International Network of Public Libraries: The Role of Public Libraries in the Media Society

Sponsored by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the International Network of Public Libraries series recognizes the challenges faced by today’s librarians. Consisting of sixteen experts from ten countries, the network strives to create a forum in which information and expertise can be shared in order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of libraries. Their approach is highly practice-oriented; case studies present especially successful solutions. This series is an innovative resource for public library professionals. Conny Ang discusses the great possibilities for libraries with the emergence of the electronic age, believing that new media will expand libraries’ roles and make them more crucial to society. Ang uses the Norrkoeping City Library, Sweden, as an example to discuss some of the successful changes that are already taking place. Robert Cannon expands on Ang’s argument to discuss specific models of electronic media used by the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and evaluates these models’ success. Cannon particularly emphasizes the need for libraries to respond actively to the changes created by the emergence of new media.