CYBRARIAN AWARD AVAILABLE from MCI

[Stephanie Stokes]

	WEB4LIBers...news flash!
	Stephanie Stokes
	http://www.ssdesign.com/librarypr
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NEW MCI CYBRARIAN OF THE YEAR WILL REWARD ONE LIBRARIAN IN EACH STATE!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  Contact:  Julie DiCarlo/MCI
                                                 (800) 781-2694 - pager
                                                 JillArquette/Z
                                                 Communications
                                                 (703) 358-0012

MCI EXPANDS COMMITMENT TO LIBRARIES THROUGH NATIONAL AWARD PROGRAM FOR
CYBRARIANS

-Nation's Librarians Recognized for Connecting Communities through Cyberspace-

WASHINGTON, D.C.-A new national awards program could be the best news
for librarians since Benjamin Franklin founded the nation's first public
library in 1731.  Sponsored by MCI, MCI Cybrarian of the YearSM will
honor librarians who are rising out of the cyber-revolution and are
helping to revamp the way library patrons access and navigate the world
of information technology.
One librarian in each of the fifty states will be named MCI Cybrarian of
the Year. Winners will be recognized in their local communities and will
each receive a $1,000 donation toward library educational materials and
one year of dial-up access to the Internet.
The MCI Cybrarian of the Year award program expands on a four-year, $1.4
million initiative called MCI LibraryLINK., which aims to level the
playing field and help more people gain access to the wealth of
information on the Internet through donations of technology grants to
our nation's libraries.

MCI LibraryLINK, has provided access to over 600 public libraries for
communications technology to link local libraries with the communities
they serve and the vast resources of the information superhighway.
Since the program's launch in 1995, the proportion of Internet-connected
libraries has increased from 21% to 80% nationwide.
"As part of MCI's ongoing commitment to utilize technology for the
enhancement of the education process, we are proud to launch MCI
Cybrarian of the Year," said Tim Price, President and Chief Operating
Officer of MCI.  "The MCI Cybrarian award program honors the people who
are driving the cyber revolution by helping educate, create and develop
the vast information technology resources available in America's public
libraries."
Library professionals have long been the disseminators of information
and gatekeepers of knowledge for their communities.  Now, the
information explosion has created a new breed of public servant -
trailblazers who are charged with helping future generations understand
the power and potential of cyberspace.
-- more --
"Although almost anyone can use the Internet with little or no training,
it takes knowledge and experience to find relevant and reliable
information." says Esther Dyson, Chairman, EDventure Holdings Inc., and
author of a new book, Release 2.0:  A Design for Living in the Digital
Age. "Because the Internet is so vast and relatively uncharted, guides
such as librarians provide a tremendously valuable service.   It's
gratifying to see MCI acknowledge their contributions."
Dyson joins a National Panel of America's most eminent library and
information science specialists that will judge the program applicants
based on criteria including the librarians' expertise and commitment to
using technology to better serve their communities.  The National
Judging Panel to date includes:
Timothy Andrews, Editor and Executive Director of Enterprise Products,
Dow Jones Interactive Publishing; Jan Garnett Cellucci, First Lady of
Massachusetts and Preservation Manager for Boston College Libraries;
David T. Chaplin, Manager IT, KPMG Peat Marwick; Pamela Cibbarelli,
President, Cibbarelli's; Steve Cisler, Board Member, Association for
Community Networking; Steve Coffman, Director of FYI Service, County of
Los Angeles Public Library; Mary Corcoran, Managing Partner, Knowledge
Forum; Lynn Dombek, Assistant Director, Time Inc. Research Center; Tamas
E. Doszkocs, Ph.D., Computer Scientist, National Library of Medicine;
Esther Dyson; Chairman, EDventure Holdings Inc.; Judith J. Field,
President, Special Libraries Association; Richard P. Hulser, Digital
Library Consultant, IBM Corp.; Joseph Janes, Director, Internet Public
Library, University of Michigan; Nettie Lagace, Business Information
Librarian, Harvard University, Baker Library; Kenneth Liss, Electronic
Products Specialist, Harvard University, Baker Library; Mary E.
Marshall, Director of Information Professional Relations, LEXIS-NEXIS;
Julia C. Peterson, Consultant, Library, Information & Knowledge
Management; Barbara Quint, Editor, Searcher Magazine; Laverna Saunders,
Ph.D., Dean of Library, Instructional and Learning Support, Salem State
College Library; Srinija Srinivasan, Vice President and Editor, Yahoo!
Inc.; and Ann Tolzman, Instructional Programs Librarians, Thunderbird -
The American Graduate School of International Management.

The deadline for contest applications is April 30, 1998.  Librarians and
others interested in the award program can nominate themselves or a
colleague through the MCI Cybrarian of the Year Web site at
www.mci.com/cybrarian or call 1-800-636-1485 for additional information.
MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a leading provider of
local-to-global communication services to business, government and
residential users.  The company's fast-growing portfolio of advanced
data, Internet and IT services now accounts for nearly a quarter of
MCI's $19.7 billion in annual revenue.  MCI operates one of the world's
largest and most advanced digital networks, connecting local markets in
the U.S. to more than 280 countries and locations worldwide.  MCI has
agreed to merge with WorldCom, one of the world's fastest-growing
communications companies.  The merger, which is expected to be completed
by mid-1998, will create MCI WorldCom, a company uniquely positioned in
the U.S. local and long distance markets as well as the global data and
Internet markets.
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