1. Research project on Internet accessibility for the physically disabled. Can they get hardware and software that meets their needs? How about finding content that is formatted to be accessible to them? Are webmasters keeping them in mind as the broadband revolution makes more elaborate webpages possible?
2. Policy project on how to educate under-served populations on the usefulness of the Internet. We have seen in our readings that it's not just lack of money or computer skills that keeps people offline, but the belief that there's no point in their bothering with the Internet. Some people may genuinely have no reason to go online, but many just have mistaken ideas as to what the Internet is like. Providing public computers with Internet access is straightforward enough, but what is the best way let people know about all the things they could do once they're online?
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I like the second idea but I think you'd have to be a bit more focused. Would you be investigating, for example, community technology training centers? Or would you take a public schooling angle? Or perhaps job training / workfare approach tied to recent "welfare reform" legislation at the state and federal level in the US? Or, finally, you could focus this on what libraries do to provide internet (search?) training to underserved populations (or outreach populations).
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