What Parents Should Know About Internet Use

 (from the American Library Association, www.ala.org)

Reading is still the most basic survival skill in today's information society but it is no longer enough. Children must also be technologically literate. More and more of today's public and school libraries provide computers, CD-ROMs, Internet access and training in how to use them. These electronic resources make doing a term paper or research assignment a far different experience than most parents remember. Special computer programs can help children learn to read and may entice them to want to read with colorful graphics, interactive games and virtually unlimited on-line resources. 

·        Surf the Internet at the library. More and more of the latest information we need for our jobs, education, health and other topics can be found on-line. Ask the librarian (or your child) for assistance.

·        Ask your librarian to help you find Internet sites of special interest for children. Many libraries offer their own sites for children. There are also sites on popular TV shows, dinosaurs, children's magazines stories on-line and much more.

·        Some magazines, especially computer and patenting magazines, have articles listing the most current online resources.

·        Go to the library with your child to supervise her computer use. Remember that the library must provide services for all ages. It's up to you to determine what is appropriate for your own child.

·        Log-on to your library's home page from your home computer. Many of today's libraries have their own sites on the World Wide Web where you can find listings of everything in the library's collection, including whether an item is checked in or out.

·        Sign up for classes to help you and your children learn basic computer skills.  Families that speak two or more languages at home can help their children learn to read, as well as speak, other languages with special library services.

·        Have your older child write stories on the computer. You will need to do the typing for the little ones. Show them how to add pictures, or print out the type and have them draw their own.

·        Get advice about how to guide your children's Internet use. One good resource is "The Parents' Guide to the Information Superhighway" published by The Children's Partnership (1996) in consultation with the American Library Association.  Many libraries offer their own guides.

·        Check out KidsConnect, an online question and answer service that helps kids learn to navigate the Internet. The project is administered by the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association, with funding from the Microsoft Corporation. (To ask questions, send e-mail to: AskKC@iconnect.syr.edu)