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The World Wide Web is one of such ICTs. In less than a decade since its birth, it has extended into every facet of society and been employed in a variety of ways. It has become part of the American people’s lives. The Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that, according to the most recent snapshot of the online population in America, 63% of the adults in the country and 81% of the teenagers have gone online; many of them could scarcely imagine what the world was like way back when people weren’t online (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2005). Studies found that use of the Internet and the Web are mainstream activities that have spread among American people of all age groups, educational levels, and incomes (UCLA Center for Communication Policy, 2003). They have become a way of life and have a considerable influence on people making major life decisions (Greenspan, 2002; Kommers & Rainie, 2002).
Libraries have been playing a role in shaping the Web as it is today even long before it came into existence [e.g., Bush’s “Memex” machine (1945)]. Librarians also played a prominent role in the development of the first Web site in the United States (Jones, 2001). As more and more people turn to the Web to seek important information more frequently (Flanagin & Metzger, 2000), the role of libraries becomes even more crucial. Libraries have always been central in the collection, storage, classification, dissemination, and use of human knowledge in society. Libraries now provide access to and training for the use of the Web. They make huge collections of resources in different formats available to thousands of people separated by great distances.