These are but a few questions you may explore as you think about the Internet and its cultural implications. Until the early 1990's, there was little freely-accessible information on the Internet, except for a few university Gopher sites. However, many other common resources of information are protected by copyright law, and cannot be accessed without paying fees or license agreements. While you are a student, you may freely use these databases, because their licenses are paid for by the university Libraries. Most databases that provide access to commercial publications would be much to expensive for people to pay for individually.
Libraries play a crucial role in providing information to the public .
Web pages and other files supported by private individuals can be useful for research. Remember, though, that anyone can put anything on the Internet. There are no checks and balances, or publication cycle that must be followed. Finally, one does not need a professional editor or knowledgeable editorial board to post information on the Internet. This does not mean that all the information on the Internet is wrong, necessarily.