pamplona@sils.umich.edu,
http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/people/pamplona.html
Keywords:
Abstract: The Internet Public Library (IPL) is a WWW-based library created to serve the needs of the internet community. Multiple formatted information is gatewayed through an HTML front page which provides access to a variety of information sources.
With a stated mission to "provide services and information which enhance the value of the Internet to its ever expanding and varied community of users," the creators of the Internet Public Library saw the WWW as a standardized way of amassing the multiple format information they are providing to the internet community. Creating a unified gateway to the library in the form of a home page (see figure 1) provided an easy-to-use front end to the library's information services. The creators did not want to provide just another hotlist, and are actively creating new resources for the library which will be offered in a variety of ways.
An important goal early on was to provide as much of the "atmosphere" of an actual public library as was possible in a virtual environment. To that end, the creators included a user services division where a "map" of the library could be found, a youth division complete with writing contests, a story hour (see figure 2), and a concept book which introduces younger users to Internet and computing terminology (see figure 3); a reference division which has a link to a MOO where live reference services are provided at the MOO reference desk; a services for information professionals department created to assist librarians in utilizing the Internet in their libraries; and there is even a library cat who roams the shelves (see a href="fig4.GIF">figure 4). The intention was to create a space familiar to everyone who had used a public library, whether or not they had extensive experience with the WWW.
One of the challenging aspects at the onset was to define the community being served by the Internet Public Library. Because the creators of the IPL are all affiliated with the School of Information and Library Studies at the University of Michigan, they are familiar with the challenges and tasks associated with establishing a new library. The added difficulty in this situation was identifying the particular needs of the users of IPL, who would be much more heterogeneous than users of a small town public library. To this end, a survey was conducted to better assess the community of potential users. The results helped define more clearly the role IPL was going to play in the Internet community.
The idea of a public library for the Internet has been received with great enthusiasm. Backed by a Board of Trustees which includes Jean Armour Polly (NYSERNet), Joseph Hardin (NCSA), Susanna L. Davidsen (MLink), and Joseph J. Fitzsimmons (UMI), IPL has engendered interest from all over the world. This project will serve as a simultaneous challenge both to our notion of what libraries are and our perception of the potential of the Web to serve a global community.
