Putting Imagination Online: Public Libraries, The Internet and Literature

Seminar One

a means of communication
- one to one e.g. e-mail
- one to many e.g. discussion lists
- real time communication too e.g. web-casts and videoconferencing
a source of information
- Individual's home pages
- Company web pages
- Academic information
- Databases
- Enthusiasts
a way of making information available
- available 24 hours a day
- available around the world

Readers publishing reviews on library web site
Readers continuing stories which are available on the web site
Online author interviews
Local author information on the web site
National gateway to author information
Gateway to good literature information on the web
Subject based magazines available on the web site
Download audio copies of poems
Ensuring access for everyone irrespective of any disabilities
Using e-mail and website to set up readers' groups (local, national, international?)
Make available texts which can simply be downloaded
Develop interactive online stories
Provide access to multi-cultural resources head in other locations
Make available online reading lists
Use the web site as a current awareness tool - publish news of latest books, latest library news
Develop reader profiles - e-mail them when a book arrives that they might like
Provide a means for interaction between the author and the reader
Promote literature cooperatively with other libraries online.

Ensuring web sites linked to are quality ones
Reader confidentiality if developing reader profiles
Copyright issues
Infrastructure and access
Developing services which attract current non-library users
Content - how owns the information you provide and who is responsible for it
How do you work out the cost-benefit of the services?
Don't want to the duplicating what is being done in other libraries - opportunities for collaboration.
Staff and public need training
Resources and funding
Administration - new ways of administrating for new services?
Pornography - ensuring the site is not miss used.

The development of online literature services offers a real opportunity for public libraries - both to addd additional value to their current literature services and also to attract current non-library users
The development of these services will be better achieved through cooperation and the implementation of a nationally agreed strategy
Public access to equipment and resources in the library must be assured else these literature services will only be available to people who can afford their own computer equipment.
Libraries must begin to take their services out of the building and make them available over the networks.