Want to know more? http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/body/0,1634,500170484-500219011-501036702-0,00.html

In a related story staff members of the Minneapolis Public Library have filed a petition signed by nearly 50 library staff members expressing their discomfort in the library’s open Internet access policy

Read more - http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/2000/000221.html#minnsmut

Internet access and schools
The availability of computing resources and Internet access in schools continues to improve. The past five years have seen the number of connected schools grow from 33 percent to nearly 95 percent. The ratio of students to Internet accessible computers dropped from 12:1 to 9:1 in the past twelve months. Still access to technology is not universal - larger school districts tend to have higher ratios of students to Internet connected computers and 39 percent of the classrooms in high poverty areas are connected to the Internet, while 74 percent of the classrooms in "low poverty" areas have Internet connections.

Want to know more? http://www.foxnews.com/vtech/021600/schools.sml

A visit by Cookie Monster
One of Sesame Street's favorite monsters made a visit to Lepper Library on Thursday, January 27 when PBS channels 45/49 sponsored a "Meet Cookie Monster" program for the library. Over 150 children from several local preschools, Head Start, and the community got a chance to give "Cookie" and hug and get a picture taken with him. Construction paper chocolate chip cookies made by the preschool students were greedily devoured by Cookie Monster and children's librarian Linda Eells passed out real chocolate chip cookies to all of the children.

The day also served as fun good-bye for Linda, who has left the library for a new position as a nanny in Westchester County New York, just a brief drive from New York City. We will all miss Linda, her hard work, and creative programming.

Internet access to student grades
An interesting concept using the Internet to connect students, teachers, and parents is rapidly gaining popularity. The service ThinkWave.com allows parents and students to access a password-protected site to view grade, assignment, attendance, and behavior information.

Want to know more? http://www.foxnews.com/vtech/022100/grades.sml

Does net usage impact "Real-Life" time?
Two sides are hotly debating a recent study related to use of the Internet and the impact on social activity. The findings of the study suggest that the more time people spend on the Internet the less time they spend engaged in other activities, such as visiting with friends, attending social events, and engaged in other social activities. The findings have been hotly debated, is online social activity such as email different than a phone call or writing a letter? Is one better than the other?

Read more - http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/internet_isolation000216.html

Read more - http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20000221/t000016821.html

Call waiting on the net – be ready for Regis
Imagine you are the last lifeline between your best friend and her million-dollar prize. Regis is dialing YOUR number. But you do not get the call because you are surfing the Internet. Now there is Internet call waiting. Friends will not receive a busy signal. And you will be notified by a ringing sound and a pop-up screen with the name and number of the caller. Depending on the service you choose, you will have various options for grabbing the incoming call or letting your voice mail handle it.

Lots of companies are jumping on the bandwagon including a bevy of dot-coms with names such as BuzMe (www.buzMe.com), CallWave (www.callwave.com), InfoInterActive (www.infointeractive.com), and Pagoo (www.pagoo.com). Internet providers are also getting into the act. Prodigy (www.prodigy.com), for example, is teaming up with GTE on Internet Manager.

Is there a downside? Want to know more? Check out USA Today, February 16, 2000, p. 3D.