by increasing the number of people using the technology tools of the digital age   is

vitally important. 

It is not difficult to understand why public libraries feature so prominently in this

respect. In Somerset (U.K.), and in many other counties and cities, libraries are 

consistently voted the most popular and valued county council service, usually just

before or after the fire department. One of the key factors is that public libraries offer

familiarity in a trusting and neutral environment. They are safe and non threatening

with positive associations around learning, social interaction, civic pride and community

identity. They are free at the point of use for most of their services, and councils would

be foolish to ignore such  credit  factors when seeking to provide accessible e services.

Somerset Libraries Arts and Information Service has already gained accreditation

from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) for its libraries as UK Online 

Centres, it provides free Internet facilities with staff support at all of its libraries. All

public libraries in the UK will benefit from this branding when the People's Network is

fully rolled out. National branding can provide a strong link to local service provision.

Libraries are using some innovative ways of delivering access and training to people,

particularly in remote communities. An example of this is the BHP Billiton skills.net

roadshow Queensland

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  a strategic partnership between BHP Billiton (one of Australia s

biggest companies) and the State Library of Queensland, which delivers free computer

and Internet training to rural and regional Queensland. BHP contributes significant 

funding, and State Library staff, already experienced in Internet education, provides the

tuition. It is a good example of government and private enterprise working together and

delivering a product at a local level that is of great benefit to the wider community. It has

also been a significant step in the State Library s goal of becoming the hub of a smart

library network. In its first six months, the roadshow travelled 6,852 km, visited 17

towns, presented 160 courses and trained 1,461 people in the central Queensland area.

However, electronic service delivery is not just about the Internet. There are four

channels that people use to access services and information   the telephone, the Internet,

face to face communication and written correspondence. The challenge is to integrate

these into a coherent Customer Relations Management (CRM) strategy. The telephone

remains an important means of dealing with customers, and is included in our definition

of electronic services in that transactions are electronically enabled, i.e., the officer

receiving the call can access electronic information and/or update records online then

and there. Customer service staff should be enabled by the technology to provide a

quicker and more accessible service, whether the public chooses to contact them online,

by phone or face to face.

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