September 2010

Network equipment maker Cisco is buying start-up Arch Rock for an undisclosed sum as it aggressively moves to expand in the growing smart grid market. The news of the acquisition comes a day after the networking giant said it was teaming up with smart meter maker Itron Inc to develop a communication platform for smart grids. Modernizing the aging grid and deploying smart grid technologies is a market that is forecast to grow to $200 billion over the next five years, according to Pike Research. The market was valued at $21 billion last year. An infusion of federal funds into updating the electricity supply chain has also helped in growing the market for smart grid technologies.

[Commentary] When I describe the Tribune's top-secret project, everybody makes the same snarky comment.

The Tribune is designing a weekly edition that it will offer subscribers for a surcharge. The premium content will consist of long, thoughtful reporting and commentary-local in its focus-on the news and cultural affairs. The inevitable comment is this: That's what the Tribune is already supposed to be doing. Once upon a time perhaps it did. But the abbreviated coverage a diminished staff has been offering readers since Sam Zell took over has cleared out plenty of room for the Tribune to create a new product that's a quantum improvement. The Tribune is calling this new product by a rich and ancient name, Five Star-signifying the final edition, the one with the ball scores and theater reviews, the one a big city wakes up to in the morning. Sources tell me the Trib hopes to roll it out in January.

[Commentary] Last week, Massanutten Regional Library announced that it would close two of its branches in the small communities of Bergton and Stanley, while reducing hours of operation at four of its other locations. In announcing its decision of triage, the library's Board of Trustees sited a quarter million dollars in funding that has been lost over the past three years in spite of the fact that nearly 6,000 new patrons have signed up for library cards during the same period. As a society we endorse our values with our pocket book. So we're left asking ourselves "Do public libraries still have value?" Are they merely archaic and dying institutions that are a needless drain on our limited resources in the tight times of the Internet Age or is it important that there is a repository of knowledge left that is not held captive by a power outlet, a wireless signal or a password and is available to anyone who is willing to spend the effort to pursue it? Is it better to put a book in a child's hand or a golf club? Does everyone have the right to access the Internet or only those who can afford it? Are we more secure with smart weapons or smart citizens?

In July, the Charlotte (NC) library adopted a new budget that slashed nearly 30 percent of its funding and about 300 employees. In New York, libraries narrowly dodged an $82 million round of cuts thanks to public outcry earlier this year. The Milwaukee library system adopted austerity measures, only to find itself penalized for cutting too far. And the Free Library of Philadelphia only avoided a total shutdown through an act of the Pennsylvania State Senate...For desperate officials, it's a soft target, but librarians warn that cutting hours and positions might actually slow down the pace of recovery. The catch is that libraries are experiencing increased demand, too, in Charlotte and elsewhere.

A study by the Institute of Museum and Library Services released in June found a 20 percent increase in library use over the last decade. And because libraries are often the only source, or one of a very few, for free Internet access and job counseling, the trend is only increasing during the recession, the ALA says. Anecdotal evidence suggests greater numbers of job seekers using library computers to look for jobs, write résumés, and seek advice. There's also research that suggests that libraries contribute significantly to the prosperity of their communities, offering up to 800 percent return on investment for taxpayer dollars in job creation, productivity, and personal incomes.