Discusses problems with patron Internet access in academic libraries and describes a study conducted at Northwestern University (Illinois) that used Internet tracking software to assess user Internet behavior. Topics include Internet use policies; pornography; and loss of control over library services and information content that is provided. (LRW)

Public libraries implementing public access to the Internet are faced with making new usage policies. This study examined 75 public library Internet access policies and identifies 26 policy elements. Finds consensus in disclaimers for libraries, parental responsibility for children, warnings about potentially offensive material, and loss of…

Plots trends in the growth of Internet use. Discusses pornography on the Web, using filters, and the ALA response. Reports results of a survey of Internet availability within Pennsylvania public libraries. Findings indicate more than 90% of respondents offer access to the Internet, nearly 80% do not use filters, and 50% attempt to control access…

This document is the final report of the NCLIS (National Commission on Libraries and Information Science) study on public libraries and the Internet. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature, extent, and form of public library involvement with the Internet. Data were obtained from a survey of a national sample of public libraries…

This paper is drawn from an empirical, ethnographic study of information and communications technologies (ICT) use among thirteen, low-income twelfth-graders attending a large urban high school and focuses on participants' ICT access in the school library. It examines how library staff members' cultural and gendered perceptions shaped ICT…

This document reports results of an online survey that examined practices and procedures in the management of electronic resources in 65 academic library reference departments. Responses are related to: (1) student population; (2) library use by community people; (3) number of public access workstations, workstations with World Wide Web access,…

This publication reports on research conducted to follow up on a 1997 survey of public libraries and the Internet, co-sponsored by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the American Library Association. The 1998 survey is based on a sample of 2,500 of the nation's 15,718 public library outlets. The survey found that…

Assesses the distribution of poverty areas in the United States relative to public library outlet locations to begin discussion on the best possible public library funding and development policies that would serve individuals in poverty areas. Provides a comparative analysis of poverty relative to public library outlets using two common methods of…