How we can be here in 20 years

[Millard Johnson]

Joe Schallan wonders if libraries can survive if the
Internet reaches its potential.

What librarians of Indiana are doing may be of interest.
The highest legislative priority for INCOLSA, the Indiana
State Library and the Indiana Library Federation is a
project we tentatively call INSPIRE ($1.5 M per year).
The objective: any citizen of the state WITH A LIBRARY CARD
can (from any computer in home, office, classroom, or library)
search the Internet and a large suite of fee-based
databases for free.  We know we can have SiteSearch, WebZ
and all of FirstSearch including lots of full text and
hardware and staff to run it, with this level of funding.
  With the cooperation of OCLC, Encyclopedia Britannica,
and other vendors we set up a prototype using simple web
pages.  We classified information as: 1)Info for business,
2)Info for students teachers and parents, 3)Consumsumers and 
community resources, 4)government agents and clientele, and
5)  general information explorers.  We held Windows On the
World (WOW) workshops around the state and invited
legislators, library board members and other community 
leaders to attend.  At the conclusion we allowed attendees to
sign up for virtual library cards which were sent -- along
instructions and back ground information.
  It is very easy for these legislators to see that this
managed resource is much better for their kids to do home
work research, businesses to find competitive information,
or academics to do better quality research.  We plan to
use the library card requirement to tell people that this
is not free but is a service that is paid with tax dollars
paid by libraries.
  We sell the concept to conservatives by saying that
future economic growth is along the information highway and
this will give Indiana a strong competitive advantage over
more backward states.  (Incidentally, NetFirst was the
INSPIRE Internet access and that -- as a selected resource --
it lacks all that p... stuff.)  We tell liberals that quality
of life depends on strong community institutions, like
libraries, and information for personal and cultural
development.
  Our prospects look good because: 1)Indiana librarians are
united behind this, 2)We have done the right things behind
the legislative initiative, 3)It is the right thing to do.
  There is more, but you will have to wait to read it in
the "BIG" paper.
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Millard F. Johnson zendog at incolsa.palni.edu
"I would rather risk failure than achieve it without risk"
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