Public libraries and the Internet: Roles, Perspectives, and Implications

Citation

Calvert, P. (2011), "Public libraries and the Internet: Roles, Perspectives, and Implications", The Electronic Library, Vol. 29 No. 6, pp. 852-853. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471111188079

The provision of desktop computers providing public access to the Internet has become mainstream in public libraries in the western world. Yet despite widespread implementation, this aspect of library service has not been subject to extensive research. The subject has been dominated by Bertot, McClure and associates, who started the Public Libraries and the Internet Project 15 years ago and who have provided the bulk of useful research to date. The project's reports, though, are to be found in numerous papers and journal articles, not conducive to access by a general librarian readership. This book is not a collection of previously published papers, but it does provide a single entry point to much of the thinking that underpins the whole research project. It ought to be read by all public library managers.

There are five sections in the book: part I is an overview, part II deals with contexts and connections, part III with “populations”, part IV with funding and institutional support, and the last section is about future development. Despite being very familiar with the previously published research, I still found the introductory chapters very useful and I would suggest others would too. Public library managers need to accept that public access to the Internet is changing some traditional roles, and this challenge, the authors make plain, is still very much with us. Indeed, because more government services are provided via the internet and some large companies now only accept job applications online, the demand placed on public library computers will continue to rise, forcing more resources to be used to support the service whether managers want to or not.

In part II some of the challenges are examined, such as the growth of e‐government and the potential of using social media in public libraries. The chapter on public library Internet in disaster response might be a surprise to those outside the USA, but the authors explain how crucial the service was in the aftermath of the devastating 2006 hurricane season, and their study has produced several recommendations for improving response when more natural disasters strike.

The chapters in the third section are explanations, often based upon practical experience, of how public library Internet access can improve services to the “underserved”, older adults, youth, and people with physical impairments. In the last of these chapters the point is well made that there is a difference between accessibility, and usability, so the provision of the Internet is only a first step and more has to be done to improve the usability of Web sites.

The concluding chapter sets out some of the challenges, and rather than gloss over these the authors deal with the each issue in some detail. The need for librarians to have different skills sets, for example, includes a list of necessary competencies. In particular the authors point to the need for more productive partnerships as a means of spreading the burden currently placed on public libraries. Having assumed new roles, sometimes by default if not actually unwillingly, libraries need to find other organisations willing and able to assist with the provision of better quality services based around public access Internet. There are many challenges to confront and this book will help managers think clearly about the key issues.