Library Juice 1:29 - August 18, 1998

 
 
 
Contents: 
 
1. The Institute for Psychohistory 
2. California Virtual University 
3. Copyright collectives and libraries 
4. The FPLC Intellectual Property Mall 
5. Media Awareness Network: Statistics 
6. Live RealAudio with Gary Webb and April Oliver  
7. Katharine Sharp Review #7 is published 
8. Discussion list for Confucian philosophy 
9. Institute on Hispanic Library Education - Call for Papers 
10. Microsoft PR on "Encarta Africana" - "Afropedia" 
11. Telecenters and Libraries: New Technologies and New Partnerships 
 
 
 
Quote of the week: 
 
"Librarians, Dusty, possess a vast store of politeness. 
These are people who get asked regularly the dumbest 
questions on God's green earth.  These people tolerate 
every kind of crank and eccentric and mouth-breather 
there is."   (Garrison Keillor, _Lives of the Cowboys_) 
 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
1. The Institute for Psychohistory 
 
http://www.psychohistory.com/ 
 
The New York Institute for Psychohistory sponsors this new Website which 
features articles from _The Journal of Psychohistory_ and chapters from 
Lloyd deMause's, book-in-progress, Childhood and History. Titles such as 
"The Political Consequences of Child Abuse" by Alice Miller or "The Gulf 
War as a Mental Disorder" should prove of interest both to those new to 
psychohistory, "the science of historical motivation," and to those 
already involved in the field. The site also links to the Institute 
branches, the International Psychohistorical Association, related links 
of interest, and PSYCHOHISTORY, a discussion list and chat room 
(discussed in the September 19, 1997 Scout Report - 
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/scout-970919.html#7), with 
archives. [TK] 
 
>From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998. 
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
2. California Virtual University 
 
http://www.california.edu/ 
 
California Virtual University is essentially a catalog of every virtual 
or technology-mediated distance education course or program offered by 
participating California colleges and universities. Users can search for 
a particular course or find information about pursuing a complete 
program of study from certificate level to PhD. The site summarizes 
important information about each course or program, such as in-state and 
out-of-state fees, email contacts, and registration details. For 
example, a search returned a list of 30 art-related course offerings at 
about 20 different institutions. By clicking on a title, "Visionary 
Artists: A Brief History of Multimedia," I found I could take this 
course, offered by San Francisco State University, by registering and 
paying a fee of $5. [DS] 
 
>From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998. 
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
3. Copyright collectives and libraries 
 
To: IFLA-L[at]INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA 
 
For a thorough discussion on copyright collectives and libraries -- comprising 
of interviews with representatives from the following four copyright 
collectives, CCC (United States), CANCOPY (Canada), CLA (Great Britain) and 
Kopinor (Norway) -- see http://www.mcgrawhill.ca/copyrightlaw/collect.html. 
 
Lesley Ellen Harris 
Copyright & New Media Lawyer 
lesley[at]copyrightlaws.com 
 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
4. The FPLC Intellectual Property Mall 
 
http://www.ipmall.fplc.edu 
 
Law Librarian and Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Jon R. Cavicchi 
created and manages the Intellectual Property Mall at the Franklin 
Pierce Law Center (FPLC), a law school in New Hampshire renowned for its 
focus on intellectual property law, issues, and policies. The IP Mall 
serves as a centralized resource for information about patents, 
copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. The site provides tools and 
strategies for IP research, a listing of IP holdings at the FPLC 
library, and online copies of previous United States Patent & Trademark 
Office patent exams. The site's newest feature is the IP Mall Pointer 
Box, a comprehensive index of IP resources available on the Internet. 
The Pointer Box is divided conveniently into ten subject categories to 
help attorneys, academics, and entrepreneurs quickly locate relevant IP 
resources. The index includes resources related to publishing and 
electronic commerce as well as global directories for patent and 
trademark offices, IP agencies, and non-governmental organizations. [AO] 
 
>From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998. 
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
5. Media Awareness Network: Statistics 
 
http://www.screen.com/mnet/eng/issues/stats/stats.htm 
 
The Canadian media conglomerate Cochran Communications has provided this 
compilation of statistics to heighten public awareness of the media 
industry. Statistics on radio, television, film, video, and Internet 
ownership, production, and marketing are given in a concise, browsable 
format. Although Canadian statistics are emphasized, many American and 
international figures are included and students may benefit from clear 
bibliographic and web links to a variety of government, think-tank, and 
news sources. [MW] 
 
>From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998. 
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
6. Live RealAudio with Gary Webb and April Oliver  
 
 
To:            IRE-L[at]lists.missouri.edu (IRE-L) 
Subject:       Live RealAudio with Webb and Oliver 
 
Gary Webb and April Oliver are scheduled for separate live interviews by 
RealAudio next Saturday (22 Aug) at 10am Central on the "This Is Hell" 
radio show: 
 
<URL:http://homepage.interaccess.com/~saaf/> 
 
I'll try to remember to post another reminder Friday. 
 
 
--  
I EDIT THE NET: <URL:http://www.mcs.net/~jorn/html/weblogs/weblog.html> 
"The cold hard truth is that portals serve no purpose beyond collecting 
a set of links to information you may or may not care about." --NetSkink 
 
 
:-) :-) Message Ends; Signature File Begins (-: (-:  
          George Lessard, Media Activist 
           Community Communication Arts,  
         Training, Management & Mentoring 
  http://members.tripod.com/~media002/index.html 
       This message may be archived [at]  
  MediaMentor list searchable public archive 
  http://www.findmail.com/list/mediamentor/ 
For a free subscription to MediaMentor send a blank message to  
      mediamentor-subscribe[at]makelist.com 
 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
7. Katharine Sharp Review #7 is published 
 
 
To: Multiple recipients of list LIS-L <LIS-L[at]POSTOFFICE.CSO.UIUC.EDU> 
 
Katharine Sharp Review 
ISSN 1083-5261 
http://edfu.lis.uiuc.edu/review 
 
Katharine Sharp Review, the review of student scholarship in library and 
information science, announces the publication of issue No. 7, Summer 1998. 
KSR is published by the Graduate School of Library and Information 
Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 
 
Articles are available in both HTML and PDF formats. 
 
http://edfu.lis.uiuc.edu/review/7/ 
 
Table of contents: 
 
* Kristina Nelson Raine 
        Radical Writing: 
        A Proposal for Bibliographic Instruction at Iowa State University 
 
* Aaron Butts 
        Loose Coupling and the Archives of a 
        Large Mid-Western State University 
 
* Hilary Caws-Elwitt 
        Copyright, Competition, and Reselling of Government Information: 
        Impact on Dissemination 
 
 
-- Katharine Sharp Review is also available on the following mirror site: 
http://mirrored.ukoln.ac.uk/lis-journals/review/review/ 
 
 
                 +                                   + 
                               Kevin Ward 
                                 Editor 
                         Katharine Sharp Review 
                        review[at]edfu.lis.uiuc.edu 
                    http://edfu.lis.uiuc.edu/review 
                 +                                   + 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
8. Discussion list for Confucian philosophy 
 
 
Students! Please join our discussion of Confucian philosophy. My name is 
Todd Thacker, I created the list in October 1997. It is an academic list, 
easy going, moderated, and an excellent source of information, questions 
and answers. In particular, the core group of posters are professors and 
have very interesting replies. I also post a daily passage from the 
Analects for discussion. 
 
I hope to see you online, --Todd 
 
 
Confucius list 
 
To subscribe, send a message to majordomo[at]lists.gnacademy.org 
leave the Subject: field blank 
in the body of the message type the command: 
 
subscribe confucius 
 
When sending a message to the list, use the address 
confucius[at]lists.gnacademy.org 
 
 
Any questions or problems may be directed to owner Todd Thacker 
tct[at]shinbiro.com 
 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
9. Institute on Hispanic Library Education - Call for Papers 
 
 
*** Call for Papers/Presentations *** 
----------------------------------- 
Trejo Foster Foundation for Hispanic Library Education 
Fourth National Institute 
Library Services to Youth of Hispanic Heritage 
March 12-14, 1999 
Tampa, Florida 
----------------------------------- 
The Fourth Trejo Foster Foundation Institute on Hispanic Library 
Education will focus on public and school library services to youth of 
Hispanic Heritage.  Papers presented at the Institute will be published 
by McFarland Publishing, Inc. in 1999.  Submissions may focus on collection 
development, programming, ESOL or literacy issues, outreach, library education  
programs' preparation of librarians to work with youth of Hispanic heritage,  
immigration issues, current challenges facing Hispanic communities, or other  
related topics.  Participants may elect to apply for either a paper,  
presentation or both.   
 
Abstracts for papers and brief descriptions of presentations should be 
submitted to the Conference Organizer, Kathleen de la Pena McCook. 
Co-editors of the proceedings will be Barbara Immroth, Professor at the 
University of Texas at Austin, Graduate School of Library and 
Information Science,  and Kathleen de la Pena McCook, director of the  
University of South Florida, School of Library and Information Science.   
See submission information at the end of this message.   
 
Deadline for submission is October 1, 1998. 
 
This will be the Fourth Trejo Foster Foundation for Hispanic Library 
Education National Institute.  Previous Institutes have been held in 
collaboration with the University of Arizona, University of Texas at 
Austin and Rutgers University.   
 
The McFarland Publishing catalog includes Latino Librarianship:  A 
Handbook for Professionals, Multicultural Children's Literature: An 
Annotated Bibliography, and Developing Multicultural Awareness 
Through Children's Literature:  A Guide for Teachers and Librarians,  
Grades K-8. See their webpage at <http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/>.   
 
To submit a proposal for a paper/resentation (Juried for publication), 
please send a brief abstract.  To submit a proposal for a  
presentation/poster session, please send a brief Summary.   
 
Be sure to include the following infromation.   
 
Name:	 
Affiliation: 
Address: 
Phone:	 
Fax: 
E-mail 
Title of paper, presentation, or poster session:   
 
Please return this form along with the abstract or summary by October 1, 
1998 to: 
 
Kathleen de la Pena McCook 
School of Library and Information Science 
University of South Florida 
4202 East Fowler Avenue, CIS 1040 
Tampa, Florida 33620-7800 
 
For more information, contact Kathleen de la Pena McCook at:   
 
e-mail:	kmccook[at]chuma.cas.usf.edu 
phone:	813/974-3520 
 
 
Kathleen de la Pena McCook 
 Professor & Director 
 School of Library & Information Science 
 University of South Florida 
 4202 East Fowler,CIS 1040 
 Tampa, Florida 33620-7800 
 813-974-3520 
 KMcCOOK[at]chuma.cas.usf.edu 
 http://www.cas.usf.edu/lis/faculty/mccook.html 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
10. Microsoft PR on "Encarta Africana"  "Afropedia" 
 
 
To: Multiple recipients of list EQUILIBR <EQUILIBR[at]CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU> 
 
 
SOURCE: Microsoft Corp. 
 
Microsoft and Renowned Harvard Afro-American Scholar to Bring 
Black History Alive With Encarta Africana 
 
Technology Supplied by Microsoft Helps Fulfill Dream of Creating 
Electronic Compendium of African History and Culture 
 
REDMOND, Wash., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: 
MSFT - news) and a group of leading African-American scholars 
today announced Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) Africana, a comprehensive 
multimedia reference resource on the history, geography and 
culture of Africa and people of African descent. Before an 
audience of 3,000 influential black journalists at the annual 
National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention, the 
team announced the launch of this unprecedented historical 
resource, scheduled for release in February 1999. Dr. Henry Louis 
``Skip'' Gates Jr., chairman of Afro-American Studies at Harvard 
University, is leading the collaboration with Microsoft in 
conjunction with his colleague, Dr. Kwame Anthony Appiah. 
 
At the turn of the century, W.E.B. Du Bois, the leading 
African-American intellectual of the 20th century, proposed an 
ambitious dream to produce the first encyclopedia Africana -- a 
comprehensive reference work on Africa and people of African 
descent throughout the world. The Encarta Africana multimedia 
encyclopedia is inspired by this vision. 
 
``For the first time, the story of Africa and its people will be 
told in a way never before possible -- through images, video, 
music and text brought together in a unique experience,'' Gates 
said. ``As the new millennium approaches, our research, combined 
with Microsoft's technology, is making Du Bois' dream a 
reality.'' 
 
Content Created by Two Teams of Experts 
 
In collaboration with Microsoft's expert editorial and technical 
teams, Afropaedia LLC will provide Encarta Africana's content, 
which will catalog the historical and cultural achievements of 
Africa and people of African descent from 4 million BCE (before 
the Common Era) to the present. Afropaedia is led by Gates and 
Appiah and comprises a distinguished team that includes scholars  
from Harvard University's department of Afro-American studies,  
the W.E.B Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research and the  
Committee on African Studies. 
 
``We're breaking new ground with Encarta Africana,'' said Craig 
Bartholomew, learning business unit general manager at Microsoft. 
``When Gates and Appiah approached us with the idea for Encarta 
Africana, we were instantly intrigued. Microsoft is pleased to 
work side by side with the Afropaedia team to create this 
unprecedented multimedia resource. It's an exciting addition to 
our award-winning Encarta reference product line.'' 
 
The Microsoft Encarta team, made up of several encyclopedia 
industry veterans from World Book Encyclopedia, Encyclopaedia 
Britannica and Grolier's Encyclopedia, will provide interactive 
technologies to incorporate the still images, video, audio and 
360-degree views that will make up Encarta Africana. As an 
expansion to the Encarta reference line, this new encyclopedia 
will deliver the same rich multimedia experience, superior 
technology and world-class content found in the line of Encarta 
CD-ROM reference titles.  Preparing for Today's World and  
Multicultural Education 
 
With the increased focus on African-American studies and other 
multicultural disciplines in today's classrooms, Encarta Africana 
gives educators and students an unprecedented research tool 
through its comprehensive collection of information on African 
history. ``Encarta Africana, which traces its roots back to W.E.B.  
DuBois' famous Encyclopedia Africana project, holds out the promise 
of becoming the reference of first choice for students of the 
black experience everywhere,'' said Ken Kister, author, 
``Kister's Best Encyclopedias.'' 
 
``Encarta Africana is the result of a collaboration between 
Microsoft and two African-American professors at Harvard,'' said 
Jesse Jackson, CEO of the National Rainbow Coalition/Operation 
Push. ``Its very existence shows how far black people have come 
since W.E.B. Du Bois first dreamed of an Encyclopedia Africana at 
the start of this century. It's great to have a product that shines  
light on the rich truth of black life, which our society has too  
long left in the shadows.'' 
 
``The sixties created Black Studies and Black Studies created an 
incredible burst of exciting scholarship on Africa and the 
African Diaspora,'' said Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP and a 
leading civil rights activist. ``Building on that scholarship, 
Skip Gates and Kwame Appiah at Harvard have put together the first 
compendium of black knowledge for the computer age.'' 
 
Planned Pricing and Availability 
 
Microsoft Encarta Africana for the Microsoft Windows(R) 95 
operating system is scheduled to be available in February 1999 
for an estimated retail price of $49.95 after a $20 mail-in 
rebate discount offer*.  Schools and other educational 
institutions may obtain Encarta Africana at a discount through 
the Microsoft Open License Pack program, a flexible plan for 
acquiring Microsoft products. See an authorized academic reseller 
for more information. 
 
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software 
for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of 
products and services for business and personal use, each 
designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable 
for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing  
every day. 
 
NOTE: * Rebate offer valid to all purchasers; expires December 1999. 
 
Photos are available of Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Anthony Appiah. 
Screenshots of Encarta Africana are available at 
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/pub/pd/pdz?f=PRN/prnphotos&grid=2. 
 
The information contained in this press release relates to a 
prerelease software product that may be substantially modified 
before its first commercial release. Accordingly, the information 
may not accurately describe or reflect the software product when 
first commercially released. The press release is provided for 
informational purposes only, and Microsoft makes no warranties, 
express or implied, with respect to the press release or the 
information contained in it. 
 
Microsoft, Encarta and Windows are either registered trademarks 
or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or 
other countries. Other product and company names herein may be 
trademarks of their respective owners. 
 
NABJ Members Note: 
 
The NABJ convention (was) held July 29 to Aug. 2 at the 
Washington Convention Center in Washington. With 3,000 members, 
NABJ is the largest media organization for people of color in the 
world. 
 
Microsoft will be involved in the following activities. NABJ 
attendees are encouraged to attend: 
 
A panel discussion, ``Bridging the Gap: Making Technology 
Accessible to African-Americans,'' will be held Thursday, July 
30, 1:45 - 3:15 p.m. This panel will be moderated by Tariq 
Muhammad of  Black Enterprise Magazine and will include 
representatives from leading technology companies, trade 
publications, academia and public service organizations. More 
information about Microsoft Encarta Africana and the Encarta line 
of learning and reference products is available at Booth 410. 
Skip Gates' appearance is 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 at the Black 
Journalists of Seattle Chapter Party. 
_______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Telecenters and Libraries: New Technologies and New Partnerships 
 
 
By Steve Cisler August 4, 1998 
 
Written for discussion and dissemination at the annual IFLA conference in 
Amsterdam, Holland, August 1998.  Permission to reproduce or quote is 
granted for educational, non-profit community and library organizations. 
 
Comments and inquiries to <cisler[at]pobox.com> or 4415 Tilbury Drive, San 
José, California 95130 USA.  1-408-379-9076 
<http://home.inreach.com/cisler/telecenter.htm> 
 
This paper introduces the concept of telecenters, directs the reader to some 
manuals and guidelines, as well as a number of projects around the world; 
explains why libraries can help make these projects a success and why 
libraries should consider extending their role to include the telecenter 
functions. 
 
Public Access to Computers and Information Technology 
 
Telecenters, telecentres, telecottages, community technology centers, 
networked learning centers, multipurpose community telecentres, digital 
clubhouses, cabinas públicas, espaces numérisés, telestugen, and learning 
access places are some of the names that are used for places that provide a 
range of activities and services that include access to information and 
communications technology for individual, social, and economic development. 
There is no agreed upon definition, except that each center has a physical 
space and some information technology for public use. There were projects in 
the late 1960s and early 1970s to allow public access to computers, but the 
first telecenter was established in Velmdalen, Sweden, in mid-1980s. They 
have spread all over the world. Not everyone is going to have a phone or 
computer in their home. Telecenters help meet the goal of "universal access" 
by providing community-based access to this technology. Some would say that 
the thousands of small offices that provide phone and fax service in Senegal 
are telecenters. Some, especially in Europe and Australia, are associated 
with telework and telecommuting projects. However, for the purpose of this 
paper, I am limiting my definition to those sites that provide at least 
public Internet access in addition to telephone and fax services. The range 
of technology provided will change depending on the needs and capabilities 
of the communities served. Some centers also include satellite links, video 
production equipment, digital photography services, computer repair and 
distribution services, rental of office space, and provision of Internet 
services to off-site users. Most of the centers are somewhat more modest 
than that, but it is crucial to remember that even the most connected, the 
most wired cities and regions such Silicon Valley California and Parthenay, 
France have these centers. 
 
International development agencies as well as organizations such as UNESCO 
and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) have, in the past two 
years, stepped up their activities to establish telecenters in many 
countries around the world. In many places, libraries have no role in the 
deployment or maintenance of these centers. I believe, based on experience 
in the U.S., that the lack of involvement by libraries is a mistake. The 
libraries lose the ability to strengthen ties with other groups in the 
community as well as donors, telecommunications companies, and other sectors 
of government. National libraries, as well as IFLA, need to partner with 
some of the national, regional and international players to share our own 
skills and commitment to service that have been the hallmark of our 
profession, long before there were computers, or even telephones. Without 
that commitment to service, the telecenters suffer. 
 
The successful telecenters include a strong training program, secure and 
well-maintained equipment and links, a business plan that makes the center 
sustainable, and a sense that the center is a place that community members 
want to use and feel pride that it is in their town or neighborhood.  Having 
strong community involvement can help with the other points because 
resources from both inside and outside the community will be more readily 
available. 
 
This description does not differ from many a good library technology 
project, and indeed, some libraries are providing much the same kind of 
services as are the telecenters. In the United States, the Community 
Technology Center Network, which is comprised of 250 grass roots 
organizations, has 10 library sites as members. Other organizations include 
boys and girls clubs, community centers, churches, some schools that are 
opening their doors to the public after the children are finished for the 
day.  For exploration of web resources, the CTCNet web site is a very good 
starting point. It lists the members, a complete setup manual in English, 
and includes addresses for online discussions of these issues. 
 
Examples of Telecenter Projects 
 
Here are a few examples of different public access projects in various 
countries. 
 
The Digital Clubhouse located in a shopping center in Sunnyvale, California, 
provides free training, access to the Internet, and courses on digital 
storytelling, using several dozen high end Macintosh and PC workstations. 
All of these have a fast connection to the Internet. They are working on 
some projects with the local public library, but most of their activity 
involves community organizations, especially those that would have trouble 
getting online or learning the advanced skills provided by the Clubhouse. 
Its strengths are the training staff, the strong emphasis on people meeting 
people at the center, and the interest taken by the high tech business 
community in Silicon Valley. This non-profit franchise model is being 
replicated in other U.S. states (Maryland and New York), and other countries 
have expressed interest in setting up their own. 
 
Training Center, Wa, Ghana.  This is a town of 80,000 and only fifty 
computers. It is17 hours by bus from Accra, the capital. The telecomms costs 
are high within Ghana, and the phone line to the capital is not reliable. 
Electricity is available most of the day. With a Small Project Assistance 
Grant, Tod Bruning, a Peace Corps volunteer, established a small center with 
three computers, modem, and Internet access. Students may take courses for 
about $50 each, but this is much less expensive than commercial classes, and 
most students can double their pay from the skills they learn, even though 
the demand for Internet services is not high in Wa. 
 
Dover, Tasmania, is the southernmost town in Australia.  This seaside town 
of 500 has one of the most stable telecentres in the Australian Rural 
Telecentre Association.  Dover Community Telecentre Inc. provides desktop 
publishing services, hotel and inn bookings, information on local crafts, 
art, and gourmet foods, as well as e-mail and fax services for visitors. 
 
In Parthenay, France, the city is setting up seven digital spaces. The first 
is in the Armand Jubien Social Centre, and besides providing access to new 
media services, it will be a place for people to meet and exchange ideas 
about the technologies. This is supported by online discussions using 
electronic bulletin boards as well as free Internet access for the citizens. 
 
UNESCO and the ITU are backing rural multipurpose community telecentre (MCP) 
projects in Mozambique, Mali, Suriname, Honduras, Uganda, and South Africa, 
and other countries may be added. These are meant to be self-sustaining 
financially. The Peruvian Scientific Network (RCP) has set up 24 cabinas 
públicas in towns around the country for public access, and the city of 
Asuncion, Paraguay is setting up seven, one in each neighborhood in the 
capital. 
 
 
Industry Canada's Community Access Program (CAP), has funded more than 2200 
rural systems, many of which are located in public libraries. The goal is to 
make Canada the most wired nation in the world by the early part of the next 
century. The current budget has money to establish 5000 urban centers as 
well. The Canadians are also helping other countries set up  Multipurpose 
Community Telecentres and have provided a guide for the African projects. 
 
Library Involvement 
 
For a variety of reasons, many of these projects are being planned without 
involving librarians at the local or national level. Some libraries are 
occupied with providing traditional services with meager budgets and have 
decided that technology access is a lower priority than reading and literacy 
programs. Even those libraries that chose not to participate now should be 
aware of the telecenter projects underway. The international, national, and 
local efforts provide a library with an opportunity to offer assistance to 
the agencies planning the centers and perhaps to host such a  center. 
However, the telecenters are being built, with or without our participation. 
 
The process of adding telecenter functions to a public library can be 
stimulating and very disruptive. The staff has to see the value in the 
changes, have adequate training, and be prepared for new kinds of library 
users or they will not be able to provide the kind of service that will 
attract a steady stream of people. Some library users will welcome the new 
services; others may resent the changes. Many Internet users want to use the 
technology for communications rather than purely for information access. 
Some libraries in the United States have already decided that they are only 
in the information business and prohibit library users from accessing any 
Internet communications services. Others offer their own communications 
services and training to the public. Preventing the use of email and online 
discussions in public access points is the 1990's equivalent of saying 
sssshhhh! to our customers. 
 
What can IFLA do? To continue this conversation, I recommend that a program 
during the 1999 conference in Bangkok be hosted for libraries that are 
working with telecenter planning teams in different countries. Organizing 
the program will allow librarians to discover who is already involved and 
begin to share information with others. Please contact me if this interests 
you. 
 
World Wide Web resources for projects mentioned in this paper 
 
*Cabinas públicas (Peru) <ekeko.rcp.net.pe/rcp/servicios/cabina/> 
*Community Access Program (Canada) <cap.unb.ca/> 
*Community Technology Center Network (CTCNet) <www.ctcnet.org> 
*Digital Clubhouse, Sunnyvale Mall, Sunnyvale, California 
<www.digiclub.org> 
*Digital Spaces (espaces numérisés) Parthenay, France. 
<www.globenet.org/vecam/actes/actes1.html Parthenay> 
*Dover Community Telecentre, Inc. (Australia) <www.tassie.net.au/~dovercom/> 
and the Australian Rural Telecentre Association. <www.arta.org.au/> 
*"If you Have a Lemon, Make Lemonade: A Guide to the Start-up of the African 
Multipurpose Community Telecentre Pilot Projects". Prepared by Richard Fuchs 
for the (Canadian) International Development Research Centre. 1997. 
<www.idrc.ca/acacia/outputs/lemonade/lemon.html> 
*"Telecottages in Estonia" by  Tonu Otsason. 
<www.esd.worldbank.org/extension/telecot.shtm> 
*Training Center, Wa, Ghana.  <www.iicd.nl/search/show-entry.ap?entryid=39> 
Tod Bruning: uwca[at]ighmail.com 
*"Universal access through Multipurpose Community Telecentres - a business 
case?"  by Johan 
Ernberg.<www.itu.int/itudoc/itu-d/dept/psp/b_9_12/39703.html> 
 
 
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Date: Thursday, October 29, 1998 12:06 PM