Symposium on the Effects of the Internet on Education

[[abstract]]Based upon recent research, the missions and functionalities of the public library have been changed fundamentally by network technology. This two-year study's objective attempts to understand the Internet's usages and its key influential factors in the Taiwan Public library. First-year study includes the framework of the influence of Internet technology on the public library and identifies key factors affecting its connectivity and applications. Seven areas have been identified for further in-depth case study to explain the influence of the Internet on the Public library for the second year. These seven areas are: (1) Information Poor Access;(2) Equitable Access;(3) Access Usage Policy and Filtering Software;(4) Librarians' Roles Change and re-organization;(5) The Community Information and local database;(6) Web-Based Government Information Services;(7) Virtual reference services and its human resources. We propose that the government should promote more connectivity then progress to more effective public Internet access at the public library. Outsourcing information-related services to vendors and collaborating with community organization(s) are the main options. The human resources for information resources are the key successful factors to the vision of the public library. Usage of a filtering software and availability through an Acceptable Use Policy for public Internet access are very important while simultaneously promoting for more effective Internet use. Equitable access, universal services, network resources of local contents, integrated government on-line information and coordination with local community are also key issues concerning the Internet environment in the public library.