Budgeting Web Services in Public Libraries

[Jim Rosaschi]

Another side of providing web based library services--money to buy the stuff.

We have been very successful in having our local Friends of the 
Library organizations provide funds for the following:

   PC workstations for public use network/internet access

   Network printers for public use

   Recabling, replacement of mux stuff with router stuff 
   (including term servers and hubs).

Most Friends groups were reluctant at first, since their historic role has 
been fundraising for the book budget.  Buying stuff to push and pull electrons 
around isn't very attractive at first blush.
  
But when we demonstrated the value of electronic access to information, they 
have become very supportive.

This is astonishing when in the case of a 12,000 sq ft facility recabling 
and the associated equipment needed to provide a couple of public internet 
workstations (and recabling the facility to permit network expansion 
throughout the facility) costs appx $20,000 with us doing most of the work 
ourselves.  In our case, this would represent more than a year's worth of 
booksales and other fundraising by the average Friends group in our area.

We are very fortunate.  I doubt we would be installing web workstations in 
public areas, were we left to the resources of our regular library budget.