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The Project Gutenberg eBook of NREN for All: Insurmountable Opportunity, by Jean Armour Polly

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NREN for All:

Insurmountable Opportunity

c. 1993 Jean Armour PollyManager of Network Development and puppet theaters for 18 months under 25 dollarsUser TrainingNYSERNet, [email protected]

This was originally published in the February 1, 1993 issue of
Library Journal (volume 118, n. 2, pp 38-41).
It may be freely reprinted for educational use, please let me know if you
are redistributing it, I like to know if it's useful and where it's been.
Please do not sell it, and keep this message intact.

When Senator Al Gore was evangelizing support for his visionaryNational Research and Education Network bill, he often pointed tothe many benefits of a high-speed, multi-lane, multi-level datasuperhighway. Some of these included:

— collaborating research teams, physically distant from each other,working on shared projects via high speed computer networks.Some of these "grand challenges" might model global environmentalchange, or new therapeutic drug research, or the design of a newairplane for inexpensive consumer air travel.

— a scientist or engineer might design a product, which could beinstantly communicated to a manufacturing plant, whose roboticmachine could turn the drawing-board product into reality. One exampleof this is the capability to digitally measure a new recruit for anarmy uniform, transmit the information to a clothing manufacturer,and take delivery of a custom-tailored uniform the next day.

— access to digital libraries of information, both textual and graphic.Besides hundreds of online public access catalogs, and full textdocuments, color illustrations of photographic quality, full motionvideos and digital audio will also be available over the network.

In his many articles and speeches touting the bill, Gore often usedan example of a little girl, living in a rural area, at work on a schoolproject. Was she information-poor due to her physical location, farfrom the resources of large cities? No— the National Research andEducation Network would give her the capability to dial into theLibrary of Congress— to collect information on dinosaurs.

Now that the NREN bill has been signed into law (12/91), andcommittees are being formed, and policies are being made, I'm stillthinking about that little girl, and her parents, for that matter. Infact I've got some "Grand Questions" to pose.

1- How will we get access?

The Internet has been called the "Interim NREN", since it's what wehave in place now.

I'm wondering how the family is going to get to the Internet "dial tone",let alone the NREN, especially since they live in a rural area.The information superhighway may be miles from their home, andit may be an expensive long-distance call to the "entrance ramp".

Or, the superhighway may run right through their front yard, butthey can't make use of it because they have no computer, no modem,and no phone line to make the connection. What good is a superhighwayif all you've got is a tricycle?

2- What will they be able to gain access to, and will their privacy be protected?

Beyond the infrastructure issues, I'm concerned about what kind ofthings will be available for them once they do get connected,how the resources will be arranged, and how they will learn to usethese tools to advantage. Beyond that, how authoritative is theinformation in the digital collection, and how do we know for sureit came from a legitimate source? How confidential will theirinformation searches be, and how will it be safeguarded?

3- Who will get access?

I'm concerned that even if the infrastructure and resource problemsare resolved, that little girl still won't be allowed access, because alot of folks don't think the Internet is a safe place forunaccompanied minors.

4- Does the family have any electronic rights?
Electronic responsibilities?
Are dinosaurs and a grade-school project too trivial for NREN?

Some people think the NREN should be reserved for scientistsworking on "Grand Challenges", not ordinary ones. Who willdecide what constitutes "acceptable use"?

5- What is the future of the local public library?

Worse yet, I'm worried that the reason they are phoning the Libraryof Congress in the first place is that their local public library hasshut its doors, sold off the book stock, and dismissed the librarian.What can public libraries do to avoid that future?

Brief Background: The Internet Today

Computers all over the world are linked by high speedtelecommunications lines. On the other side of theirscreens are people of all races and nationalities whoare able to exchange ideas quickly through this network.

This "brain to brain" interface brings both delight and despair, asevidenced by the following True Tales from the Internet:

— Children all over the world participate in class collaborations,sharing holiday customs, local food prices, proverbs, acid rainmeasurements, and surveys such as a recent one from a fifthgrade class in Argentina who wanted to know (among other things)"Can you wear jeans to school?".

— During the Soviet coup in the summer of 1991, hundreds readeyewitness accounts of developments posted to the net by computerusers in Moscow and other Soviet cities with network connectivity.A literal hush fell over this side of the network after a plea cameacross from the Soviet side. We appreciate your messages ofencouragement and offers of help, it said, but please save thebandwidth for our outgoing reports!

- Proliferation of discussion groups on the Internet means one canfind a niche to discuss everything from cats to Camelot, fromlibrary administration to lovers of mysteries, from Monty Pythonto Medieval History.

— Predictably, Elvis has been sighted on the Internet.

Besides electronic mail, full text resources may be downloadedfrom many Internet host computers. Some of these are religiousmaterials, such as the Bible, and the Koran, others are the completeworks of Shakespeare, Peter Pan, and Far From the Madding Crowd.

Searchable resources include lyrics from popular songs, chordtablature for guitar, recipes, news articles, government information,Supreme Court Opinions, census data, current and historical weatherinformation, dictionaries, thesauri, the CIA World Fact Book,and much more.

Hundreds of library OPACS may be searched, and those withaccounts set up at CARL may use UnCover to find articles ofinterest, which then may be faxed on demand.

The richness of the Internet changes on a daily basis as more dataresources, computer resources, and human resources join thosealready active on the net.

But, back to that little girl.

How will she get access?

She'll need a plain old telephone line, a modem, a computer, and
some communications software. Will her family be able to afford it?
If not, will she be able to dial in from her school? Her Post Office?
The local feed store? A kiosk at K-Mart?

At the American Library Association's 1992 convention in SanFrancisco, Gloria Steinem said "the public library is the last refugeof those without modems." I'm sure she meant that the library willact as information provider for those unable to get theirinformation using a home computer's telecommunicationsconnections. But it could be taken another way. Couldn't the publiclibrary act as electronic information access centers, providing publicmodems and telecommunications alongside the books and videos?

Why the Public Library is a good place for NREN access

The public library is an institution based on long-standing beliefs inintellectual freedom and the individual's right to know. Let's revisitALA's LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS, Adopted June 18, 1948; amended February2, 1961, and January 23, 1980, by the ALA Council.

The American Library Association affirms that all libraries areforums for information and ideas, and that the following basicpolicies should guide their services.

1. Books and other library resources should be provided for theinterest, information, and enlightenment of all people of thecommunity the library serves. Materials should not be excludedbecause of the origin, background, or views of those contributing totheir creation.

No problem here. The Internet's resources are as diverse as theircreators, from nations all over the world. Every community canfind something of interest on the Internet.

2. Libraries should provide materials and informationpresenting all points of view on current and historical issues.Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisanor doctrinal disapproval.

3. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment oftheir responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

4. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groupsconcerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and freeaccess to ideas.

Again, global electronic communication allows discussion anddebate in an instant electronic forum. There is no better"reality check" than this.

5. A person's right to use a library should not be denied orabridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

In a public library, the little girl won't be barred from using theInternet because of her age. The ALA interpretation of the aboveright states:"Librarians and governing bodies should not resort to agerestrictions on access to library resources in an effort to avoid actualor anticipated objections from parents or anyone else. The mission,goals, and objectives of libraries do not authorize librarians orgoverning bodies to assume, abrogate, or overrule the rights andresponsibilities of parents or legal guardians. Librarians andgoverning bodies should maintain that parents - and only parents- have the right and the responsibility to restrict the accessof their children - and only their children - to library resources.Parents or legal guardians who do not want their children to haveaccess to certain library services, materials or facilities, should soadvise their children. Librarians and governing bodies cannotassume the role of parents or the functions of parental authority inthe private relationship between parent and child. Librarians andgoverning bodies have a public and professional obligation toprovide equal access to all library resources for all library users."

6. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting roomsavailable to the public they serve should make such facilitiesavailable on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs oraffiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use."

The Internet provides the equivalent of electronic meeting roomsand virtual exhibit spaces. Public libraries will offer access to allcomers, regardless of their status.

Further, as part of the Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights,this statement appears:"The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that `the right to receiveideas follows ineluctably from the sender's First Amendment rightto send them. . . . More importantly, the right to receive ideas is anecessary predicate to the recipient's meaningful exercise of hisown rights such as speech, press, and political freedom' Board ofEducation, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico,457 U.S. 853, 866-67 (1982) (plurality opinion)."

Clearly, reception and sending of ideas is a First Amendment issue.Oral, written, and electronic speech must be equally protected sothat democracy may flourish.

Public libraries also provide "free" services, though in fact the costsare just deferred. Taxes, state aid derived from taxes, federal aidderived from taxes, and private funds all pay for the "free" servicesat public libraries. Public libraries may be thought of asInformation Management Organizations (IMO's), similar to HealthManagement Organizations, where patrons/patients contributebefore they need information/health care, so that when they doneed it, librarians/doctors are available to render aid.

Why NREN in the Public Library is a bad idea

On the surface, the public library looks like an excellent place todrop Internet/NREN connectivity. Libraries are veritable templesof learning, intellectual freedom, and confidentiality.

However, most public libraries lack what computer experts callinfrastructure. If there are computers, they may be out of date. Staffmay not have had time to learn to operate them, and the computersmay literally be collecting dust.

There may be no modems, no phone line to share, no staff withtime to learn about the Internet and its many resources. Money toupdate equipment, hire staff, and buy training is out of thequestion. Public libraries face slashed budgets, staff layoffs,reduced hours, and cutbacks in services.

Many of these drawbacks are noted in the recent study by Dr.
Charles R. McClure, called Public Libraries and the
Internet/NREN: New Challenges, New Opportunities.

Public librarians were surveyed about their attitudes toward NRENin interviews and focus groups. According to the study, publiclibrarians thought that the public had a "right" to the Internet, andits availability in their libraries would provide a safety net for theelectronic-poor.

On the other hand they felt that they could not commit resources tothis initiative until they knew better what the costs were and thebenefits might be. They longed for someone else to create a pilotproject to demonstrate the Internet's usefulness, or lack thereof,for public library users.

The study describes several scenarios for public libraries as theNREN evolves. Some may simply choose to ignore the sweepingtechnological changes in information transfer. They may continueto exist by purveying high-demand items and traditional services,but they may find it increasingly difficult to maintain fundinglevels as the rest of the world looks elsewhere for their informationand reference needs. The public library may find itself servicingonly the information disenfranchised, while the rest of thecommunity finds, and pays for, other solutions.

As the study explains:

"While embracing and exploiting networked information and services,[successfully transitioned libraries] also maintain high visibilityand high demand traditional services. But resources will be reallocatedfrom collections and less-visible services to support their involvementin the network. All services will be more client-centered and demand-based,and the library will consciously seek opportunities to deliver new typesof information resources and services electronically."

"In this scenario, the public library will develop and mount servicesover the NREN, provide for public access to the NREN, and willcompete successfully against other information providers. In itsnetworked role, the library can serve as a central point of contact asan electronic navigator and intermediary in linking individuals toelectronic information resources- regardless of type or physicallocation. The public library in this second scenario will define afuture for itself in the NREN and develop a strategic plan to insureits successful participation as an information provider in thenetworked environment."

What Should Happen

Senator Gore has proposed what has been variously called Son ofNREN or Gore II, which should help address many of theseinfrastructure problems.

Unfortunately, the Bill was not passed and the closing of the last
Congress. There is hope, however, that it will be reintroduced this
Spring.

Specifically, Gore's bill would have ensured that the technologydeveloped by the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 isapplied widely in K-12 education, libraries, health care andindustry, particularly manufacturing. It would have authorized atotal of $1.15 billion over the next five years.

According to a press release from Senator Gore's office,

"The Information Infrastructure and Technology Act charges theWhite House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) withcoordinating efforts to develop applications for high-performancecomputing networking and assigns specific responsibilities to theNational Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and SpaceAgency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, andthe National Institutes of Health. It would expand the role ofOSTP in overseeing federal efforts to disseminate scientific andtechnical information."

"The bill provides funding to both NSF and NASA to developtechnology for 'digital libraries'— huge data bases that store text,imagery, video, and sound and are accessible over computernetworks like NSFNET. The bill also funds development ofprototype 'digital libraries' around the country."

The public needs NREN because 300 baud used to be fast and low-resolution graphics used to be pretty. Now we get impatientwaiting for fax machines to print out a document from half acontinent away, when a few years ago we would have beencontent to wait days or weeks for the same article to arrive by mail.We are satisfied with technology until it starts to impede our livesin some way. We wait impatiently, sure that we spend half ourlives waiting for printers, and the other half waiting for disk drives.Time is a commodity.

I can envision that little girl walking into the public library with thefollowing request:"I'm doing a school report on the Challenger disaster. I need a videoclip of the explosion, a sound bite of Richard Feynman explainingthe O-ring problem, some neat graphics from NASA, oh, andmaybe some virtual reality mock-ups of the shuttle interior. Canyou put it all on this floppy disk for me, I know it's only 15 minutesbefore you close but, gee, I had band practice." This is whypublic libraries need NREN.

We would do well to remember the words of Ranganathan, whosebasic tenets of good librarianship need just a little updating from1931:

"[Information] is for use."
"Every [bit of information], its user."
"Every user, [his/her bit of information]."
"Save the time of the [user]."
"A [network] is a growing organism."

And so is the public library. A promising future awaits the publiclibrary that can be proactive rather than reactive to technology.Information technology is driving the future, librarians should be atthe wheel. It is hoped that the new Administration in Washingtonwill provide the fuel to get us going.

_______________________________SIDEBAR———————————————————————————-Excerpts from S.2937 as introduced July 1, 1992102nd Congress2nd Session IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

Mr. GORE (for himself, Rockefeller (D-WV), Kerry (D-MA),
Prestler (R-SD), Riegle (D-MI), Robb (D-VA), Lieberman (D-CT),
Kerrey (D-NE) and Burns (R-MT)) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science and Transportation.

A BILLTo expand Federal efforts to develop technologies for applicationsof high-performance computing and high-speed networking, toprovide for a coordinated Federal program to accelerate developmentand deployment of an advanced information infrastructure,and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the "Information Infrastructure andTechnology Act of 1992".

SEC. 7. APPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARIES.
          (a) DIGITAL LIBRARIES.—In accordance with the Plan
developed under section 701 of the National Science and
Technology Policy, Organization and Priorities Act of 1976 (42
U.S.C. 6601 et seq.), as added by section 3 of this Act, the National
Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
and other appropriate agencies shall develop technologies for
"digital libraries" of electronic information. Development of digital
libraries shall include the following:
               (1) Development of advanced data storage systems
          capable of storing hundreds of trillions of bits of data
          and giving thousands of users nearly instantaneous
          access to that information.
               (2) Development of high-speed, highly accurate
          systems for converting printed text, page images,
          graphics, and photographic images into electronic form.
               (3) Development of database software capable of
          quickly searching, filtering, and summarizing large
          volumes of text, imagery, data, and sound.
               (4) Encouragement of development and adoption of
          standards for electronic data.
               (5) Development of computer technology to
          categorize and organize electronic information in a
          variety of formats.
               (6) Training of database users and librarians in
          the use of and development of electronic databases.
               (7) Development of technology for simplifying the
          utilization of networked databases distributed around
          the Nation and around the world.
               (8) Development of visualization technology for
          quickly browsing large volumes of imagery.
          (b) DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOTYPES.—The National
Science
     Foundation, working with the supercomputer centers it
     supports, shall develop prototype digital libraries of
     scientific data available over the Internet and the National
     Research and Education Network.
          (c) DEVELOPMENT OF DATABASES OF REMOTE-
SENSING
     IMAGES.—The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
     shall develop databases of software and remote-sensing images
     to be made available over computer networks like the
     Internet.

(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— (1) There are authorized to be appropriated to the NationalScienceFoundation for the purposes of this section, $10,000,000 for fiscalyear 1993, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, $30,000,000 for fiscal year1995, $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1996, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year1997. (2) There are authorized to be appropriated to the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration for the purposes of thissection, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, $20,000,000 for fiscal year1994, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, $40,000,000 for fiscal year1996, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1997.

________________________SIDEBAR Resources___________________________

McClure, Charles R., Joe Ryan, Diana Lauterbach and William E. MoenPublic Libraries and the INTERNET/NREN: New Challenges, New Opportunities.1992. Copies of this 38-page study may be ordered at $15 each fromthe Publication Office, School of Information Studies, SyracuseUniversity, Syracuse, NY 13244-4100 315/443-2911.

The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience (NCLIS) has issued a Report to the Office of Science andTechnology Policy on Library and Information Services' Roles inthe National Research and Education Network. The 25-pagedocument, released in late November, 1992, summarizes the resultsof an open forum held in Washington during the previous summer.Topics addressed include funding NREN, charging for use,commercial access, protection of intellectual property, and securityand privacy. The report "focuses on fulfilling the potential forextending the services and effectiveness of libraries andinformation services for all Americans through high-speednetworks and electronic databases." A limited number of copies areavailable from NCLIS at 111 18th St., NW, Suite 310, Washington,D.C. 20036 202/254-3100.

Grand Challenges 1993: High Performance Computing andCommunications. The "Teal Book" (because of its color) "provides afar-sighted vision for investment in technology but also recognizesthe importance of human resources and applications that servemajor national needs. This É investment will bring both economicand social dividends, including advances in education,productivity, basic science, and technological innovation."Requests for copies of this 68-page document should go to: FederalCoordinating Council for Science, Engineering and Technology,Committee on Physical, Mathematical, and Engineering Sciencesc/o National Science Foundation, Computer and Information Scienceand Engineering Directorate, 1800 G St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20550

Carl Kadie operates an excellent electronic resource of documentspertaining to academic freedom, the Library Bill of Rights, andsimilar policy statements. Those with Internet access may use FileTransfer Protocol (FTP) to ftp.eff.org (192.88.144.4) Login asanonymous, use your network address as the password. The documentsare in the /pub/academic directory.