“Though Delaware libraries have more than twice as many computers as a few years ago—163 in 2000 versus 351 in 2005—they simply can’t keep up with demand. At Rehoboth Beach in the summertime, lines get so long that librarians pass out receipts with a printed time to return to use the computer.” – Delaware Online.
The TeleRead take: I hope more libraries will grow up and not expect everyone to pass through the turnstile. Time for a TeleRead-style approach to help drive down the cost of hardware domestically for schoolchildren and other library users, not just abroad? Alas, the Digital Divide is alive and well.
I don’t know if this solves the problem at all but Dallas Public Library has added Wi-Fi to its computers. I can bring my computer and browse without waiting in line. Of course I have a computer–something many of my neighbors don’t (since I live in a largely minority section of our city). Here’s the thing, though. I bought my computer, a HP Jornada Pocket PC, for $70 from eBay (including a Wi-Fi card). Yep, below the $100 mark. It’s a price that makes David’s universal library a real possibility.
I’m a true believer in libraries. Instead of putting Starbucks in Barnes and Noble, maybe we need to put them in libraries and make the library the new version of the old salon.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com