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

This book is a timely and detailed exploration of the impact and issues of the Internet in public libraries and their implications for society, policy, and professional practice. Public Libraries and the Internet: Roles, Perspectives, and Implications explores the impact of the Internet and the expansion of the networked environment on U.S. public libraries through more than a dozen essays written by leading scholars and administrators. Notwithstanding the far-reaching changes wrought by the Internet, this is the first attempt to provide a comprehensive exploration of the subject over time and across areas of practice. This wide-ranging volume, edited by the authors of several national studies tracking the use and involvement of public libraries with the Internet since 1994, offers both description and assessment. It discusses the ways in which the roles and services of public libraries have changed as a result of the Internet and offers a perspective on the meaning and impact of these changes. Perhaps most critically, it also suggests possible futures and opportunities as public libraries continue to evolve in this networked environment.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Part I. Overview Chapter 1 Evolving Relationships between Information Technology and Public Libraries Paul T. Jaeger, John Carlo Bertot, and Kenneth R. Fleischmann Chapter 2 Public Libraries and the Internet: A Retrospective, Challenges, and Issues Moving Forward John Carlo Bertot Part II. Contexts and Connections Chapter 3 Public Libraries and E-government Paul T. Jaeger and John Carlo Bertot Chapter 4 Public Library 2.0: New Technologies, Roles, and Challenges for Public Libraries Lorri Mon Chapter 5 Public Library Roles in Hurricane Preparedness and Response Charles R. McClure, Lauren H. Mandel, John Brobst, Charles C. Hinnant, John T. Snead, and Joe Ryan Chapter 6 The Public Library in the Life of the Internet: How the Core Values of Librarianship Can Shape Human-Centered Computing Kenneth R. Fleischmann Chapter 7 Assessing Florida Public Library Broadband for E-government and Emergency/Disaster Management Services Lauren H. Mandel, Charles R. McClure, and Bradley Wade Bishop Part III. Populations Chapter 8 Providing Services for the Underserved in Public Libraries through an Understanding of Information Poverty and Access Kim M. Thompson Chapter 9 Serving Older Adult Health Information Seekers in the Internet Age: The Role of Public Libraries Bo Xie, Amy Cooper White, Chadwick B. Stark, David Piper, and Elizabeth Norton Chapter 10 Plugging into Youth: Youth Library Services in the Digital Age/Era Erin V. Helmrich and Erin Downey Howerton Chapter 11 Persons with Disabilities and Physical and Virtual Public Library Settings Jonathan Lazar, Paul T. Jaeger, and John Carlo Bertot Part IV. Institutions and Support Chapter 12 Public Library Funding: An Overview and Discussion Denise M. Davis Chapter 13 The Role of State Library Agencies in Public Library Internet Development Robert Bocher Chapter 14 Public Libraries and the Internet: A View from the Trenches Larra M. Clark Part V. Moving Forward Chapter 15 Shaping the Debate: The Present and Future Impacts of Policy on the Internet and Library Services Paul T. Jaeger and John Carlo Bertot Chapter 16 The Ever Changing Impacts of Internet Access on Libraries and Their Communities Charles R. McClure, John Carlo Bertot, and Paul T. Jaeger Index About the Editors and Contributors