Amazon claims to be the earth's largest bookstore with a stock of three million titles. The only differentiation they make is the time it takes to deliver the materials. Amazon calls you by name on return visits, lets you browse in broad subject areas, provides reviews, notifies you when similar books are published, and suggests titles you might like. Access is the first step. As of this spring all 350 public library buildings in Virginia are connected to the Internet for public access.
Many public libraries continue to upgrade PCs and networks to meet new demands.
By bringing the World Wide Web into our libraries and making this information available to our public, we have the capacity in the smallest library in the smallest community to make available what we could never own. April is Shakespeare's birth month. Arlington celebrated by making available a selection of web sites on the Bard. The challenge for public libraries will be finding the staff time and expertise to locate and make available that which is truly wonderful on the Web. This selection of information, combined with coaching and guidance, is the value we add that our public has always come to us for-help in finding information and evaluating that information for their need.