The Role of Public Libraries in Providing Access to the Internet.

Henderson, Carol C. and Frederick D. King. “The Role of Public Libraries in Providing Access to the Internet.” In Public Access to the Internet, edited by Brian Kahin and James Keller, 154-171. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1995.

This article, written in 1995, urged the use of public libraries as access points to the Internet at a point early in the Internet’s development. As such, it’s right on point for the project I’m working on and provides an interesting starting point for my discussion.

The authors did not gather original data, but rather made arguments and offered suggestions based on research data and public documents available at the time they were writing. Much of the data cited is 20 or more years old, but the article itself contains strong arguments in support of public libraries as access points, as well as a discussion of some of the obstacles to that access (e.g., cost). I expect to find that those same arguments still apply. I also expect to find answers to how libraries addressed the obstacles that existed in 1995, as well as information about current obstacles.

I recognized some of the names the authors cited (e.g., McClure), and believe those sources to be among the leaders in the push to make public libraries access points to the Internet.