This volume is a how-to guide to the use of computers in library-based adult literacy programs. Since the commitment to literacy training has become an integral part of libraries' efforts to offer equal access to information, Linda Main and Char Whitaker provide a comprehensive study of the efficacious role the computer can play in achieving this objective. The problems and successes associated with the introduction of computers into library literacy programs, as well as financial requirements, space, furniture, training, and the effect on other library operations are central to the study. The text also features a design for an ideal computerized literacy lab, an overview of compatible software, both existing and proposed, and a look at the rewards and challenges facing librarians, professional educators, and literacy program directors in the future. Appendixes provide country-wide information on libraries currently involved in automating literacy, main suppliers of literacy software, and consulting personnel.

A successful Web site presents information to the user in a format with which he or she is accustomed. How much greater then the challenge to build a Web site capable of addressing the information needs of racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse populations. Linda Main brings to the forefront those issues that should be considered by anyone building a Web site aimed at a multinational audience. It is a practical, hands-on look at issues such as: writing systems, character sets, encoding, and Unicode; XHTML and CSS style sheets; the effective placement of graphics; and the sensible use of Javascript, XML, and XSLT. Important subjective and objective cultural issues are also examined. Building Web Sites for Multicultural Communities is the perfect reference tool for people who know how to build a Web site but want to focus on globalizing their Web pages, for people who may outsource their Web sites need some understanding of the issues and techniques involved in globalization, and for people in the initial throes of Web site construction who want to do it right the first time.