsofthereader'sadvisoryfunc(onandbuilddigitallydefinedpathsthatus-ersmightfollowinordertoreachtheirpar(cularobjec(vesintheuseof library resources. This use is certain to raise seriousprivacy con-cerns.But precisely how librarianswill respond is unclear. Another recentstudyofRFID implementa(ons in librariessuggests that inmany in-stancestheanalysisofpoten(alethicalissueshasnotbeenacentralpartoftheprocessofimplemen(ngRFIDtechnology—inthosecases,theconsidera(onofethicalissueshadeitherbeendelegatedtolocalgovernmentorvendors,whoseclaimsforprivacyprotec(onappeartohavebeentakenatfacevalue,and inothercasesethical issueshad

50Dwivedia,YogeshK.,KawaljeetKaurKapoorb,MichaelD.Williams,andJanetWilliams.RFIDsystems in libraries:Anempiricalexamina(onof factorsaffec(ngsystemuseandusersa(sfac(on.Interna@onalJournalofInforma@onManagement33(2013)367–377.51 The Interna(onal Organiza(on for Standardiza(on(h:p://www.iso.org/) has beenac(ve in the development of specifica(ons aimed at securing RFID installa(ons. Forexample,ISO/IEC18000andISO/IEC29167useon-chipcryptographymethodsfortagandreader authen(ca(on, over-the-air privacy, and support of efforts to make the tagsuntraceable,andISO/IEC20248specifiesadigitalsignaturedatastructureforRFIDandbarcodesprovidingdata,sourceandreadmethodauthen(city.(ThisworkhasbeendonewithintheframeworkofISO/IECJTC1/SC31Automa(ciden(fica(onanddatacapturetechniques.)

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beentreatedasperipheral,ifatall.52,53,54Inthelongterm,however,itis reasonable to expect that a con(nua(on of the librarianship’slongstandingcommitmenttotheprivacyofreaderswillshiOpercep-(onsandleadtotheimposi(onofsharplimitsontheextenttowhichthesetechnologiesareplacedintheserviceofindividualclients.

Conclusions

In summary,wirelessaccessasprovidedby libraries is vital to theirfunc(onasacademicorpubliccompu(ngcenters.Inordertomaintaineffec(vefunc(oninthatarea,librariesmustprovidewirelessservicesof high quality. Because there is not enough informa(on currentlyavailableaboutthespecificnatureofdeploymentsandsupportforrel-evant standards, it is impossible toknowwhatmightcons(tute thebestprospects formaintaining theseservicesathigh levels,but theexampleoftheSea:lePublicLibraryanditsuseofmobilehotspotsisonethatshouldbeconsideredcarefully.Mobileaccessisalreadyofcri(calimportancetolibrariesandtheirus-ers, and theemergenceof the5Gmobilenetworks in thenext fewyearsislikelytoenlargethedemandsformobileservices.Thecon(n-ueddevelopmentofand improvements inmobileapplica(ons ises-sen(al,buttheconstruc(onofmobile-friendlyWebsites isprobablyfarmoreimportant,giventheevidencethatmobileusersareaccessing

52Ferguson,Stuart,ClareThornley,andForbesGibb.HowdolibrariesmanagetheethicalandprivacyissuesofRFIDimplementa(on?Aqualita(veinves(ga(onintothedecision-makingprocessesoftenlibraries.JournalofLibrarianshipandInforma@onScience2015,Vol.47(2)117–130.53 R-Moreno, María D., Bonifacio Castaño, David F. Barrero, and Agus�n M. Hellín."Efficient ServicesManagement in Libraries using AI andWireless techniques." ExpertSystemswithApplica@ons41,no.17(2014):7904-7913.54 Griol, David, Miguel Ángel Patricio, and José Manuel Molina. "The CALIMACOMul(modal System: Providing Enhanced Library Services Using Mobile Devices." InBioinspired Computa@on in Ar@ficial Systems, pp. 339-348. Springer Interna(onalPublishing,2015.

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contentwith increasing frequency and in progressively larger num-bers.And,sufficeittosay,thesecurityandprivacyofmobileapplica-(onsandservicesmustbeensuredwiththegreatestpossiblevigor,inasmuchastheconfidenceofusersiscloselyalignedwiththeircon-(nuinguseofdigitallibraryresources.Newtechnologies?TheuseofRFIDandar(ficialintelligenceasmeansofhelpinguserslocateandselectresourcesisanintriguingpossibility,but also one fraughtwith dangers. Librarians need to consider anytechnologythathasthepoten(altoreducefric(onintheuseoflibraryresources, whether those resources are analog or digital, but theyneedtoexercisegreatcareindoingso.InPew’sLibrariesatthecrossroads,theauthorsnotethatthenumberofAmericansusinglibrariesmaybetrendingdownward.55Whilethereportiscarefultonotethatthereisnotenoughdataavailabletodrawbroadconclusions,itseemsreasonabletoconcludethatreversingthistrendmaywelldependinlargepartontheextenttowhichlibrariesofalltypescometogripswiththeneedsandrequirementsofmobileus-ers.

55Horrigan.Opcit,p.2.