This guide investigates the practical application of early internet technologies to enhance the professional efficacy and information-gathering capabilities of social workers. The author, Joseph D. Rivard, provides a foundational framework for navigating the digital landscape as it existed in the late 1990s, focusing on how electronic communication and research tools can support clinical practice, resource identification, and professional networking. The text serves as a bridge between traditional social work methodologies and the emerging digital infrastructure of the era.

This text functions as a historical snapshot of the integration of digital tools into the social work profession during the mid-1990s. The material suggests a focus on foundational digital literacy for practitioners who were transitioning from analog to networked information systems.