When former librarian and author Jean Armor Polly first proposed the idea of equipping libraries with computers in the early 1980s, she faced resistance.
“People scoffed and said, ‘Why are you going to the library to use a computer?’ ” she said.
Even with the advent of the Internet, many librarians still believe that they should be the sole gatekeepers of knowledge and information.
“But I knew it would be a wonderful thing. You know, kids in school could use [computers] In school, but what about lifelong learners? What about adults and seniors? said Polly.
She became interested in the potential of technology early on. Several years earlier, in the mid-1970s, Polly had taken free computer classes as a graduate student in library science.
In 1981, Polly managed to get an Apple II Plus into the small library where she worked at the time in Liverpool, New York. At the time, she knew of only one other library in the country offering public computing services.
Within six months, her library will add a second computer and a printer.
“We had to have these validation meetings because no one knew how to use a floppy disk or a disk drive,” Polly said. “It was the Wild West back then.”
She went on to help Liverpool Public Library create its own bulletin board system, an old-fashioned computerized system that allowed users to exchange public messages or files.
By 1992, a year after the first website was launched to the public, they offered free Internet to the public.
Since the Internet was difficult to use at the time, the service was mediated by local librarians who would assist library patrons Taking their baby steps online.
“We didn’t have all the graphical interfaces like we have now, we didn’t even have Google or anything. So you really needed someone to hold your hand,” Polley said.
Polly also attends library meetings here and there Internet, excited to talk to anyone who will listen about this resource.
How “surfing” was born
around that time Wilson Library AnnouncementsA library magazine asked her to write an introductory article for librarians explaining what the Internet is and how to use it.
She needed a good metaphor to describe what it was like to browse the Internet in the early days. “It’s hard. You need some skills to do it, but it’s fun,” Polly said.
She happened to have a picture of a surfer on her mouse pad that said “Information Surfer,” and the term has spread. This sentence was very attractive to her.
“Surfing the Web” was published in the summer of 1992, the same year Polly posted the article online, it quickly became a buzzword.
In 2019, Polly was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for her work promoting computers in public libraries, a pioneer in the delivery of the Internet as a core service in these spaces.
Today, Polly runs a trademarked website called Net-mom and spends her free time doing genealogy and gardening. She retired as librarian in 2014.
When asked about her hopes for the future of libraries, Polly expressed concern about the growing debate over book bans. However, she remains optimistic.
“Libraries have always been a bastion of intellectual freedom, but they are under a lot of attack,” she said. “But they will survive. I think they will.”
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