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December 1999 LibraryNet Monthly TABLE OF CONTENTS
CANADIANS CHOOSE LIBRARIES FOR PUBLIC ACCESSPreliminary results are in from the "Privacy, Access and the Shifting Marketplace Survey" performed by Ekos Research Associates for Industry Canada. Building on earlier studies performed by Ekos, the survey is a random sample of Canadians taken over the summer of 1999. The most interesting results from public libraries are the responses to two questions about usage of the Internet in public places. 45% of the respondents said that they had used the Internet in a library, second only to schools. Even more encouraging, in answer to the question "Where would you be most likely to use the Internet if you could go to a public place and get access?", 53% of respondents without home access chose the library (as compared to 10% who chose school, 6% who chose Internet café, 3% who chose community centre, 3% who chose government office, 3% who chose shopping mall, and 3% who chose other). Please note that copyright of these findings belongs to Ekos and that they may not be reproduced without Ekos' permission. For more
information: URBAN COMMUNITIES TO JOIN CAPOn December 15, John Manley, Minister of Industry, invited both urban and rural communities across Canada interested in establishing public Internet access sites to submit proposals to the Community Access Program (CAP) by February 4, 2000. Through CAP, the Government of Canada plans to establish a national network of up to 10,000 public access sites. Launched in 1994, CAP has already established over 4,200 sites in approximately 3,000 rural and remote communities. "Today Industry Canada is extending the benefits of connectivity to even more Canadians as we expand the program to include urban centres with populations over 50,000," said Minister Manley. Canadian organizations such as educational institutions, public libraries, community organizations, and municipal and territorial governments, are eligible to become CAP sites. CAP offers matching funds of up to $17,000 per site to successful applicants. Industry Canada has concluded cost-shared agreements with the Governments of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan (rural only) and the Yukon for the joint implementation of CAP. Under these agreements, deadlines for proposals can vary in timing and frequency. Applicants from these provinces/territories should seek further information from CAP as outlined below. For more
information, including details on site selection criteria and guidelines
for proposal preparation: For more
information concerning schools as CAP sites contact: ONTARIO WEB AWARENESS WEEK A SUCCESSSeveral Ontario public libraries mounted events to mark Ontario Web Awareness Week, October 18 to 24, sponsored by the Media Awareness Network (MNet) in cooperation with the public library and education sector, including LibraryNet, the National Library of Canada, the Canadian Library Association, and the Ontario Library Association. The week was launched at the Central Branch of Nepean Public Library on October 18. National Librarian Roch Carrier acted as host and moderator with a panel of 3 youth and 3 adults responding to questions about how children and youth use the Internet. The most difficult question for the youth guests came from an educator in the audience, who asked how they knew the information they were getting from the Net for their homework assignments was "good or correct"; they were uncertain. Ten workshops for librarians and library staff were given between September and November in communities across southern Ontario. Workshops in northern Ontario and for French-speaking librarians are planned for 2000. The Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) is also planning to hold a "virtual workshop" picking up on the Web Awareness topics in the winter or spring of 2000. Kanata Public Library held a web awareness workshop for parents, at which an online safety module from MNet was presented. All participants felt the workshop was well worthwhile. The library also gave out Web Awareness resources bookmarks, and flyers from MNet and CLA. In addition, all of the public services staff attended a web awareness training session given by SOLS. Brantford Public Library also sent a number of staff to the training session. A one-hour evening workshop for parents was filled to capacity due to an article that appeared a week before the event in the Brantford Expositor. The library has started a waiting list for the next presentation. MNet is offering its web awareness training modules to any librarian who completes a User Agreement form. There will be no charge for the modules in the foreseeable future, but MNet wants to know who is using them in order to be able to provide appropriate ongoing support. Next year, the participating agencies plan to launch Web Awareness Week as a national event. For more
information: NFB FILMS AVAILABLE ONLINEA new online film delivery system from the National Film Board was unveiled in Ottawa on December 13. Cinéroute allows a computer user to choose a movie from a menu, and then view it on their computer screen. The pilot project will give students and teachers in university libraries across Canada access to more than 800 NFB films. The films, digitized in MPEG 1 format, are streamed without downloading at full speed (30 frames/second). This standard makes it possible to show full-screen images on a computer monitor and provide picture quality comparable to that of VHS video, for the first time in North America. Sandra MacDonald, director of the NFB, says "We were highly motivated because of the distribution challenge. And we were also highly motivated, because in the course of our budget cuts over recent years, we had to close our store fronts, which were much used by teachers and students." The pilot project will run until the end of May 2000. For that period, the owners of the copyright of these films have waived their rights for compensation. In the second phase of the project, elementary and high schools, public libraries, and community organizations across Canada will be invited to take part, using more accessible transmission technologies such as cable modems or satellite dishes. For more
information: SMART COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS COMPETITIONThe Smart Communities Demonstration Project initiative is a nation-wide competition to select 12 "world-class" Smart Communities - one in each province, one in the North and one in an Aboriginal community. Selected projects will receive up to $5 million in program funding over three years to support their Smart Community vision. They will also gain valuable experience and knowledge by networking with other selected demonstration projects and international recognition. On November 15, a total of 46 applicants (out of an original 129) were invited to Stage Two of the Smart Communities Demonstration Project competition. Stage Two applicants are now invited to submit a full business plan. The business plan will cover all strategic, operational and financial aspects of the proposed demonstration project. The deadline for business plans is January 14, 2000. Both the Windsor Public Library and Coquitlam Public Library led initiatives which have advanced to Stage Two. They have been invited to submit complete business plans for their initiatives. To see the
full list of applicants invited to Stage Two: THE INTERNET GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE TO TEACHER LIBRARIANSThe Internet Guide, or TIG, is a self-paced Web course on basic Internet skills produced by the Faculty of Information Studies at the University of Toronto. The instructors, Gwen Harris and Sandra Wood, have been the principal Internet instructors in the FIS Continuing Education Program since 1994. Intended for librarians eager to become online adepts, TIG provides step-by-step instruction in using browsers, doing research on the Net, e-mailing, participating in chat and discussion groups, downloading software, and much more. LibraryNet has renewed its contract with the Faculty of Information Studies, giving public libraries across Canada another year of free access to TIG. Full TIG access is now available to all Canadian public library staff, public library trustees, and school librarians. To register
with the Internet Guide: B.C. VIRTUAL REFERENCE DESK NOW OPENThe B.C. Virtual Reference Desk is now open to the public. A collaborative project of the B.C. Library Services Branch and provincial public libraries, it's an easy-to use electronic reference resource that is searchable by keyword, subject and Dewey number. The VRD provides annotated links to web sites that have been reviewed and recommended by librarians as sources of quick and reliable information. Including both local and international sites, the VRD provides a unique take on the World Wide Web. Volunteers from public libraries all around the province have been busy entering and reviewing new sites for the Virtual Reference Desk. The database currently holds over 1,000 web site records, covering a wide range of subjects, and more sites are being added every day. Thanks to the efforts of the VRD Management Committee and the Subject Committee members, the database continpues to grow and develop through capturing only the best of the new web sites. The only advertising on the VRD home page is a banner promoting B.C. public libraries. Upcoming events and library news items will also be posted there. The Library Services Branch encourages B.C. public libraries to add a link from their home page to the VRD to allow their patrons access to this reference tool. Visit the
Virtual Reference Desk at: For more
information: BIBLIOTHECA UNIVERSALISThe Bibliotheca Universalis electronic library project will provide access to the major works of the world's cultural and scientific heritage via multimedia technologies and networks, in order to foster cross-border dialogue and enhance services to end-users. It will also provide a practical framework for international cooperation to address technical and administrative interoperability problems and create an open environment which can facilitate participation beyond G7 countries. The objective of the project is to constitute from existing programs the large, distributed virtual collection of human knowledge, made available to a large public via networks, and to advance international cooperation toward the establishment of global electronic library systems. Bibliotheca Universalis expects to strengthen the role of libraries and improve the availability at international levels of digitized resources, including both bibliographic records and information content itself. It will promote large-scale digitization of materials on electronic library systems. Furthermore, it should demonstrate how integrated digitization techniques support long-term access to these documents. For more
information: NETWORK TO SAVINGS PROGRAMNetwork to Savings, an innovative program of Canada's SchoolNet, brings information technology and software companies, educational publishers, schools and libraries together to give today's students the tools they need to learn and prepare for the working world. The SNTS provides a forum for Canada's top technology firms to offer significant discounts on computer equipment, software, educational products and services to Canadian educators, schools, libraries and school boards. At the SNTS website, click on Hardware, Software, Books, or Services to log into a central source for information on the latest educational tools and for great deals on equipment, software and services. SNTS allows you to search for specific products or companies such as Corel, Signal 9 and HC Data, and respected educational publishers such as Britannica and Trifolium Books. Then just contact the company in question and let them know you found them through SchoolNet's Network to Savings program. (You may be asked to validate your status as a member of the educational community to be eligible for the special discount.) For more
information: ONLINE COURSE IN WEB SEARCHING AND THE INTERNET GUIDEThe popular web-based course, Mastering Web Searching, from the Continuing Education Program of the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto will be offered again from January 17 to February 28, 2000. This course will build skills in using the main Internet search tools and in developing search strategies for the Net. The tours, exercises and assignments in this course along with direct tutoring from the instructor will give you the hands-on experience you need to search the Net more effectively. Instructor Gwen Harris is an information consultant and Internet specialist, co-author of The Internet Guide, as well as the principal Internet instructor in the FIS Continuing Education Program. The course fee of $290 Cdn includes a six month subscription to The Internet Guide, the award winning web- based training and reference guide. By special arrangement with LibraryNet, the course is available to public library staff for the reduced price of $215. For more
information or to register: CTV DISCOVERS SENSITIVE INFORMATION ON PUBLIC COMPUTERSOn November 24, the CTV National News carried a report warning users of public access computers that their data is not always irretrievable. A reporter checked the caches of public access Internet kiosks at the passenger lounges of both major airlines. Over a two week period, he discovered a variety of private and/or confidential documents. Computer security experts warn that information entered into public access computers, such as those found in libraries, is not private if someone knows where to look. Both airlines claim to be reviewing the computer services they provide as a result of this report. U.S. LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS PROMISED FURTHER INTERNET FUNDINGMore than $3.6 billion has been committed to American libraries and schools to help pay for discounted connections to the Internet over two years. The Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal Service Administrative Co., which is overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, said most of the funding will help applicants pay for the internal wiring schools and libraries need to hook their computers together or to the Internet. The division released its figures a week after FCC Chairman Bill Kennard announced that the program, known as the "e-rate," had connected more than 1 million classrooms to the Internet. The money comes from fees imposed on telecommunications companies, which pass them on to customers in phone bills. The FCC provides eligible schools and libraries with discounts ranging from 20 percent to 90 percent off the cost of various equipment and services they need to connect to the Internet, depending on the recipients' needs. The neediest schools and libraries, those eligible for discounts between 80 and 90 percent, accounted for more than 54 percent of the total promised money, according to the division. The 27,372 recipients include individual schools and libraries as well as entire school districts. One recipient, the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, says the funds enable the 26 branch-system to provide Internet services to members of the community who have no computers or even telephones at home. Money saved from the discounts also has been plowed into technology training and other programs, according to Patricia Wallace, head of the Libraries Information Access Division. The money has helped the library take "not just small steps, but quantum leaps in service," she said. For more
information: FCC DECISION ON SHARED HIGH-SPEED ACCESSIn November, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules requiring local telephone companies to share their lines with businesses that want to offer high-speed Internet connections to customers, which should make it substantially cheaper for them to compete with telephone companies in providing faster connections. Previously, American local telephone companies were able to offer high-speed Internet services to subscribers on the same lines as they provided regular voice service, but outside businesses who sold Internet connections had to buy a second line from the telephone company into the consumer's home. That meant a cost of about $20 to $23 extra for each second line. Sharing lines will also enable consumers to start receiving service in a matter of days, rather than waiting weeks for a second line installation. The regional phone companies say they have serious concerns about the impact on consumer service of carrying data and voice traffic from different providers on the same copper wire. For example, if a consumer has a problem placing a call, companies will have to determine which service is responsible. Pricing arrangements are yet to be determined. The FCC is expected to set interim pricing guidelines, with states hammering out later how much Internet businesses must pay the local telephone companies to split the line. For more
information: NEW DIGITIZATION WEBSITE AND MAILING LISTIn response to a growing recognition of the need to safeguard digital heritage, the National Library of Australia established its Preserving Access to Digital Information (PADI) website in 1997. The Library has recently redeveloped this site into a comprehensive subject "gateway" with more powerful search capabilities and efficient maintenance processes that will help the Library keep it up-to-date. Users are also invited to suggest resources for the PADI database through a new online form. A new discussion list, padiforum-l, has been set up for the exchange of news and ideas about digital preservation issues. Subscribers are encouraged to post digital preservation news, including announcements of forthcoming events, to padiforum-l. Discussion on all aspects of preserving access to digital information is also welcome. To subscribe to padiforum-l, send the message subscribe padiforum-l [your name] to listproc@nla.gov.au. For more
information: NATIONAL SITE LICENSING PROJECT APPOINTS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOROn December 8, the Canadian National Site Licensing Project (CNSLP) announced the appointment of Ms. Deb deBruijn as Executive Director. Ms. deBruijn comes to the project from a position as manager with the British Columbia Electronic Library Network (ELN) and brings a wealth of expertise in the domain of library information systems to the project. The CNSLP is an initiative comprising 64 Canadian universities and administered at the University of Ottawa. Its goal is to secure licenses for electronic journals primarily in science, engineering, health and the environment; and to provide electronic desktop access to this content for academic researchers. The initiative is funded through an award from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and contributions from partners and member institutions. The value of the project is estimated at $50 million. For more
information: LIBTECH 2000 CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTInternet
Librarian International Libtech 2000, a leading technology exhibition for library and information professionals, now features the international version of the USA's highly successful Internet Librarian Conference. Attendees to Libtech 2000 and Internet Librarian International will also benefit from free entry to the London Book Fair, the largest gathering of the international book trade in the UK. For more
information or to register: CANADA'S DIGITAL COLLECTIONS MONTHLYCanada's Digital Collections Monthly is a periodic roundup of the newest projects and collections at Canada's Digital Collections. The Canada's Digital Collections program awards contracts to Canadian associations, institutions, museums, libraries, educational institutions and other organizations to hire teams of people 15 to 30 years of age to digitize text, images, audio and video material and incorporate it in attractive websites for display on the World Wide Web through the Canada's Digital Collections server. As a collection, these websites demonstrate the growing pool of skills, talent and content available to the Canadian multimedia industry. To view the
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