29 July 2005
A new initiative has been launched to use the Internet to improve libraries and boost attendances.
The Music, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has called on all public libraries to provide visitors with free Internet access.
The Internet has already vastly boosted library-going in Britain. When in 2002, the MLA oversaw the introduction of computers and internet access in all 3000 public libraries in England, library attendances rose by five million - the first time library visits had increased in a decade.
MLA chair Mark Wood said: "Councils must be confident they are providing modern public libraries that are relevant to today's users and open at convenient times.
"Traditional lending services must be improved, and complemented by online access to information using up-to-date technologies."
Internet access in libraries - dubbed the People's Network - has revolutionised the scope of services provided by public libraries.
As many as 7,000 users claim that it has helped them find a job, while 52,500 people have used it in activities supporting their local community.© DeHavilland Information Services plc
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