=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2797/paper15
|storemode=property
|title=Small Town vs. Big City: A Comparative Study on the Role of Public Libraries in the
Development of Smart Communities
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2797/paper15.pdf
|volume=Vol-2797
|authors=Xiaoyi Yerden,Mila Gasco-Hernandez,J. Ramon Gil-Garcia,G. Brian Burke,Miguel Figueroa
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/egov/YerdenGGBF20
}}
==Small Town vs. Big City: A Comparative Study on the Role of Public Libraries in the
Development of Smart Communities==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2797/paper15.pdf
Small Town vs. Big City: A Comparative Study on
the Role of Public Libraries in the Development of
Smart Communities
Xiaoyi Yerden*, Mila Gasco-Hernandez**, J. Ramon Gil-
Garcia***, G. Brian Burke****, Miguel Figueroa*****
* University at Albany, State University of New York, USA, xzhao6@albany.edu
** University at Albany, State University of New York, USA, mgasco@ctg.albany.edu
*** University at Albany, State University of New York, USA & Universidad de las Americas Puebla, Mexico,
jgil-garcia@ctg.albany.edu
**** CTG, University at Albany, State University of New York, USA, bburke@ctg.albany.edu
***** Center for the Future of Libraries, American Library Association, USA, mfigueroa@ala.org
Abstract: Smart city initiatives aim to facilitate sustainable urbanization, promote economic
development, and improve quality of life. Due to their socio-technical complexity, some
reseachers argued for an integrative view in which multiple dismensions should be considered. In
addition, researchers showed that the unique context of each city/community matters for the
implementation of smart city initiatives. One important aspect of this context is the
collaborations with diverse community partners such as public libraries. However, previous
literature on the contribution of these partners to smart commnities often only presents
conceptual models and lacks empirical data. This paper provides a comparative study on the
smart city/community development in Ignacio, Colorado and Chicago, Illinois with a focus on the
role of public libraries on the development of specific dimensions of smartness: (1) technology
deployment, (2) innovation, (3) citizen participation, and (4) community stakeholder
engagement. We also argue that context is very important when discussing the role of public
libraries in building smart cities/communities.
Keywords: smart city, smart community, dimensions of smartness, public library, anchor
institution, community institution.
Acknowledgement: This project was supported by the Grant No. LG-96-17-0144-17 awarded by
the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
1. Introduction
In the process of urbanization, cities have encountered complex issues and challenges that cannot
be resolved using traditional process and tehcniques. The development of information and
communication technology (ICT) makes it possible for cities to adopt innovative strategies to achieve
Copyright ©2020 for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
156 Ongoing Research
sustainable development, improve the quality of life of their residents, and, overall, make the city
smarter (Anthopoulos, 2015). Over the last two decades, researchers have been discussing what
makes a city smart and how to do it. Most of the early definitions emphasize technology as one of
the main drivers of smart cities (Alawadhi et al., 2012), whereas the later ones focus on the
development of social aspects: such as quality of life, citizen participation and engagement, etc.
(Gasco-Hernandez, 2016; Giffinger et al., 2007). Smart City has been viewed by many researchers as
a multidimensional concept (Nam & Pardo, 2011a, Gil-Carcia et al., 2015, 2016). Even though there
is not a universally accepted definition (Chourabi et al., 2012; Gil-Carcia et al., 2015), a common view
could be derived from previous research: a smart city is a city that adopts a comprehensive view of
the city and integrates a double perspective; technology and human development, to pursue a triple
goal (Gasco-Hernandez, 2016): 1) improvement in the efficiency of urban operations, 2)
improvement in citizens' quality of life and 3) development of the local economy while maintaining
the environmental sustainability.
Smartness development is not limited to the urban environment. Back to the late 1990s, the Smart
Communities movement had already started. Research about smart city and smart community
development, both recognized the usefulness of technology and the importance of collaborative
efforts between governments, private sector companies, academic institutions, and civil society
(Mora et al., 2019a, 2019b). However, there is limited knowledge about what the roles of other
stakeholders are. For example, public libraries, one of the most popular community institutions,
have been largely left out of the discussion about building smart cities and communities (Burke et
al., 2014). This research is guided by the following question: How do public libraries contribute to
the different dimensions of smart city/community development in different contexts?
This ongoing research paper aims to start addressing the question above through a comparative
case study of Ignacio Community Library (ICL) and the Chicago Public Library (CPL). We will
explore the programs and services currently offered in these two public libraries and discuss how
they contribute to different dimensions of smart cities/communities in two very different contexts.
The paper is organized into five sections, including the foregoing introduction. In section two, we
briefly discuss previous literature on smart city development, the dimensions of smartness, and the
role of public libraries in the development of these dimensions. Section three describes the research
design and methods used in this study. Section four presents preliminary results from the case
studies and section five provides some final comments and next steps for this research.
2. Dimensions of Smartness and Public Libraries
2.1. Dimensions of Smartness
The topic of smart cities/communities has been studied in different disciplines, such as urban
geography, information science, and, more recently, public management. Many researchers have
adopted multidimensional frameworks to capture and evaluate the different aspects or elements of
smartness (Chourabi et al., 2012; Giffinger et al., 2007; Gil-Garcia et al., 2015; Nam & Pardo, 2011a).
Based on a review of previous frameworks, we propose the following dimensions of smartness to
Ongoing Research 157
guide our analysis of the public libraries' contribution to smart city/community development: (1)
technology, (2) innovation, (3) citizen participation, and (4) stakeholder engagement.
Technology as a dimension of smartness. A smart city/community uses data and technology in
different areas: traffic, waste management, transportation, health, etc. (Nam & Pardo, 2011b).
Depending on the context, data and technology may differ and may be deployed in different ways:
sensor technology, smart computing, ICT infrastructure, data analytics, etc. (Kuk, 2011).
Innovation as a dimension of smartness. Smart city was adopted as a strategy to deal with
complex problems and challenges in urban development that cannot be addressed using traditional
approaches (Nam & Pardo, 2011b). It requires innovation, often technological innovation, to create
better and more effective products, processes, services, and ideas that are accepted by markets,
governments, and society (Johnston & Hansen, 2011).
Citizen participation as a dimension of smartness. Smart cities/communities should be
developed for, by, and with citizens (Mora et al., 2017). Civil society was added as the fourth helix
of the quadruple helix model, which emphasizes the importance of citizens in building smart
cities/communities (Deakin et al., 2018). As a result, citizen participation processes through different
channels, as well as investments in human and social capital, constitute a very important dimension
of a smart city/community (Myeong et al., 2018).
Community and stakeholder engagement as a dimension of smartness. In the process of
becoming smarter, cities and communities are facing challenges that have surpassed the capabilities
of their traditional institutions and methods of governance, therefore calling for increased
collaboration between the government and other stakeholders (Mora et al., 2019b; Nam & Pardo,
2011a). Aligned with a quadruple helix model of smart cities/communities, this perspective
emphasizes the importance of pursuing social and economic development through the collaboration
among governments, universities and research centers, businesses, and civil society (Selada, 2017).
2.2. The Role of Public Library in the Dimensions of Smartness
Due to the strong legitimacy in the eyes of citizens and their role in digital inclusion and civic
engagement, researchers have started to explore the role of public libraries in building smart
cities/communities (Mersand et al., 2019). In previous research, public libraries are viewed as
community anchors institutions that play a very important role in digital inclusion (Bertot et al.,
2016). They provide patrons with free and easy access to information and technology, which are not
available for them at home, especially in rural areas and low-income neighborhoods (Goodman,
2014). Beyond access to technology, public libraries also offer technological training to help improve
residents' digital literacy (Goodman, 2014), and provide space and support that enable patrons to
experiment with different technologies for their own purposes, such as business development, civic
innovation, etc. (Vilariño et al., 2018).
Public libraries also have been recognized for their role in civic engagement (Hildreth, 2012). As
a safe and neutral space within the community, they are open to the public with the goal to
understand and support community needs (Hildreth, 2012). Public libraries have created a welcome
environment that allow the public to access different resources, participate in activities, and interact
158 Ongoing Research
with each other (Lenstra, 2017). However, even though researchers have previously discussed public
library's role in digital inclusion and civic engagement, very limited studies have directly analyzed
public library's contribution to smart city/community development.
3. Research Design and Methods
3.1. Data Collection
In order to have a better understanding of what strategies, programs and services that public
libraries in different cities/communities have adopted to facilitate the development of smart cities
and smart communities, we first conducted an online environment scan of public libraries in the
United States. This effort identified that Ignacio Community Library (ICL) has been creating smart
spaces for residents and that the Chicago Public Library (CPL) have been participating in a wide
range of smart city initiatives. They were chosen for this study to represent small-size public
libraries in rural towns and big-size public libraries in big cities, respectively. Then, taking a
comparative case analysis approach, we focus on investigating how these two public lirbaries have
contributed to different dimensions of smart city/community development in these two very
different contexts. We first reviewed the library's official website and searched for related news
articles to get a preliminary understanding of these two public libraries. In December 2018, we
visited the ICL and the CPL, and conducted semi-structured interviews with library staff,
government officials, and external stakeholders (12 interviews for the case of ICL and 6 interviews
for the case of CPL). All interviews were recorded using a digital recorder with the permission of
the interviewees and then were transcribed manually for further analysis.
3.2. Brief Description of the Cases
Ignacio is a small and rural town with roughly 800 residents and sits in the southwest corner of La
Plata County, Colorado. Another feature of the town is that it is situated in the middle of the
Southern Ute Indian Tribe Reservation. The tribal council and the Ignacio Town Board represent
two equal governmental bodies that provide separate and overlapping services to the community.
Although the Town of Ignacio does not have a formal smart community plan or strategy, it has made
some limited yet important investments in making their community smarter. Ignacio has deployed
technology in the form of broadband Internet although in a limited way and not available to all
households and businesses in the town. At the time of our case study, there was little evidence of
technological innovation, but Ignacio is clearly investing in increased collaboration among key
community stakeholders to help address town problems and issues.
Quite different from Ignacio, the City of Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, with
a population of nearly three million people living in 77 community areas. Chicago does have a
formal smart city strategy that is best captured in its 2013 City Technology Plan, which contains five
broader strategic areas: 1) Establishing next-generation infrastructure; 2) Creating smart
communities; 3) Ensuring efficient, effective, and open government; 4) Working with innovators to
years, beyond broadband internet infrastructure, Chicago has deployed a number of smart
Ongoing Research 159
technologies throughout the city. In the deployment of these technologies, Chicago has used both
stakeholder engagement and citizen participation in an effort to increase the success and
sustainability of these technologies within the community and increase the positive impact on the
residents.
4. Preliminary Findings
In this section, we present some preliminary findings about how the ICL and the CPL are
contributing to the different dimensions of smartness.
4.1. Technology Deployment
In Chicago, broadband Internet infrastructure and different sensors are deployed throughout the
city. As of 2013, The CPL made free Wi-Fi available in 80 branches that span every neighborhood
across the city, Wi-Fi hotspot lending program is also available at select CPL branches (13 libraries
as of 2016), which allows residents to borrow devices for internet access to use at their homes. By
doing this, the CPL is directly supporting Chicago's Smart City's plan : to make free Wi-Fi available
in public places (initiative 6th) and to increase options for low-cost broadband (iniatiative 7th).
Unlike Chicago, there is a limited deployment of broadband Internet in the town of Ignacio, and it
is not available to all households or businesses in the community. Therefore, the ICL plays a crucial
role in helping Ignacio residents access and use broadband Internet and other technologies. Besides
access to technologies, both the ICL and the CPL offers computer classes at different levels and one
on one assistance that help enhance patron's digital skills to effectively use a range of technologies.
The CPL also collaborate with community partners to fulfill its role in implementing the city's Smart
City's plan: to educate and engage young people in technology and offer digital training and hands-
on tec
4.2. Innovation
In the CPL, different makerspace are designed for different audiences to explore new technologies
and use them for creation and innovation. The Maker Lab, initially set up in 2013, provides Chicago
residents with the opportunity to learn how to use digital production and manufacturing tools. The
other well-known makerspace is called the YOUmedia. It is a space for middle school and high
school students that is currently available in 12 libraries throughout Chicago. It allows students to
obtain project based learning with a variety of media, technology, and digital tools. In Ignacio, even
though there was little evidence of technological innovation, the ICL has designed some programs
that allow patrons to get hands on experience with new technology, which prepares them to
innovate in the future. For example, with funding support from WebJunction's Small Libraries
Create Smart Spaces grant program, the ICL built their Idea Lab, which is based on the library's
high-speed Internet access and incorporating modern equipment and staff expertise to create a
makerspace for all of Ignacio's patrons to use.
160 Ongoing Research
4.3. Citizen Participation
In Chicago, public library branchs has been used by implementers of the smart city plan to inform
citizens and gather feedback from them about the deveploment of smart technologies in their
neighborhoods. This has been the case when the Chicago Tech Collaborative planned to deploy the
first sensor in the Pilsen neighborhood, and when the city worked on improving its 311 services. In
Ignacio, due to the limitation in policy and technology infrastructure, there is no opportunity for
citizens to participate in smart community development. However, through access to internet,
digital skills training and the makerspace that provides hands on experience on advanced
technologies, the ICL is taking advantage of all the available resources to educate and prepare their
patrons to be ready for the future participation in building a smart community.
4.4. Stakeholder Engagement
Chicago has a well-documented smart city strategy which specifies the role of each stakeholder. The
CPL is identified as directly supporting eight of the 15 initiatives. The active participation of
numerous and diverse partners is a key characteristic of this stratregy. For example, guided by the
strategy, the CPL has joined with other community organizations to form a "digital skills building
ecosystem". In Ignacio, due to lack of formal a smart community strategy and the limited technology
deployed in the community, there is no opportunity for stakeholder engagement in smart
community initiatives. However, the ICL has been working on building new partnerships with other
organizations to better serve the community. While at this point, the collaborations with other
community stakeholders do not involve the deployment of or use of smart technologies, the
established partnerships could be used in that way in the near future.
5. Final Comments and Next Steps
Our preliminary results clearly show how public libraries are contributing to smartness and how
the specific activities, programs and services vary in different contexts. For instance, due to the lack
of a formal smart community strategy and the limited technology infrastructure in Ignacio, even
though the ICL has fully taken advantage of the available resources to make the community smarter,
its contribution to the dimensions of smartness is mostly related to aspect of technology access and
use. Whereas in Chicago, the CPL has been a formal and active partner in the city's smart city
strategy from the beginning. It is playing an important role in smart city initiatives and contributing
to multiple dimensions of smart city development.
As a next step we will continue analyzing the transcripts of the interviews and provide a more
detailed account of how public libraries are contributing to the different dimensions of smartness in
different cities/communities. We also plan to elaborate on the role of context in smart
city/community development and how different public libraries are contributing or can contribute
to the dimensions of smartness in different ways. More cases will also be added to have a more
comprehensive study in the near future.
Ongoing Research 161
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About the Authors
Xiaoyi Yerden
Xiaoyi Yerden is a PhD student in information science program, University at Albany, State University of New
York. Xiaoyi's primary concentration is information government demographic society, and secondary
concentration is data analytics. Xiaoyi's dissertation will focus on the utilization of open government data.
Xiaoyi is now working as a research project assistant at the Center for Technology in Government, University
at Albany, State University of New York.
Mila Gasco-Hernandez
Mila Gascó-Hernández is the Associate Research Director at the Center for Technology in Government and
also an Associate Research Professor at Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. Mila comes from the
Center for Public Governance at ESADE Business & Law School in Barcelona, where she was a senior
researc -governance, open government, and smart cities. She has an
extensive advising and teaching background, having worked for a wide variety of organizations including the
the Mayor of Valencia, Valenzuela, the Spanish Agency
Ongoing Research 163
for International Development, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and many
others. She is a recipient of the Entric Prat de la Riba award, which is granted by the School of Public
Administration of Catalonia to the author of the top thesis on public management and administration. She
has taken part in numerous national and international seminars/conferences and regularly publishes in both
English and Spanish. Mila splits her time between guiding CTG UAlbany's research initiatives and teaching in
the Government Information Strategy and Management program at Rockefeller College.
J. Ramon Gil-Garcia
J. Ramon Gil-Garcia is an Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy and the Research Director
of the Center for Technology in Government, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). Dr.
Gil-Garcia is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and of the Mexican National System of
Researchers as Researcher Level III, which is the highest distinction a researcher can obtain before becoming
Researcher Emeritus as a result of a life-long career of research contributions. In 2009, he was considered
the most prolific author in the field of digital government research worldwide and in 2013 he was selected
sidad
de las Américas Puebla in Mexico, a Faculty Affiliate at the National Center for Digital Government,
University of Massachusetts Amherst and an Affiliated Faculty member of the Information Science Doctorate
Program at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University at Albany. Dr. Gil-Garcia is the
author or co-author of articles in prestigious international journals in Public Administration, Information
Systems, and Digital Government and some of his publications are among the most cited in the field of
digital government research worldwide.
G. Brian Burke
G. Brian Burke is a member of a senior leadership team in charge of running an applied research institute
of 13 professional staff; 20 government, research and faculty fellows; and a diverse and interdisciplinary
mix of undergraduate and graduate students. Brian manages all professional staff searches and plays a key
role in the hiring of CTG UAlbany undergraduate and graduate students. He develops and manages a dynamic
portfolio of research projects and business development efforts focused on helping governments at all levels
in the United States and internationally apply technology and new policies and practices to improve
government operations and services to citizens. Brian has authored and co-authored numerous academic
and practitioner focused publications on the topic of digital government. He also serves as vice president of
the University at A
he is responsible for identifying and inducting UAlbany students who demonstrate exceptional academic
achievement in the arts and sciences into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Previously, Brian worked for AT&T
Government Solutions in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense and he served as an officer in the United
States Air Force.
Miguel Figueroa
Miguel Figueroa works at the Center for the Future of Libraries, an initiative from the American Library
Association (ALA). He has p
-
nowledge River Program, an initiative
that examines library issues from Hispanic and Native American perspectives.