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Public Libraries and CommuniShare:
Public libraries are not themselves “communities”, but rather services within neighborhoods, towns or other geographic communities. But public libraries provide particularly appropriate venues for CommuniShare in a number of ways. As institutions, public libraries have an unparalleled commitment to and reputation for fairness, confidentiality and support of free intellectual curiosity. They are the only local institutions which provide free Internet access to all. Today more than ever, public libraries are striving to become more relevant to their local communities, and to be seen as community resource centers. And, public libraries have been irrevocably transformed by the Internet, which is regarded as both a challenge and an opportunity—not only because of the sheer volume of information, but also because of the diversity of sources which provide its content. Amid all of the challenges facing public libraries today, CommuniShare can provide a number of benefits to libraries and their patrons...
- CommuniShare provides an inexpensive source of locally relevant content.
- One of the cornerstones of professional librarianship is the defense of intellectual freedom, of which CommuniShare is the epitome. In fact, for some people, a public library-based CommuniShare application may be the only available and non-judgmental medium for validating their right to free expression.
- By engaging local residents as information providers, public libraries provide a service that is more consistent with the diverse and multidirectional nature of the Internet.
- CommuniShare data could be translated into MARC format for community information, thus enabling it to be displayed via most online public access catalogs.
Read an essay on public libraries and community self-indexing: Patron_Networks_essay.pdf (40KB - Adobe Acrobat Reader file)
(Acrobat PDF files require the free Adobe Reader software.)
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Neighborhoods and Towns
Public Libraries
Colleges and Universities
Corporations
Dues-Paying Membership Organizations
Communities of Faith
Business and Professional Organizations
Schools
Residential Communities
Specialized Retail Environments
Other Types of Communities |
