So, there were 'public library' buildings at centralized locations in various communities. But even then, cross-referencing was almost nonexistent. The photon had not yet been harnessed, so communication by light was done through what were called 'fiber optics,' like pipelines for light. People could not convert physical electrons to energy, and the speed of light was considered the upward limit of movement. Cold-fusion was unknown, so power supplies were limited.
Many people feel it was a more charming way to interact.
It certainly required more effort. Imagine the terror a person your age might have felt when he or she reached out to hold a boy's or a girl's hand for the first time at a party, or asked someone to dance for the first time, back when you were in a room full of actual neighbors who knew you by name, and not virtual neighbors who know you only by online profile, and when, if the boy or girl smiled politely and said, 'No,' you couldn't 'blink out' by pulling the plug, but were stuck in the room with that person for the rest of the evening. No, or at least rarely. But actions did have more direct and immediate consequences. Surfers could drown, skateboarders got scraped knees, campers got lost, divers could break their necks, snowboarders wiped out when they hit trees.