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Schools are not the only community institutions that can provide NII-based services. Libraries and community centers are likely to be an important piece of the NII equation for most communities. These institutions can help educate children, support lifelong learning, provide public access to the information superhighway, and allow consumers of information to become producers of information in much the same way schools can.
Public libraries. Already responsible for providing information access and education programs, public libraries are well positioned to provide access to the NII. The specific infrastructure any given library would want to build is a function of its resources and the emphasis the community places on the many possible roles a public library could play.
Libraries currently support children's education through a range of reading, storytelling, tutoring and other programs; as places to do homework; and as information providers for student research. As many libraries have already discovered, computers and networks can add significantly to the library's tools. For example, the public library in Arlington, Virginia, recently acquired a multimedia computer along with educational and "edutainment" software; computer time is always in high demand. The award-winning Charlotte, North Carolina, public library has established three satellite centers with computer and network access to serve at-risk youth in their communities on weekends and after school.
Many state, county, and city library systems have launched programs to provide patrons with access to community and subject-oriented information specifically and to the information superhighway generally. The State of Maryland, Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, and the City of Seattle are among those who have initiated such efforts. For example, Maryland's Sailor, the state's on-line public information network, is currently available through hundreds of public library terminals. In addition to Internet access, Sailor provides information on city, county, and state government; libraries and education resources; and subject-oriented information on science and technology, entertainment and leisure, employment, and other topics.
In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, the Electronic Information Network (EIN), a partnership between the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the county library community, seeks to link Allegheny County's public libraries to each other and the information superhighway. As part of the EIN, Carnegie Public Library is also the headquarters and sponsor of the Three Rivers Free-Net. The Free-Net will provide access to the Internet as well as a place for community organizations to publish public service information. Information mounted on the Free-Net will include information on social service agencies, calendars of events, weather news, local government information, city guides, and consumer information.
Seattle Public Library's citywide network allows access to the Internet and local information resources through 200 public-use terminals in 20 neighborhoods and 2 housing projects. Dial-in and telnet connections are also available. The Library's on-line activities include building a database of community organizations and a calendar of events, and compiling a "Seattle Facts" database. The library also provides access to the Washington State Legislature Public Access System, the City of Seattle Public Access Network, and the city's geographic information system, as well as important local community documents.
In addition to providing access, libraries have extensive experience and distinct capabilities in locating and organizing information. They can apply these skills in identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing information available through the NII as a service provided to community members, schools, and businesses.
Community centers. Community centers represent another possible entity-in addition to schools and libraries-that can advance the lifelong learning needs of communities, provide public access to the information superhighway, and even deliver social services. As with libraries, the applications, benefits, infrastructure options, and costs to provide NII access will derive from the specific role of the center in its community.
For the purposes of this discussion, we define a community center as a physical or electronic location where community members go to meet others, learn, play, or access information resources or social services. This broad definition encompasses a range of locations and a wide spectrum of potential roles. For example, the role of one community center could be to offer convenient, affordable access to the NII for the general public while another could be to provide targeted, programmatic access to the NII for at-risk groups. An example of the former role, Smart Valley in California is experimenting with placing Internet stations in a range of public locations including shopping centers, post offices, and town halls in order to better understand behavior and usage patterns. Examples of the latter role include a number of programs to expose inner city youth and other disadvantaged groups to technology. Plugged In of East Palo Alto, California, originally focused on at-risk youth in neighboring areas, has been expanding through partnerships to work with battered women's groups and rehabilitation centers. Currently, Plugged In offers programs on using computers, accessing the Internet, and working with various software packages. Some communities with limited resources may prefer to connect community centers ahead of schools or libraries. For example, a representative of a Native American community told us that Native Americans would be more inclined to accept and use NII-based tools if they were introduced in the tribal community centers rather than the public schools.
Some K-12 schools are serving as learning centers for members of their communities by providing after-hours access to distance learning and computer facilities. Mississippi's Project LEAP (Learn, Earn, And Prosper) is one such program; it uses satellite-based transmission in 200 K-12 schools to broadcast courses in reading, GED preparation, workplace readiness, and life-coping skills. These programs are broadcast after school hours from 4 to 9 pm.
Community Networks. In the broadest sense, a community could seek to be "wired" by networking a range of physical community centers as well as creating electronic communities that connect individuals or groups to each other and to community resources. While most are just in the planning stage, some community-wide networks are in operation today. The DIANE Project in Tennessee connects nearly 30 different institutions including universities, primary and secondary schools, libraries, science groups, local community centers, and small business groups.
Other communities have started by building community electronic bulletin boards that include public and private industry job listings, city permit applications, vehicle registration information, resources for starting up and growing small businesses, and announcements of emergency procedures. The La Plaza Telecommunity in Taos, New Mexico, is an on-line service and electronic community that provides educational services through Internet resources and distance learning; improved access to health care/medical information and resources (including Diabetes Knowledge Base for the local Pueblo Indians and prenatal care in response to the high incidence of teenage pregnancy); an electronic communications medium for debate of government and societal issues; and access to government information (including job listings from the New Mexico Department of Labor Service Center). Increasingly, discussions in some communities and among some government officials are focusing on how a broad set of social services could be delivered electronically, including welfare, health care, and home education.