[Web4lib] FW: Cave Day Announcement

[Dobbs, Aaron]

Question: High speed internet connectivity in public libraries?!  Why on
earth would *they* need *that*?!

Answer: See the Cave Day announcement below for yet another good example
supporting high speed internet in public libraries.

(High-speed in this case means the world definition of broadband
(2+MBps) vs the U.S. legislative/regulatory definition (744KBps).  I2
would be nice, but an I2 connection is not necessary for the program
below.)

-Aaron
:-)'


-----Original Message-----
From: Giddings, William B. 
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2007 3:26 PM
To: k20advise at internet2.edu; k20innovators at internet2.edu
Cc: Greg Monaco
Subject: Cave Day Announcement



Please distribute to any interested libraries that might want to see
inside Riverbluff Cave and hear from the author about his book.

Bill Giddings

Missouri Research and Education Network (MOREnet)

University of Missouri

PEEK INTO RIVERBLUFF CAVE VIA TECHNOLOGY

SATURDAY, April 14

While Riverbluff Cave is much too fragile to open to the public, through
the wonders of technology, Springfield is sharing Riverbluff with the
world. Libraries are invited to participate through videoconferencing or
videostreaming in "Riverbluff Cave Day," to be held from 1-3 p.m. on
Saturday, April 14.

David Harrison, author of "Cave Detectives: Unraveling the Mystery of an
Ice Age Cave," will be at the event to sign copies of the book and
answer questions, lead paleontologist Matt Forir will broadcast live
from the clay-coated chambers of the cave, the oldest or second oldest
known Ice Age fossil site on the North American continent.

Soon after the cave was discovered, it was wired with fiber optic cables
and cameras through a collaboration with the Missouri Research and
Education Network (MOREnet) to become the first cave to have permanent
Internet access.

All you need to "virtually" attend the event and see Forir inside the
cave in real time, says MOREnet's Bill Giddings, is a computer and
access to a web browser. "And we'll record the event for possible future
use."

Harrison's book is the 73rd he has written and he thinks it's one of the
best he's done. The brand-new book resembles an archaeologist's journal.
Scraps of notes, photos and illustrations and a magnifying glass give a
hint of what young readers will find inside: the story of Springfield's
own Riverbluff Cave, from its accidental discovery by construction
workers in 2001 to the latest fossils and finds from last year.

 "After my first trip into the cave, I knew I had to write a book about
it," said Harrison. "The book provides a unique opportunity to follow
the story of the cave from the day it was discovered. It presents real
science in real time as scientists explore, discover and piece together
fossilized clues of this area's distant past. The rich fossil evidence
unearthed in Riverbluff adds to our understanding of what life was like
here nearly one million years ago."

Photographer Ed Biamonte, Lisa McCann, Nicole Ryan and others who played
a role in discovering, protecting and exploring Riverbluff Cave will
also be on hand to visit and sign copies of the book.

Videoconferencing and streaming is made possible through a continuing
collaboration with Springfield-Green County Library District, MOREnet,
and the Missouri State Library.

Jeanne C. Duffey, community relations director for the
Springfield-Greene County Library District, can be reached at
jeanned at mail.sgcl.org <mailto:jeanned at mail.sgcl.org> .

To view this conference via Windows Media Player, use the following URL:
http://www.more.net/services/videostreaming/events.html
<http://www.more.net/services/videostreaming/events.html>  

1) If you want to verify operation of your Windows Media player prior to
the conference, click on the test stream link located near the top of
the page.

2) Click on the link: "PEEK INTO RIVERBLUFF CAVE" to view the
conference. 

Sites interested in Saturday's videostream of Springfield-Greene County
Library's "Riverbluff Cave Day," featuring David Harrison, the author of
the book "Cave Detectives: Unraveling the Mystery of an Ice Age Cave,"
may want to share with patrons the following URL for the Riverbluff
Cave: http://www.riverbluffcave.com <http://www.riverbluffcave.com/> .

Lein Shory

Senior Information Specialist

MOREnet Marketing & Communications

(573) 882-9095

shoryl at more.net <mailto:shoryl at more.net>