The Impacts of Free Public Internet Access on Public Library Patrons and Communities

Bertot, John Carlo, Charles R. McClure, and Paul T. Jaeger. “The Impacts of Free Public Internet Access on Public Library Patrons and Communities.” Library Quarterly 78, no. 3 (2008): 285-301.

This article presents findings from the 2007 Public Libraries and the Internet Study, which continues the research started in 1994. The authors are the co-principal investigators in this study and have written a large number of articles about various aspects of the data gathered using surveys of librarians across the United States.

In this particular article, the authors examine some of the challenges facing today’s libraries, especially in light of changing technology and public expectations about access to that technology. They write, “libraries are beginning to face a ‘disconnect’ between what their communities expect and the levels of Internet access that they are able to provide to their communities” (287).

The authors go on to discuss the impact of Internet access on communities. The impacts elaborated are technology training and assistance, e-government service delivery, education resources, services for job seekers and disaster/emergency roles and services, among others” (287).

They also present interesting data that show the trends in public access to the Internet and the roles that public libraries play in those trends. For example, virtually every library in the United States now offers public access to the Internet. As a result, the roles of libraries have evolved, with more emphasis on the support services that go with providing that access, particularly training.

As a continuation of the study that was started in 1994, the information in this article is extremely valuable to me and my research question.

One interesting note is that the authors seem to have adopted an assumption that people are entitled to free Internet access. I agree that those without Internet access are at a serious cultural disadvantage, and that it is in society’s best interest to narrow the Digital Divide. However, I find it troubling when the element of entitlement is included.