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The article focuses on the 2019 "Library Journal" Index of Public Library Service based on the most recent findings from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Public Library Survey, Fiscal Year 2017. It discusses the addition of Wireless Fidelity sessions to the measures used to determine the Star Libraries in the U.S. It presents the number of libraries that retained their Star status and of those that lost theirs. It also describes the factors that affect the Star status of libraries.

The article focuses on the Occupy Wall Street movement and long-term unemployment in the United States. It mentions unemployed aircraft pilot Gordon Stevenson was sympathetic of the Occupy protests but was skeptical that demonstrators could focus their discontent to a political agenda such as unemployment. It comments on several unemployed Occupy protesters who downplay their unemployed status and suggests that unemployed people are too focused on seeking jobs to realize they could protest or speak out. It talks about the use of public libraries by poor unemployed people to fill out online job applications and describes it as one venue for bringing small groups of unemployed people together. It suggests that President Barack Obama has dampened potential unrest by the unemployed.

Focuses on the attraction of Internet and computer access for library patrons in the United States. Findings of the assessment of the Library Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Issue of defining the digital divide; Increase in workload and work-related stress for library staff from increased patronage since the installation of computers; Details of the 'Gates Model' library program; Outreach to the poor and in urban areas.

Reports on efforts to add computer resources to rural libraries in Colorado. Reasons for the installation of computers in Colorado rural libraries; Use of Application Service Provider (ASP) technology. INSET: Keeping It Public.

The article focuses on the use of content clips (CC) which helps teachers and school librarians find digital resources for educational purposes. The Content Clips project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) investigates on how digital libraries can be useful for elementary science teaching. CC helps teachers to assess student's knowledge and cognitive skills. Also, CC indicates a strong shift towards the use of the Internet due to the growing trend to the use of projectors.

The article focuses on capacity planning for broadband use in public libraries in the U.S. The traditional way of building broadband capacity for one-way traffic in the library has been deemed outdate because of often accessed Internet-based resources such as YouTube, Second Life, Facebook and Hulu. A bidirectional network is seen as part of the current broadband needs of libraries. Factors that affect a library's bandwidth include the technology infrastructure and architecture used in the library, network load, traffic route and management and services and resources.

The article presents lessons from the Public Library Connectivity Study of the Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP). According to 58% of public libraries in the U.S., their Internet connectivity speed was insufficient in 2007. This has been attributed to the increased demand for public library Internet access and bandwidth requirement for supporting current Internet applications and services. The study revealed that both library users and staff were affected by the inadequate bandwidth provided.

The article discusses key findings from the 2007-2008 Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (PLFTAS). The survey team used a sample and replacement strategy, inducing 96% of the U.S. libraries that were sampled to respond. Results showed that 98.9% of public library branches offer public Internet while 72.5% report that they are the only ones to provide free public computer and Internet access in their communities. An average of 12 public access workstations has been posted, increasing from 10.7 in 2006-2007.

The article discusses the effects of Internet on the way libraries offer information sources in the U.S. Latest observation shows that Internet or Web technologies have changed the arena of libraries, revealing new opportunities and challenges for the librarians and its users. The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science has documented reports that most of public libraries in the country have access to the Internet. This is because they see Internet as a useful tool to the provision of information.

This article discusses the protection of user privacy in the age of digital libraries in the U.S. The topic of privacy regulations is complex at best, but research yielded three key insights. First, there is a host of legislation at both the federal and state level that applies to the users' privacy issues. At the federal level, the Privacy Act of 1974, Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and Children's On-line Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) are of interest to libraries. The Privacy Act of 1974 was passed in order to control the federal government's collection, use, and dissemination of sensitive personal information. FERPA is a law that requires educational institutions to protect students' privacy with regard to educational records, while COPPA prohibits Web sites from collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 without the consent of their parents. However, research suggested that this legislation is most pertinent to libraries. Second, the Library Bill of Rights and the American Library Association (ALA) Code of Ethics both have strong statements regarding libraries and a librarian's responsibilities to user privacy. The Library Bill of Rights implies that privacy needs to be protected by libraries. This is because users lose their freedom of inquiry if their privacy is not guaranteed. Furthermore, the ALA Code of Ethics makes a more direct statement regarding libraries and privacy: We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted. Third, beyond the legislative realm, libraries need to pay attention to privacy issues because they are part of the greater landscape of the Internet, and most commercial Web sites have some sort of privacy statement and policies.

Aunque cada vez más bibliotecas ofrecen servicios de referencia a través del correo electrónico, se ha publicado poco sobre ello. Nosotros realizamos un estudio para estudiar este tipo de servicios en las bibliotecas públicas y los usuarios que los utilizan. Para la recogida de datos se usó un cuestionario que se envío a las bibliotecas que participaron y otro que se colocó en una página web para que lo rellenasen los propios usuarios. Los datos recogidos incluían: 1) tipología y gestión de los servicios de referencia ofrecidos por las bibliotecas públicas de los Estados Unidos; 2) características de los usuarios y su satisfacción con el servicio recibido; y 3) clasificación de las preguntas de referencia recibidas por las bibliotecas públicas a través del correo electrónico. Las características de los servicios de referencia ofrecidos por las bibliotecas públicas variaban considerablemente de una a otra biblioteca, aunque los usuarios estaban en su mayoría satisfechos con lo que habían recibido y citaban la facilidad y conveniencia como las principales razones para usar este servicio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The residents of King Country, Washington, who turn to the justice system for help face many challenges. They must overcome barriers linked to information and legal literacy, economic limits, and access to computers and the Internet. There's been an explosion of available resources on the Web, but many come to the King County Law Library for help because they do not have Internet access at home. In Washington, county law libraries derive their authority from the state Legislature and operate as special districts. As a public law library, we provide access to legal information to judges, government officials, attorneys, and members of the general public.We believed that opening a training center would accomplish a number of goals and objectives, including fulfilling goals in the library's strategic and technological plans to enhance the role of the library's staff as teachers and trainers, to provide a setting for formal and informal learning opportunities geared to the needs of self-represented litigants, and to make the resources of the library's Web site available for patrons to use in-house as well as from remote locations.

Discusses the use of the library Internet to disseminate periodical articles in the U.S. Distribution of full text of periodical literature within its intranet sending directly to a patron as part of a selective dissemination service; Creation of a library e-reserve; Limitations on the concept of repeat copying of the same item; Rules and exemptions of software and sound recordings.

Focuses on the provision of Internet access for children and teenagers through public libraries in the United States. Attitude of children toward the Internet; Problems with Internet access for children; Recommended Web sites and search engines for children and teenagers.

The article discusses about the many services small, rural libraries in Texas can provide their community and connect with them. It suggests that libraries can provide free, wireless internet access to migrant farm laborers, students and other users, offer to host meeting spaces for companies and organizations, and develop partnership with local schools and school libraries.

The article discusses the management of public access computers in libraries. Many of the problems that have risen with the use of technology in the library are actually not new problems. The twist in public access computer management is that computers are capable of doing so much that it is difficult to restrict their use to only library-related functions. A computer that can access the library's online catalog on the Web can also be used to access personal e-mail, download music for a user's private collection, or play games. The struggle of library employees in the U.S. to allocate their computer resources fairly has not gone unnoticed by the general public. Librarians who were early pioneers in bringing information technology to the end user shared their experiences and frustrations through the Public Access Computer System mailing list. While there are some technological solutions to help libraries manage public access computers, the larger problem will remain. There will always be irate patrons unhappy with library computer access policies and procedures. At the end of the day, the best solution may be some library humor. A comprehensive source of library-related humor is the Laugh'n'Links section of the Laughing Librarian Web site.

Comments on a meeting of the board of trustees of the Kitsap Regional Library System in Bremerton, Washington. Expectation of the author that the meeting would be a venue for heated debate about the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA); Opinion that CIPA, which mandates that federally funded libraries implement Internet filters for public access computers, amounts to censorship; Events of the meeting, at which attendees were polite and generally supportive of the library's position on CIPA.

Discusses the evolution and pervasiveness of the Internet in the United States. Percentage of the U.S. population that has access to the Internet as of September 2000; The origin on the Internet; Forecast for the future of the Web; Opinion that most computers in libraries and corporations in the U.S. are underutilized; How computer users can assist the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI); Critiques of other Internet developments.

Presents information on e-rate, a subsidy program approved by the United States Federal Communications Commission for Internet access of minorities and low income group. Role of minority scholars in the e-rate policy debate; Impact of the program on poor and minority communities.

This article focuses on an experiment to provide free Internet access in the U.S. New Jersey Bell and Bellcore are sponsoring a two-year experiment to allow people free access to the Internet in three dozen public libraries in the Garden State. Anyone with a modem can also tap into portions of the Internet from the home by calling the project's dial-up connection.

The article offers news briefs concerning the American Libraries Association (ALA). The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded ALA a grant to support the organization's efforts to ensure free public access to the Internet in all of U.S. public libraries. A fundraising campaign for the 2007 ALA PPO Cultural Communities Fund is underway.

Describes the American Library Association (ALA)'s Midwinter Meeting, held in Washington D.C. in January 2001. Public awareness campaign which was unveiled by the ALA; Vote of the ALA to initiate litigation which challenges legislation mandating Internet filtering for libraries and schools, such as the Children's Internet Protection Act; Conference highlights and attendance; ALA sponsors and celebrity advocates.

The article reports on the efforts of some Republican members of the U.S. Congress to expand the Children's Internet Protection Act in response to the spate of online predators contacting children through sites like MySpace. The Deleting Online Predators Act would require schools and libraries to also block instant messaging, online e-mail, wikis and blogs. The American Library Association opposes this motion.

Presents information on a report released by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the American Library Association during the 2004 Public Library Association conference in Seattle, Washington. Increase in the number of public library systems offering Internet access in the U.S.; Number of public access computers awarded by Bill's father, William Gates Sr.

Reports findings from the 'Public Libraries and the Internet 2002: Internet Connectivity and Networked Services,' a report from the Information Use Management and Policy Institute at Florida State University, Tallahassee. Topics of Internet and database access, filtering, and funding; Statistics on increased access, faster workstations, increased filtering of Internet services, and funding trends; Professors who made the study; Who commissioned the study.

Reports news related to libraries as of January, 2003. Additional funding for sixty additional staff positions at the Jacksonville Public Library in Florida; Recommended raises for staffers at the Akron-Summit County Public Library; Use of a public library computer at the Warren Public Library in Michigan by a teenager who sent e-mail messages to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation threatening to kill U.S. President George W. Bush; Retirement of Harold Billings, director of general libraries at the University of Texas at Austin; Other news.