Civic Space/Cyberspace: The American Public Library in the Information Age

By Phyllis Dain and Redmond Kathleen Molz

Book Overview

In "Civic Space/Cyberspace," " "Redmond Kathleen Molz and Phyllis Dain assess the current condition and direction of the American public library. They consider the challenges and opportunities presented by new electronic technologies, changing public policy, fiscal realities, and cultural trends. They draw on site visits and interviews conducted across the country; extensive reading of reports, surveys, and other documents; and their long-standing interest in the library's place in the social and civic structure. The book combines a scholarly, humanistic, and historical approach to public libraries with a clear-eyed look at their problems and prospects, including their role in the emerging national information infrastructure.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262133466
• ISBN13: 9780262133463
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Mit Pr
• Length: 259 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.0" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A solid overview of public libraries and issues they face

*The subtitle is: the American public library in the information age.The main strength of this book is in the historical perspective it offers. The authors give a broad, national overview of the public library as an institution, its governance and funding, and U.S. national information policy generally. This historical, research based approach makes for somewhat dense reading, but also makes the book a valuable resource.The...