Online Access to Information: this will only increase through libraries, schools, work and home. The younger segment of the population will have much higher comfort level with computers and online resources and will eschew print sources.
Therefore, emphasis should be on making resources available online rather than in print form with the caveat that some materials should still be in paper (not certain what criteria to use here - importance? reference value? high usage?) and some way should be established to ensure the long-term archival storage and retrievability of online data and reports (much NASA data from the 1970s is essentially lost because the original computer platforms are no longer being maintained).
What is the Public Library's Role? It is and always has been to provide timely information to the public to help in decision making. That said, I have tried to point out earlier that public libraries are undergoing unprecedented change in usage due to the Internet. If most information is available online to anyone with access to the Internet, why bother to partner with libraries at all? My answer is that librarians have the training in accessing information that is sorely needed by the public to navigate online and print resources. The question I have is, will they turn to the library when they reach roadblocks? One experiment being pursued is real time reference. We will see...
Due to other commitments, this is probably my final posting. I have enjoyed reading your thoughts and learned a great deal. Thanks to all of you for participating.
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