The games console as a component of the electronic library?

The games console, within the wider sector of electronic games and entertainment, is defined. A historical outline of the games console is given, indicating how the development of the console, and that of the PC, have intertwined over several decades. The emerging generation of games consoles possesses facilities that offer the possibility of access to networked resources, such as electronic library services, at a fraction of the cost of PC hardware. The Electronic Library and the increase in home‐based network access are discussed. Observations are then drawn from the use of a games console to interact with specific network‐based components of the “electronic library”. Alternative emerging modes of Internet and Network‐based access are touched upon. Aspects of game console usage within the library sector are considered and future developments of gaming and console technology, especially as applied to Network‐based service and resource access, are speculated upon.