Public policy analysts generally agree that the best way to attack this gap is to provide free access to all. At Library Connection, the overwhelming draw is cable modem Internet access. Survey results show that more than 80 percent of the library customers use the Internet there. Many of those also have computers and Internet access at home but prefer the library for its speedier connections. Others come in to search for jobs, draft resumes and get career advice from Department of Social Services personnel who staff the library most days.
Employment counselors staff the office about twice a month.
And the back office has a fax machine that can be used at no cost to fax resumes. Technophobes are not left out. Often enticed by the computers but unsure of what to do, they usually wander around before a staff member explains the purpose of the e-library and suggests the person attend a class. The one-hour classes, offered twice a week at day and night, give basic tutorials about computers and the Internet. Library Connection was the first project of the new Prince William County Public Library System Foundation a nonprofit organization formed so the library could receive donations to counter dwindling government funding.