People's Network
About People's Network online services
People’s Network online services are a natural extension of the lottery-funded project to provide broadband internet access for all within public libraries. Digital services are now an integral part of the public library offer and no longer an add-on. By offering national services on the web the People’s Network from England’s public libraries can offer services to the public whenever and wherever they need it, not just within library walls and opening times.
With support from a £500,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund during 2004/06 the first three online People’s Network services to go live from the first ever public facing national website for England’s public libraries, www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk are Enquire, Discover and Read.
All People’s Network services complement one-another to provide a powerful and innovative set of services, available from a single point of access and configurable for local presentation. Extending the overall public library offer into the anytime, anywhere digital environment, encourages new audiences to public libraries through new ways of online engagement and offers better value services that help meet wider eAgendas and targets.
All three services add up to a national first and promote England’s public libraries internationally as leaders in collaborative online services. Enquire is the only national real-time and email enquiry service that is delivered around the clock. Discover offers people the chance to personalise access to a wide and growing range of resources that includes specially selected websites and news services and to search for objects from a wide range of library, museum and archive projects, never before available from a single point. Read gives access to a range of online services related to books and reading which aim to engage people with reading and other readers in unique ways.
For a brief introduction to People's Network services download or view the PowerPoint presentation (PPT version 635KB / HTML version) or download the briefing sheet (RTF 19KB).
A collection of screen shots from the new website and its services is also available, should you wish to demonstrate the service locally using PowerPoint (PPT version 3MB / HTML version).
More information about each service is available in the Enquire, Discover and Read sections for staff.