Internet and Digital Access for Children in the Public Library

The paper’s basic aim is to review and discuss basic literature and documents about existing digital services for children in the European context. Internet access is one of the services offered by many public libraries around Europe and in the rest of the world. The conditions and limitation of use of this service may vary from place to place, according to law enforcements, technical resources, and human resources. Is children’s use of this service in European public libraries treated with caution and/or permitted? Access to digital resources is also a service that public libraries may offer to their customers. Are children allowed to use digital resources? Are there any digital resources for them to use in the library? The European Union recommends use of technologies in early years, especially in education. Being a place for lifelong learning, entertainment and unsolicited discoveries, how are public libraries coping with this challenge? Analysis of existing literature and documents about services provided by libraries in the European context will form the basis for discussion. Expected findings are in the availability accessibility of Internet and digital services to children (if and to what extent they are accessible) in the European context. Importance and interest of the study Children are the future of Europe. They are growing up with new technologies and expect to use them inside and outside the educational environment. Reviewing the state-of-the-art on the use of the above mentioned services might be interesting to animate future developments and collaborations and inspire future research questions on the topic