Bottom Line on Electronic Libraries

[Cliff Urr]

Just got this from the Sept. 17, Edupage:

THE BOTTOM LINE ON ELECTRONIC LIBRARIES

A former Public Library Association official estimates the cost of wiring
the nation's libraries at somewhere between $2- and $3-billion -- "a sum
nearly equivalent to that spent by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie during
the great spurt of library building," notes journalist Nicholas von Hoffman.
But, "being able to afford the hardware is one thing," says a senior VP of
New York Public Library's Research Libraries.  "Being able to replace it
year after year and being able to afford the staff to help people use it is
another.  We could put workstations everywhere, but we don't have enough
staff.  The equipment is on a three-year, six-thousand-dollar replacement
cycle.  If people are using things like the World Wide Web, we need one
staff member out on the floor for every 20 workstations in use...  Right now
we have 250 workstations for the public, so one staff member for every 20
workstations becomes a major investment."

- Cliff Urr
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E-mail: curr at mnsinc.com

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