Citizens in increasing numbers are using home computers to remotely access a variety of resources at their local public libraries. This is true in Belleville and surrounding area as broadband service expands. Usage of the Belleville Public library homepage (http://www.bellevillelibrary.com/) has increased significantly in the past year. There, you might be checking our daily events calendar, using our ASKON service to ask a virtual reference question, searching for a good book, placing a request for that book, downloading an audio book, or using our guided search subjects or electronic databases to find the information you need.

The popularity of our free computer classes at the Belleville Public Library illustrates how interest in using computers is increasing. If you are familiar with computers or have taken our beginner level courses and want to revisit what you learned, then you will find using one of our electronic databases very useful. World Book Online Reference Centre provides access to Computer and Web Tutorials. When you are on the library homepage go to Electronic Databases in the left hand menu. When the list of databases appears, scroll down and select/click on World Book Student edition. Then, select the Online Reference Centre where the link to the tutorials will appear. While you are on this database website do some exploring. Most areas of the site focus on purely Canadian information. You will find links to the latest news updates in Current Events. Federal and provincial government information is searchable by Ministry through the Government Resources.

If you are interested in the Interactive Earth link on this World Book Online site, you might also enjoy going to the World Fact Book from the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) in the United States. This free resource can be found through the guided search subjects found under the Internet Search area located at the bottom of our homepage. Choose ‘Reference' and then click on Cultural Profiles to find the CIA: the World Fact Book link. Both the World Book Online database and the free CIA website link provide information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, etc. of countries of the world and are updated frequently.

The homepage of the Belleville Public Library is filled with resources for you to use. As with all information on the Internet, think critically about what you read, the source of the information, and its currency, accuracy and appropriateness to your needs. Be wary of providing any personal information as you would to anyone you do not know. Importantly, have fun exploring these resources available through the homepage at your library.

Martha A. Grant is a librarian in the Information Services Department at BPL.