The exponential growth of the Internet in the late 1990s left many commentators wondering whether or not this new form of communication and information dissemination could in fact bridge certain long-standing divides, and in creating new alliances. One such group that was established to look at these questions was the Alliance for Community Technology (ACT), which was launched in 1997 as part of a partnership between the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the University of Michigan's School of Information. The fundamental mission of the ACT is "to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." Visitors to the site will want to begin by looking at the Alliance's various outreach initiatives and globe-spanning projects, such as those that are aimed at improving reproductive health services in Latin America. The ACT has also generated a number of stimulating research papers which they have placed online, including "A Conversation About E-Research" and "Digital Libraries and Digital Library Research".