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A lot of literature from the past few years has discussed the importance of bridging the digital divide that exists between those with Internet access and those without. Public libraries have often declared themselves to be that bridge. This article looks at how Indiana's public libraries allow the citizens they serve access to the Internet. With a grant from the University Research Committee of Indiana State University, this author studied the use of filtering software and other restrictions that have been placed on patrons' computer usage. To determine Internet policies and usage in Indiana, a survey was mailed to all 434 Indiana public libraries (239 main and 195 branches) in the autumn of 2003. Thirty-three percent (144 of the 434 mailed) of the surveys were returned. Findings from the survey indicate that 66 percent of Indiana libraries have filters currently in place, and another 22 percent said that they are planning to install filters in the future. Several factors drive the use of Internet filters in public libraries. For example, CIPA, the Children's Internet Protection Act, mandates that schools and libraries install filtering software or risk losing their eligibility for federal funding. Some libraries, however, spoke out against filtering, claiming that filtering is intrusive and unnecessary, and that children's use of the Internet is the responsibility of the parents. Other libraries indicated that they used a form of non-technological filtering--the library computers were located in an environment that could be viewed and monitored by the staff. Survey results also showed that 88 percent of the responding libraries place restrictions on patrons' usage of computers (restricting pornography, e-mail, and chat rooms). Ninety percent place restrictions on juveniles' use of the Internet. The article includes a list of filtering software currently used in libraries. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

Lending services units at Indiana State University's Cunningham Memorial Library depend heavily on student employees to fulfill their specific missions. Problems attributed to poor communication and lack of motivation among student employees were causing negative impacts on the units' abilities to function well. To resolve these problems, supervisors established priorities, set goals, and conducted a literature search to identify optimum remedies. Solutions were chosen on the basis of cost and ease of implementation. Strategies adopted included recognizing out-standing students, formalizing peer training, improving communication through electronic posting, expanding training methods, and providing student employee manuals specific to each unit.

Dr. Philip R. Kesten, a physics professor at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, co-founded Docutek Information Systems, the parent company for the popular electronic reserves product ERes, in the mid 1990s. This article looks at how and why Dr. Kesten became involved with electronic reserves and where the company hopes to go with its product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]