The service, the first in the Royal Borough of Kingston, consists of two Internet-capable terminals installed for public access in the library. Users can browse information about local services for free, and can venture out onto the wider Internet for £2.00 per half hour -- sessions can be booked in advance. Printing services are also available for those who want copies of the information they've found.
Access to the Internet was free throughout the open day on the 26th, and many people, young and old, came to the library to find out more. For some it was their first contact with the Internet, and staff suggest that the library, a known and therefore less intimidating place, might be seen as an easier place to get to grips with the net than somewhere wholly unfamiliar like a cybercafé.
The Mayor of Kingston visited to inaugurate the service.
Topics of interest to the users from a sampling by Herald staff seemed to include holidays, football and the Spice Girls!
Herald Information Systems sponsored the open day and provided information for those interested in the 'Net. We also ran a quiz, including questions about the Kingston Council site and Herald's own site; the prize was a "20 book token, and it was won by Catherine Holden of New Malden. Congratulations to Catherine, and thanks to everyone else who took part.
Royal Borough of Kingston site: http://www.kingston.gov.uk/ .
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