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More than two dozen homeless men in Seattle have become ‘hard core’
users of the Internet global communications network after the Seattle Public
Library began offering free access to the network in the library. Many of
the men spend hours at the terminals every day, ‘surfing’ for interesting
information or participating in electronic discussions. Some have worked
their way up the on-line hierarchy and now help to run discussion groups.

Seattle’s librarians welcome the homeless as proof that they have achieved
what they set out to do – provide Internet access to people who could not
get it any other way. ‘This is one of the most effective experiments in
universal access,’ says Craig Buthod, deputy city librarian.

A year ago, the library spent about $30 000 setting up free Internet
access and providing 24 dial-in access lines – for people with homes and
home computers. The homeless men discovered the Internet link for themselves.
Some library staff were not even aware of it until they noticed the men
sitting at computer terminals for hours on end. The potential problem
of a shortage of terminals was averted when the men met and agreed among
themselves not to hog the computers and give others a go.

Now the homeless men are considered the in-house Internet experts, and
the librarians go to them when they need advice. ‘Not many of our librarians
have spent many nights on the street. Not many of the core group of users
has been to graduate school. But after the initial culture shock we’ve gotten
used to one another,’ says Buthod.