부산대학교 도서관

National and local Internet service providers (ISPs) market to a much broader range of customers than ever before, to schools, communities, and families, who in the past had little experience with the Internet. The Internet increasingly diverse users need more resources than their predecessors. In 1994, US West Inc. supported a grassroots initiative to install a fiber-optic network throughout the town of Winona, Minnesota, linking eight of the town's most prominent social institutions. In May 1995, Luminet, a local ISP, began offering service to residents, businesses and other organizations. Within a year, about 10% of private citizens had Internet access, and community organizations and businesses have embraced this new Web-based publication and communication medium. In the fall of 1995, an educational initiative called The Virtual School (TVS) debuted, bringing online 210 families from a private high school. TVS will eventually link 500 families whose children attend parochial schools in Winona. One goal of the TVS project is to facilitate communication between parents and school staff.