Another twist that I had forgotten: when I go to UC Berkeley to use
the library there (as a lowly 'citizen of the state of California') I
cannot connect to their wireless network, which requires a campus
login. I must use the computers at the library to access any of the
materials the library provides electronically. (And, no, I can't
access them from home -- that's not available to 'citizens of the
state' -- not included in the library's contracts.) So the only way I
can get to those materials is by using the library computers.
I can imagine some computers being needed as long as the library has
online resources.
kc
Quoting Karen Coyle <lists_at_KCOYLE.NET>:
> Quoting Tim Spalding <tim_at_LIBRARYTHING.COM>:
>
>
>>
>> In short, librarians are fond of saying there is "more to a library
>> than books." It's worth discussing the more, and thinking about
>> whether it will change over time. I for one am not at all convinced
>> that the historically rather brief practice of free computers in
>> libraries will continue forever.
>>
>
> Depends on what you mean by "free computers." There was a time when
> public libraries had rooms with typewriters, for folks who didn't have
> one at home. Then there were computers with word-processing programs
> for those without computers at home. At my local public library, I've
> never seen a computer "unused", and usually there is a line waiting to
> get to them. In this case, though, it appears that most people are
> using the computers for internet access. Internet access in a library
> makes good sense -- it's another information resource, after all. Not
> only that, some of the library's own resources are only available over
> the internet (journal databases, etc.) So I think that internet access
> belongs there, and will continue to be there as long as the internet is
> a key information resource. Whether or not that means that the library
> has to provide computers is another thing, but even when "everybody"
> has a laptop, the public library will need to serve that 5 or 10 or 20%
> of our population that seems to be always left out of "everybody."
>
> kc
>
> --
> Karen Coyle
> kcoyle@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net
> ph: 1-510-540-7596
> m: 1-510-435-8234
> skype: kcoylenet
--
Karen Coyle
kcoyle@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net
ph: 1-510-540-7596
m: 1-510-435-8234
skype: kcoylenet
Received on Fri Apr 30 2010 - 11:05:24 EDT