Social Exclusion, ‘Joined-Up Government’, Public Libraries and the Internet

Abstract

The degree to which access to information and communications technologies (ICT) in the UK, particularly the Internet, is likely to be a means of smoothing out the differences between the information-rich and information-poor in society is discussed. The fact that developments so far have tended to favour the middle classes and increase the social divide is noted in the context of the UK government’s setting up of a Social Exclusion Unit with a remit to help improve government action across traditional departmental boundaries to combat this problem of social exclusion and the formation of Policy Action Teams (PATs), one of which (PAT15) has focussed upon ICTs. Their report ‘Closing the digital divide: information and communication technologies in deprived areas’ was published in March 2000 and announces a £252 million initiative to create 1000 new technology training centres in local neighbourhoods, with centres based in sports clubs, pubs, schools, houses and churches. The ways in which ICTs can help people in disadvantaged communities, through the agency of public libraries are listed.