Already, our country is experiencing an alarming disparity in use of new technologies among different racial groups. Many of those skills will be technology and computer related. For many of children, their tools for connecting them to benefits of the NII and acquiring these skills are located in their local public library. The Clinton Administration recognizes the important role that libraries are and will continue to play. The Administration believes that all Americans, not only those who own computers or who live in affluent areas, must have access to the advanced information technologies and services.
Public institutions can serve as their access points.
Libraries are an important on-ramp to the Information Superhighway. And the Information Superhighway can take you around the world, from the Louvre in Paris to the University of Singapore to the Ralph Bunche School in Harlem. However, libraries will continue to do much more that simply provide access to other places. Libraries are also a place to provide information about your community. For example, the Southwest D.C. Library recently had an exhibit on the history of that community.