Searchable resources include lyrics from popular songs, chord tablature for guitar, recipes, news articles, government information, Supreme Court Opinions, census data, current and historical weather information, dictionaries, thesauri, the CIA World Fact Book, and much more.
Hundreds of library OPACS may be searched, and those with accounts set up at CARL may use UnCover to find articles of interest, which then may be faxed on demand.
The richness of the Internet changes on a daily basis as more data resources, computer resources, and human resources join those already active on the net.
But, back to that little girl.
How will she get access?
She'll need a plain old telephone line, a modem, a computer, and
some communications software. Will her family be able to afford it?
If not, will she be able to dial in from her school? Her Post Office?
The local feed store? A kiosk at K-Mart?
At the American Library Association's 1992 convention in San Francisco, Gloria Steinem said "the public library is the last refuge of those without modems." I'm sure she meant that the library will act as information provider for those unable to get their information using a home computer's telecommunications connections. But it could be taken another way. Couldn't the public library act as electronic information access centers, providing public modems and telecommunications alongside the books and videos?
Why the Public Library is a good place for NREN access
The public library is an institution based on long-standing beliefs in intellectual freedom and the individual's right to know. Let's revisit ALA's LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS, Adopted June 18, 1948; amended February 2, 1961, and January 23, 1980, by the ALA Council.
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.