The arrival of the phenomenon we know as the internet has certainly changed library services in ways that could not have been predicted a decade ago. Public library managers have been prepared to accept internet terminals in their libraries despite some practical problems along the way, such as charging for use and filtering undesirable web sites. The focus of discussion in the literature has largely fallen on such pragmatic decisions as charging and filtering rather than the bigger picture of determining just what the internet can do for a library's mission. Instead of being satisfied with the provision of internet access, the authors say that “the central question is whether the provision of internet access is a social role in and of itself or a support mechanism to facilitate other service roles” (p. 53). This is what the authors want us to think about. How can we use internet access to maximise the service that the public library provides?
McClure has been trying to identify and categorise the roles of the public library for more than 20 years. He was a joint author of Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries (American Library Association) back in 1987, and he has studied the impact of the internet on public libraries since the start of the 1990 s. It is quite natural that he should put the two together and ask how the internet is changing the public library's service roles.
One chapter that gives some food for thought is on “Selecting internet‐enabled service roles”. Although similar in some ways to selecting traditional roles, the library must consider the technological framework before choosing an internet‐based role. In addition to the number of workstations, does the library also have sufficient bandwidth; does it have enough staff with the necessary competencies and training skills? The manager also needs to know the demographics of the library's community and what they need from the library. Then, is there a technology that can meet those needs? This is a process, and that is how the authors of this book regard it.
The authors say that the chapters are brief, and indeed they are. This makes them easy to approach, which the authors state was their intention. This is no heavy academic treatise but a work built on knowledge of the subject condensed by sharp thought and concise writing to just over 100 pages.
Public library managers ought to read this book. It should be bought by libraries with LIS collections, though it seems rather over‐priced for a slim volume.
