Opening Session: Larry Irving

• coined term "digital divide"
• 7 years as "Assistant Secrtary of Commerce for Communications and Information"
• work with the Pew Internet Project
• lawyer / technologist
• community access points: public libs
• digital divide is shifting to mobile devices...from land lines / desk tops etc...*wifi vip
• wikipedia good eg. of democratizing of info
• people need libraries: intellectual / digital / media literacy
• industrial revolution etc...now INFO revolution....libs needed
• public media / TV / arts...public media "space" pulling it all together...including libraries...public + academic
• "don't get too attached" to the current state of things...they will change soon!