a question

[Tari Keller]

If we used text-only browsers in libraries, we would be preventing our users
from receiving the information found in the graphical content of the web.  A
picture is worth a thousand words...

We are building a new library.  One of the bits of information on the web is
a photographic view of the new library as it looks within the last five
minutes.  The Young Library web site also contains floor plans,
retrospective photos of construction and even a few virtual photos of what
the lobby and 5th floor reading room will look like.  This site -
http://www.uky.edu/Libraries/wty.html - is keeping the university community
on campus and its supporters across the world up to date on the project in a
way that would be ineffectual when viewed through a text browser.

Then there is the major effort underway by libraries to put photographic
archives up on the web to make the information in those photos available to
a much larger audience.  Washington Research Libraries Consortium has
several wonderful collections available on the web. Check out the image
collections at http://www.aladin.wrlc.org/  .

When libraries are among the developers of such wonderful tools for sharing
information, using text-only browsers would mean not being able to
demonstrate the very worthwhile parts of the web we help to create.

Text-only browsers won't fly.  They would be censoring more than
pornography. They would be censoring useful information as well.  Libraries
don't do that.  If they have the equipment to run graphics, libraries will
give their users the world.  And it looks like Bill Gates is going to see
that they have the equipment!

Sorry about this tirade.  When I was at library school in 1976, I was
defending photographs, visual and sound archives as critical information.
Jesse Shera's "Maximize the social utility of the graphic record" is still
close to my heart. I'll get down off my soapbox now.

Tari


At 08:12 PM 7/1/97 -0700, Dspp at aol.com wrote:
>A question for no one in particular: If libraries would utilize text-only
>browsers, would there be a need for filtering? 
>
>
>D.S.P. Popeck
>Lakewood Library, Madison Branch
>
>
>
>
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tari Keller			Systems Librarian/NOTIS Lib 1
University of Kentucky		email: keller at pop.uky.edu
127 King Library North		phone: 606-257-2643
Lexington KY 40506		FAX:   606-257-8379