This article was contributed by Dr. Sue Medina of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.
Libraries provide valuable service by collecting, retaining, and making available information.
The advent of computers and the growth of the Internet over the last decade have revolutionized how information is created, stored, retrieved, and used. A new kind of library has emerged. A world of information can be accessible with a few keystrokes from desktop computers, and this changes, forever, the concept of a library. Emerging technology, digitization of information, careful planning, and sufficient funding can make it possible to achieve a statewide online library and information network that would provide all students and teachers in Alabama with convenient access to a common core of appropriate, basic information resources needed for education. From a desktop computer, PCs in a classroom, or terminals in a library, students and teachers can retrieve a myriad of information needed for instruction and research.