Educational Potential of WWW

[C. W. Tazewell]

Hi,
     Your message about the educational potential of the WWW is very, 
very good.  The same problem exists everywhere!
     I operate (alone) a major WWW Digital Library.  It serves an 
important metropolitan area in Southeastern Virginia.  I have not been 
able to get any assistance or the necessary widespread support for The
Hampton Roads Central Library.  I envision The Library also as an
area-wide centralized K12 media center, since much of the same material
can be shared by students and the public.
     The general attitude about the Internet and The Library is that 
"maybe it will just go away."   And, when something is done - setting up 
a home page, etc. - it is usually tokenism, just to keep up with the 
latest fad.
     I will be glad to assist you in any way I can.  You may like to 
check The Library: Internet 2000, Professional Librarians' Section, and 
the Tidewater Virginia Public Libraries Home Page. (The latter was set up 
by me, but it has never been accepted by the professional librarians.)  
One of my problems is that I am not a professional librarian, although I 
have almost 75 years experience as a user and manager.  I founded and was 
first head of a library system that now serves a million people.
     Also, my South Africa page may be of interest.  I try to tie in 
local Hampton Roads and Virginia activities and people with other parts 
of the world.  I have done the same thing with the Scottish Section.  I
have relatives in South Africa - the family of former Ambassador
Taswell.
     I feel that The Hampton Roads Central Library is (among other 
things) a powerful advocate to the world for this area.  But, the major 
purpose is to make it easy for "Jack and Jill and Little Joey" to use the 
overwhelming resources of the Internet.
     One thing that concerns me locally is our local Ruffner Middle 
School Internet Project.  They have 1000 students and over 6 dozen 
teachers.  They have more than 300 computers connected to the Internet.  
They apparently feel that they can sit the students and teachers in
front of a computer and the Internet will work like magic - somehow.
My philosophy is that you don't adapt people to the Internet; you
adapt the Internet to the people.
     When $500 Network Computers are connected to the Internet in every 
home, the WWW has to be point and click with a TV remote comtrol.  There 
are too many people in the world for them all to become Web surfers.  
That's for the professionals. 
     USENET News Groups messages are available in archived form, as an 
example from DejaNews.  DejaNews can be accessed thru Yahoo, and direct 
at "www.dejanews.com ."  You can just link messages without including 
the actual file.
     Perhaps what you need is a local/community/metropolitan digital
library!
     Good luck.  You'll need it.
                                   Bill.
    -----------------------------------------------------------
          Will print and libraries survive the Internet?
                 The Hampton Roads Central Library
             (You don't drive to it; you point to it.)
                Your *REASON* to have the Internet
Front Entrance                E A S Y   L I N K S - Your WWW Hotlist
http://wwwp.exis.net/~cwt/    http://www.infi.net/~cwt/easylink.html
 


On Mon, 27 May 1996, Stoya Ilcheva wrote:
> 
> Dear Web4lib subscribers,
> 
> I have been a silent avid reader of your discussion for a year now and I
> have come to realize its tremendous educational potential. Here in South
> Africa most of the librarians have had very little and teachers -
> practically no exposure to the WWW even at the traditionally advantaged
> libraries and schools. They need to be made aware of how powerful the WWW
> can be as a provider of democratic access to the world's information
> resources, communication and collaboration. Otherwise, as with any new
> medium, there is bound to be a lot of negativism and obstruction. Financial
> and other constraints might be overplayed to slow down its advent.
> 
> Therefore I feel it will be beneficial if librarians and teachers in South
> Africa can get an easy, hands-on, inexpensive and non-threatening introduction
> to the wealth of cyberspace before deciding on whether they need an Internet
> connection. As a research student in Information Studies I am working on a
> project involving the creation of a mini model of the WWW that could be used
> as an instructional tool to introduce librarians who are new to this
> environment to its nature, salient characteristics, concepts, terminology;
> its available and potential services and uses; its functions, operations,
> navigation and retrieval strategies; its authoring capabilities.
> 
> Your cooperation and help will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Stoya
> -- 
> Stoya Ilcheva
> University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa
> ilcheva at unpsun1.cc.unp.ac.za
>