NREN for All:
Insurmountable Opportunity
c. 1993 Jean Armour Polly
Manager of Network Development and User Training
NYSERNet, Inc.
jpolly@nysernet.org
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 visionary
National Research and Education Network bill, he often pointed to
the many benefits of a high-speed, multi-lane, multi-level data
superhighway. 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 environmental
change, or new therapeutic drug research, or the design of a new
airplane for inexpensive consumer air travel.
-- a scientist or engineer might design a product, which could be
instantly communicated to a manufacturing plant, whose robotic
machine could turn the drawing-board product into reality. One example
of this is the capability to digitally measure a new recruit for an
army 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 text
documents, color illustrations of photographic quality, full motion
videos and digital audio will also be available over the network.
In his many articles and speeches touting the bill, Gore often used
an example of a little girl, living in a rural area, at work on a school
project. Was she information-poor due to her physical location, far
from the resources of large cities? No-- the National Research and
Education Network would give her the capability to dial into the
Library of Congress-- to collect information on dinosaurs.
Now that the NREN bill has been signed into law (12/91), and
committees are being formed, and policies are being made, I'm still
thinking about that little girl, and her parents, for that matter. In
fact 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 we
have 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, and
it may be an expensive long-distance call to the "entrance ramp".
Or, the superhighway may run right through their front yard, but
they 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 superhighway
if 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 of
things will be available for them once they do get connected,
how the resources will be arranged, and how they will learn to use
these tools to advantage. Beyond that, how authoritative is the
information in the digital collection, and how do we know for sure
it came from a legitimate source? How confidential will their
information searches be, and how will it be safeguarded?
3- Who will get access?
I'm concerned that even if the infrastructure and resource problems
are resolved, that little girl still won't be allowed access, because a
lot of folks don't think the Internet is a safe place for
unaccompanied 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 scientists
working on "Grand Challenges", not ordinary ones. Who will
decide 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 Library
of Congress in the first place is that their local public library has
shut 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 speed
telecommunications lines. On the other side of their
screens are people of all races and nationalities who
are able to exchange ideas quickly through this network.
This "brain to brain" interface brings both delight and despair, as
evidenced 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 rain
measurements, and surveys such as a recent one from a fifth
grade 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 read
eyewitness accounts of developments posted to the net by computer
users in Moscow and other Soviet cities with network connectivity.
A literal hush fell over this side of the network after a plea came
across from the Soviet side. We appreciate your messages of
encouragement and offers of help, it said, but please save the
bandwidth for our outgoing reports!
- Proliferation of discussion groups on the Internet means one can
find a niche to discuss everything from cats to Camelot, from
library administration to lovers of mysteries, from Monty Python
to Medieval History.
-- Predictably, Elvis has been sighted on the Internet.
Besides electronic mail, full text resources may be downloaded
from many Internet host computers. Some of these are religious
materials, such as the Bible, and the Koran, others are the complete
works of Shakespeare, Peter Pan, and Far From the Madding Crowd.
Searchable resources include lyrics from popular songs, chord
tablature for guitar, recipes, news articles, government information,
Supreme Court Opinions, census data, current and historical weather
information, dictionaries, thesauri, the CIA World Fact Book,
and much more.
Hundreds of library OPACS may be searched, and those with
accounts set up at CARL may use UnCover to find articles of
interest, which then may be faxed on demand.
The richness of the Internet changes on a daily basis as more data
resources, computer resources, and human resources join those
already 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 San
Francisco, Gloria Steinem said "the public library is the last refuge
of those without modems." I'm sure she meant that the library will
act as information provider for those unable to get their
information using a home computer's telecommunications
connections. But it could be taken another way. Couldn't the public
library act as electronic information access centers, providing public
modems 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 in
intellectual freedom and the individual's right to know. Let's revisit
ALA's LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS, Adopted June 18, 1948; amended February
2, 1961, and January 23, 1980, by the ALA Council.
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are
forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic
policies should guide their services.
1. Books and other library resources should be provided for the
interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the
community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded
because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to
their creation.
No problem here. The Internet's resources are as diverse as their
creators, from nations all over the world. Every community can
find something of interest on the Internet.
2. Libraries should provide materials and information
presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.
Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan
or doctrinal disapproval.
3. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of
their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
4. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups
concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free
access to ideas.
Again, global electronic communication allows discussion and
debate 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 or
abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
In a public library, the little girl won't be barred from using the
Internet because of her age. The ALA interpretation of the above
right states:
"Librarians and governing bodies should not resort to age
restrictions on access to library resources in an effort to avoid actual
or anticipated objections from parents or anyone else. The mission,
goals, and objectives of libraries do not authorize librarians or
governing bodies to assume, abrogate, or overrule the rights and
responsibilities of parents or legal guardians. Librarians and
governing bodies should maintain that parents - and only parents
- have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access
of their children - and only their children - to library resources.
Parents or legal guardians who do not want their children to have
access to certain library services, materials or facilities, should so
advise their children. Librarians and governing bodies cannot
assume the role of parents or the functions of parental authority in
the private relationship between parent and child. Librarians and
governing bodies have a public and professional obligation to
provide equal access to all library resources for all library users."
6. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms
available to the public they serve should make such facilities
available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or
affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use."
The Internet provides the equivalent of electronic meeting rooms
and virtual exhibit spaces. Public libraries will offer access to all
comers, 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 receive
ideas follows ineluctably from the sender's First Amendment right
to send them. . . . More importantly, the right to receive ideas is a
necessary predicate to the recipient's meaningful exercise of his
own rights such as speech, press, and political freedom' Board of
Education, 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 so
that democracy may flourish.
Public libraries also provide "free" services, though in fact the costs
are just deferred. Taxes, state aid derived from taxes, federal aid
derived from taxes, and private funds all pay for the "free" services
at public libraries. Public libraries may be thought of as
Information Management Organizations (IMO's), similar to Health
Management Organizations, where patrons/patients contribute
before they need information/health care, so that when they do
need 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 to
drop Internet/NREN connectivity. Libraries are veritable temples
of learning, intellectual freedom, and confidentiality.
However, most public libraries lack what computer experts call
infrastructure. If there are computers, they may be out of date. Staff
may not have had time to learn to operate them, and the computers
may literally be collecting dust.
There may be no modems, no phone line to share, no staff with
time to learn about the Internet and its many resources. Money to
update equipment, hire staff, and buy training is out of the
question. 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 NREN
in interviews and focus groups. According to the study, public
librarians thought that the public had a "right" to the Internet, and
its availability in their libraries would provide a safety net for the
electronic-poor.
On the other hand they felt that they could not commit resources to
this initiative until they knew better what the costs were and the
benefits might be. They longed for someone else to create a pilot
project to demonstrate the Internet's usefulness, or lack thereof,
for public library users.
The study describes several scenarios for public libraries as the
NREN evolves. Some may simply choose to ignore the sweeping
technological changes in information transfer. They may continue
to exist by purveying high-demand items and traditional services,
but they may find it increasingly difficult to maintain funding
levels as the rest of the world looks elsewhere for their information
and reference needs. The public library may find itself servicing
only the information disenfranchised, while the rest of the
community finds, and pays for, other solutions.
As the study explains:
"While embracing and exploiting networked information and services,
[successfully transitioned libraries] also maintain high visibility
and high demand traditional services. But resources will be reallocated
from collections and less-visible services to support their involvement
in the network. All services will be more client-centered and demand-based,
and the library will consciously seek opportunities to deliver new types
of information resources and services electronically."
"In this scenario, the public library will develop and mount services
over the NREN, provide for public access to the NREN, and will
compete successfully against other information providers. In its
networked role, the library can serve as a central point of contact as
an electronic navigator and intermediary in linking individuals to
electronic information resources- regardless of type or physical
location. The public library in this second scenario will define a
future for itself in the NREN and develop a strategic plan to insure
its successful participation as an information provider in the
networked environment."
What Should Happen
Senator Gore has proposed what has been variously called Son of
NREN or Gore II, which should help address many of these
infrastructure 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 technology
developed by the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 is
applied widely in K-12 education, libraries, health care and
industry, particularly manufacturing. It would have authorized a
total 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 the
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) with
coordinating efforts to develop applications for high-performance
computing networking and assigns specific responsibilities to the
National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space
Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and
the National Institutes of Health. It would expand the role of
OSTP in overseeing federal efforts to disseminate scientific and
technical information."
"The bill provides funding to both NSF and NASA to develop
technology for 'digital libraries'-- huge data bases that store text,
imagery, video, and sound and are accessible over computer
networks like NSFNET. The bill also funds development of
prototype '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 impatient
waiting for fax machines to print out a document from half a
continent away, when a few years ago we would have been
content to wait days or weeks for the same article to arrive by mail.
We are satisfied with technology until it starts to impede our lives
in some way. We wait impatiently, sure that we spend half our
lives 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 the
following request:
"I'm doing a school report on the Challenger disaster. I need a video
clip of the explosion, a sound bite of Richard Feynman explaining
the O-ring problem, some neat graphics from NASA, oh, and
maybe some virtual reality mock-ups of the shuttle interior. Can
you put it all on this floppy disk for me, I know it's only 15 minutes
before you close but, gee, I had band practice." This is why
public libraries need NREN.
We would do well to remember the words of Ranganathan, whose
basic tenets of good librarianship need just a little updating from
1931:
"[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 public
library that can be proactive rather than reactive to technology.
Information technology is driving the future, librarians should be at
the wheel. It is hoped that the new Administration in Washington
will provide the fuel to get us going.
_______________________________
SIDEBAR
-------------------------------------------------------
Excerpts from S.2937 as introduced July 1, 1992
102nd Congress
2nd 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 BILL
To expand Federal efforts to develop technologies for applications
of high-performance computing and high-speed networking, to
provide for a coordinated Federal program to accelerate development
and 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 and
Technology 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 National
Science
Foundation for the purposes of this section, $10,000,000 for fiscal
year 1993, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, $30,000,000 for fiscal year
1995, $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1996, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year
1997.
(2) There are authorized to be appropriated to the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration for the purposes of this
section, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, $20,000,000 for fiscal year
1994, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, $40,000,000 for fiscal year
1996, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1997.
________________________
SIDEBAR
Resources
___________________________
McClure, Charles R., Joe Ryan, Diana Lauterbach and William E. Moen
Public Libraries and the INTERNET/NREN: New Challenges, New Opportunities.
1992. Copies of this 38-page study may be ordered at $15 each from
the Publication Office, School of Information Studies, Syracuse
University, Syracuse, NY 13244-4100 315/443-2911.
The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information
Science (NCLIS) has issued a Report to the Office of Science and
Technology Policy on Library and Information Services' Roles in
the National Research and Education Network. The 25-page
document, released in late November, 1992, summarizes the results
of 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 security
and privacy. The report "focuses on fulfilling the potential for
extending the services and effectiveness of libraries and
information services for all Americans through high-speed
networks and electronic databases." A limited number of copies are
available from NCLIS at 111 18th St., NW, Suite 310, Washington,
D.C. 20036 202/254-3100.
Grand Challenges 1993: High Performance Computing and
Communications. The "Teal Book" (because of its color) "provides a
far-sighted vision for investment in technology but also recognizes
the importance of human resources and applications that serve