Web sites in French municipal libraries: towards new horizons?

According to a survey of services offered on the 80 sites recorded by the Association of Directors of Municipal and Inter-Communal libraries in larges towns (ADBGV), 23 municipal libraries offer at least one service which reaches a national or international public. However, offering content and services which absolve the Internet surfer from a visit to a library, is not enough to ensure an adequate use of the site. In a field as competitive as the web, four characteristics would appear to be deciding factors: the response to a genuine need from users; specialization to limit the competition; provision of a critical mass of services and benefiting from a reputation sufficient to attract a target audience. An insert by Thierry Delcourt presents the web site of the multi-media library in the Troyes conglomeration.
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