Internet costs: stories from the field?

[Karen G. Schneider]

For a lengthy article I'm writing on Internet costs and libraries, I'm
interested in observations from the field.  I'm open to free-form success
stories, horror stories, indepth observations, one-liners, etc.  My focus
tends to default to public libraries, but I am curious about, and open to,
observations about all kinds of libraries.  Feel free to forward to
interested parties or lists.  

Some of the more specific questions I have, if you're interested in
responding or being interviewed (however briefly):

If you've been connected for more than a few months--are you using the same
workstations, telecommunications equipment and software you did when you
first connected?  If not, how costly (in ballpark numbers and/or rough
percentages or estimates) has it been to upgrade these "one-time expenses?"
 How about the need to expand staff?  Was it hard to persuade your
stakeholders that the upgrade and expansion were essential?  How did the
upgrade improve library services?  

Studies (e.g. the 1997 Survey of Public Libraries and the Internet) show
many public libraries are not satisfied with their level of Internet
connectivity--that they perceive the  quantity and age of workstations and
level of connectivity (bandwidth, access to multimedia, etc.) as not
adequate for delivering library services as fully as they'd like.
Comments?  Or--another approach--what would you offer if you had more or
better resources?  

Do you feel you have finally built Internet costs into your budget, or are
you primarily or heavily budgeting Internet access by exception, one-time
grant, etc.?

Are you factoring the rapid growth of the Internet into planning for your
projected Internet-related IT (information technology) costs?  (See
ftp://ftp.genmagic.com/pub/internet/TrendsPR9802.txt for a discussion of
the latest growth estimates)

If you have received some Internet-related services or start-up equipment
for "free" or at a serious discount--what was the hidden price?  (E.g.,
obligations you incurred, or services you couldn't deliver because the
"free" service wouldn't support them, assumptions from stakeholders that
you would continue to receive the "free" service, etc.)

Finally--is that online Universal Discount form a nightmare to fill out, or
what?

My absolute, drop-dead deadline for this is the end of this week (2/27),
but earlier responses gratefully received.  I'll collect responses and (if
you ok it for your submission) post them back to the lists.  I'm able to
quote from anonymous sources in this article, so confidentiality, if
necessary, is guaranteed.  
_____________________________________________________
Karen G. Schneider |  kgs at bluehighways.com
Councilor-at-Large, American Library Association
Internet Filter Assessment Project: http://www.bluehighways.com/tifap/
Author: A Practical Guide to Internet Filters *** Now Available! ***
Neal Schuman, 1997 ISBN 1-55570-322-4 http://www.neal-schuman.com
Information is hard work
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