11 October 2005

People will be able to chat and ask questions to library staff in Britain, the US and Canada thanks to new Internet services offered in libraries across Yorkshire.

The Enquire, Read and Discover Internet services are to launch next week and mark a continuation of the work of the organisation, the People's Network, which aims to make the Internet accessible to all.

Having achieved their initial goals of bringing the Internet to every public library, the organisation is now aiming to create online services that extend the normal reach of public libraries.

The new services will use chat room technology to enable readers to get answers on book queries back very quickly from across the globe.

The enquiry services will be open 24 hours a day and seven days a week and allow users to access very specific information from a number of different sources.

Avid readers will also be able to access services offering online reading groups and group book discussions.

So far, £120 million has been invested in the People's Network project and it helped ensure all of the UK's 4,200 libraries were hooked up the Internet by 2002.

© Adfero Ltd

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