NELSON Library is set to become one of the first in the county where customers can surf the net.

Within the next few weeks it will be possible to exchange news and information with as many as 50 million web users throughout the world, 500,000 of whom are in the UK.

Library staff at the forefront of the new technology are using Nelson as one of 18 sites across Lancashire.

It is hoped that demonstrations about how the Internet works and encouraging people to 'have a go' will raise public awareness about the electronic system which is set to revolutionise everyday living.

People wanting to use the Internet will be asked to pay £5 an hour or £3 for half an hour.

Eventually, it is envisaged that the Internet will be used to provide cable television, video links and audio telephones in practically every home.

At the moment, it provides three basic services: electronic mail, known as E-mail, which allows users to communicate with either individuals or groups; access to information, programs and applications stored on other computers; and file transfers, which allow files to be transferred from one computer to another.

The Library committee is expected to give it the go-ahead today (Thursday, March 14).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.