The recent call for proposals by the NSF, ARPA, and NASA sparked considerable interest by researchers and commercial ventures. Interest has been clearly focused on the technical. The library and information science community has been largely excluded. Easy and constant access, it is argued, is possible only through technical solutions, and by lack of inclusion of other considerations, it is further argued that this is all that is socially required. The library as place also includes many social elements.
People gather and socialize in the library.
Academic libraries provide places to study and meet. Community libraries also provide social welfare services. Librarians not only provide filtering, training, and information gathering capabilities, they also provide a human touch in the process of information seeking and use. Increased access to information sources is to be encouraged. That is, we do not see the technology as restricted because we redefine the social phenomenon to include only what is technically possible.