Internet Access--the Last New Zealand Mile
I'm writing this from a public machine at the Queenstown airport. It's been very interesting for me to be in a country where people definitely do NOT take Internet access for granted. Most of the libraries I've visited offer it, some charge, some restrict access and don't allow email, some provide it for free. It's definitely a case of the playing field not being as level as I think everyone would like.
New Zealand is a small country, under 5 million people, and high speed internet is not ubiquitous here yet. The libraries I've seen are doing an amazing job, but I think there are governmental restrictions that prevent them from making their vision real.
Given that lately I've been questioning wide open access (well, we do filter at OPL but it's still wide open) and the behavior problems associated with it, I wonder if there's a lesson for U.S. libraries to be learned from our Kiwi cousins? I'd love to talk about this. What I've seen so far are fewer behavior problems (the kind we have that are associated with internet access) and generally libraries that are very pleasant places.
It's making me think.
April 18, 2008 at 1:38 PM
Benson Branch staff members would love to participate in this conversation!
April 20, 2008 at 6:38 AM
From the ML circ desk: sounds like interesting conversation to be had, esp. in educating folks that the best experiences occur when we are cognizant and respectful of our own and others' boundaries.