by Doug Gray
Director of Educational Technology
Chesapeake College
doug_gray@crabpot.chesapeake.edu
Alice never could quite make out, in thinking it over
afterwards, how it was that they began: all she remembers is,
that they were running hand in hand, and the Queen went so
fast that it was all she could do to keep up with her: and still the
Queen kept crying "Faster!" but Alice felt she could not go
faster, though she had no breath to say so.
The most curious part of the thing was, that the trees and the other things round them never changed their places at all: however fast they went, they never seemed to pass anything. "I wonder if all the things move along with us?" thought poor puzzled Alice. And the Queen seemed to guess her thoughts, for she cried, "Faster! Don't try to talk!"
The recent series of articles in this publication which suggest that the Sailor project is less than perfect should surprise no one. The project, developed by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Library Development and Services (DLDS) and supported by Federal funds, is designed to provide free local Internet access to all residents of the State of Maryland.
There has been controversy and discussion over the course of the project from the very beginning. Such discussion should not be unexpected and is useful for any major change process. There is no doubt that the world is undergoing a major information revolution and libraries are attempting to change with that revolution. My purpose in writing here, is neither to praise Sailor, nor to bury it, (paraphrase of Marc Antony, early librarian), but merely to add some clarifications and qualifications to the ongoing discussion. I am a librarian although I do not work in the public libraries whose grant funds support this project. The views expressed in this article in no way reflect the official view of my current employer or that of DLDS. I am by nature a shy and retiring individual and I am loath to enter an arena where I might find the Red Queen shouting "Off with his head." There are, however, important events underway and each one must do his part.
Final Destination of the Sailor Project
The Sailor Project is meant to do much more than merely provide free Internet access to the citizens of Maryland. It is an attempt to help libraries in Maryland to provide for the information needs of their patrons in a more efficient and effective manner than traditional library service provides. This means that a patron should not be forced to drive to a library in order to fill most of their information needs. They should be able to check their library's catalog and locate materials or information without leaving their home or office. There should be simple well organized ways of locating the information necessary to be successful in the 21st century. In fact, I would argue that while provision of free dial up access to the Internet is the least important aspect of the Sailor project; it is, undoubtedly, one of the most costly and questionable aspects of the project.
Sailor - Welfare for the Wealthy?
The funds used to support the Sailor project come primarily from Library
Services and Construction Act monies supplied by the Federal government. In
past years LSCA funds were used to establish pilot programs in Maryland
libraries for such projects as literacy programs, community information, and
services to the handicapped. The Sailor project has absorbed virtually all
of the funds designated for such projects for the last several years. The
requirements for LSCA funds required that libraries show how the project
would provide for the needs of an underserved population. The provision of
free dial up service is providing nothing for underserved populations. In
fact, Internet users tend to be educationally and financially better off than
non-Internet users. If a person can afford $2,000 for a computer and $20 a
month for his phone bill, he can certainly afford the cost of subscribing to
an Internet provider for service. In fact, with dial up service apparently
having extensive downtime difficulties it is easy to see that many people
having the choice would prefer to pay for their service of choice.
Sailor - It Seemed Like Such A Good Idea
Like many government projects, Sailor has taken years to get to this point. The project was planned and implementation begun long before ICNET and other Internet providers had begun to provide service. Unfortunately, the private providers now in place are better able to make rapid adjustments to changing technology. While dial access through Sailor is still text based the current technology on the Internet is the Web. Sailor has a nice Web home page, but you can't reach it through the dial up connection. It's nice for Sailor to provide a Web page for anyone who doesn't access the project through their local library. But isn't reduced service to your direct customer base kind of silly? This won't help to increase library funding.
Spending money like a drunken Sailor?
The public libraries provide the best value that citizens of the United States receive from any expenditure of their tax money. Libraries receive approximately 2% of all taxes: local, state, and federal. At the same time, over 60% of the population makes use of the services and information provided by public libraries. I am not sure of the cost thus far for the Sailor project, but accepting it at $1.5 million (a cost that is probably pretty close) it seems like an awful lot of money for a text based interface. If you look at it another way, however, it means that total cost of bringing the Internet to the 4 million citizens of the State of Maryland has been less than $0.40 (forty cents) per citizen. That is a tremendous bargain and the staff of the Sailor project should receive high accolades for such an effort. Unfortunately, the State and local jurisdictions are facing draconian cuts in their funding. It seems that providing free dial access to the wealthier citizens of the state is a luxury that our libraries can ill afford. These funds might be better spent to enhance existing resources such as the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
Enoch Pratt's Gift to the People of Maryland
The Pratt Library of Baltimore which functions as the backbone of the statewide system of book and information delivery has been underfunded for decades. It is a library which, in the recent past, was often mentioned with other nationally known libraries, such as the New York Public Library, as a model of what a library should be. The Pratt still has a tremendous collection of books, and art, and music, and information, which is available for the people of Maryland. Access to this jewel of Maryland libraries is being strangled. Staffing levels are minimal, staff is overworked and undoubtedly underpaid. They are doing an excellent job under trying circumstances and they face further major cuts in the next year. Mr. Paparella's attack on the Pratt Library, which painted all of the staff members with the same brush, was unwarranted.
Running in place
Sometimes, it seems that the library world, like Alice and the Red Queen, is running as fast as it can just to stay in one place. Is that because the world is moving too fast, or are the libraries trying to run in the wrong direction?