[Michlib-l] Data about Michigan local officials on virtual meetings

[Kristin Fontichiaro]

Hi, all --

U-M has a Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (
https://closup.umich.edu/) that conducts regular surveys of local, state,
and county officials. Thought you might find it interesting to poke around
and get some insight about what officials are thinking about in our
communities and beyond.

Their flagship project is the Michigan Public Policy Survey. This quote
(from page 11 of the latest report at
https://closup.umich.edu/michigan-public-policy-survey/100/internet-presence-among-michigan-local-governments-websites-online-services#embed)
jumped out at me for saying what we know many libraries have heard for the
past few years. :)

*Nearly half statewide believe going remote decreases overall quality of
local government meetings ... *
By jurisdiction type, county officials are by far the most enthusiastic
about the impact of virtual meetings on citizen
engagement, with a majority (58%) saying it somewhat or significantly
increased citizen engagement, and just
9% saying it decreased. City officials are also more likely to say virtual
meetings had a positive (47%) rather than
negative (20%) impact on citizen attendance and engagement. Township and
village officials are more likely to say
their citizens’ engagement decreased as a result of virtual meetings.

In terms of debate and discussion amongst board or council members, most
local officials are substantially more
negative about the impact of virtual meetings. Only 8% statewide say the
quality of discussion increased when
holding meetings via video or teleconference, compared to 43% who say the
quality decreased. By region, over half
(53%) of local leaders from the West Central part of the state say virtual
meetings hurt the quality of their Board/
Council discussions. And by urban-rural status, leaders from fully urban
jurisdictions (48%) are particularly likely
to say Board/Council discussions were negatively impacted by virtual
meetings.

When assessing the overall impact of virtual meetings, 47% think the
quality of their public meetings declined,
while 41% say it did not change appreciably, and just 12% say it increased.
Township officials report the most
negative assessments (52%), compared with 33% of county officials, 39% of
city and village officials.

The report has a lot of information about government use of websites, what
constituents use websites for, and issues related to broadband access. It
likely will reinforce what you already know, but it's always handy to have
someone other than the library saying it. :) Might also have some nuggets
to illuminate how you strategize about your library's website, too. :)

Kristin

-- 
Kristin Fontichiaro
University of Michigan School of Information
4427 North Quad
105 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285
734.647.3593
Blog <http://fontichiaro.com/activelearning> | Book an Appointment (school
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*Projects:*
Michigan Makers <http://michiganmakers.si.umich.edu> | Making in Michigan
Libraries <http://makinglibraries.si.umich.edu>
Data Literacy in High School <http://dataliteracy.si.umich.edu> | Public
Library Management MOOC
<http://ai.umich.edu/portfolio/public-library-management/>
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