Marijke Visser - ALA Office for Information Technology Policy

Marijke Visser, current SLIS-Indianapolis student, now works for the ALA (American Library Association) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) based in Washington, D.C. In that capacity, she has co-authored (with John Windhausen, Jr.) a June 2009 report entitled, "Fiber to the Library: How Public Libraries Can Benefit from Using Fiber Optics for their Broadband Internet Connections." (www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/FiberToTheLibrary-Prepub-June29.pdf).

We asked Visser for details about her job, and tips for SLIS students in a recent email interview. Excerpts are included here:

"...My first duty was to attend Midwinter which I thought was a very good introduction to ALA. What I do is meant to help and support individual ALA members, libraries in general, and the library profession as a whole. So for me, being completely new to the concept of ALA as a member organization, meeting 'real' librarians and hearing their ideas and concerns has helped frame how I look at what I do now. It is extraordinarily rewarding to think that my work is helping librarians across the country serve their communities and their patrons better than they might be able to without the support of ALA offices.

My title is 'Information Technology Policy Analyst.' My primary responsibility is to support the office's Program on Networks (www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oitp/programs/networks/networks.cfm).

I was hired to assist with a pilot program funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is described on the website. In brief, the Foundation identified seven states to be part of the pilot project. OITP is working with the State Library Agencies to improve the connectivity of the public libraries that connect to the Internet at speeds of 1.5 Mbps or less. The goal of the project is to develop a sustainable plan to increase the connectivity speeds of these libraries so that they can deliver the ever increasing list of services that require high speed connections. The website describes OITP's role in more detail.

My role has been to work with five of the seven states (NY, VA, KS, AR, TX - the other two are MA and CA). I have traveled to the states to participate in a series of meetings in each state that will culminate in the development of a Connectivity and Sustainability plan for the libraries. In addition to the actual plan, another result of the project has been to bring awareness of library issues to a wide variety of people including: community organizers, business leaders, legislators and policy makers on the local, state, and federal levels, and others. The SLAs have formed relationships with individuals representing different agencies/businesses and developed library champions who can help articulate the important role libraries play in their communities.

In between working on the Foundation's project, I work with Carrie Lowe, director of the Program on Networks, on the E-rate program that works with E-rate coordinators from all 50 states plus territories in improving E-rate participation among public libraries. I have also written and filed comments on developing a rural broadband strategy with the FCC in partnership with a colleague from the Office of Government Relations, Cory Williams. I have attended several FCC open meetings, meetings on the DTV transition, a Senate Judiciary hearing, as well as various conferences and programs dealing with information technology and policy issues.

The focus of the entire Washington Office right now is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). OITP has been working for months to advise the library community on how to be ready to apply for stimulus funds. The fiber paper was part of OITP's strategy in advising libraries how best to leverage stimulus funding from the broadband program.

I love the variety of the job, the fact that what I do has a wide reach and impact. The opportunities for me, personally, seem never ending.

If I had any advice based on this experience to graduating SLIS students it would be to take advantage of opportunities that come your way. Working for ALA was not anywhere on my radar screen when I started the SLIS program but because of taking Intellectual Freedom and Information Policy with Dr. Ball, I became interested in some of the policies behind everyday library service. This job came across my plate and seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up. I also think it is important for graduating SLIS students to be familiar with how ALA works as an organization that supports librarians- on many, many levels. I would encourage students to read up on the different divisions and/or round tables and find an interesting one and follow it or join it. ALA provides a wealth of information that should be used!"