Allen, 'Taking the Network Plunge : Remote Users and Electronic Networks', LITA Newsletter v15n04 URL = ftp://dewey.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/lita/lita-v15n04-allen-taking V15N4.PLUNGE LITANEWS --------------------- Taking the Network Plunge : Remote Users and Electronic Networks Eileen E. Allen A cool room of the elegant Fontainebleau Hilton was the setting for this session (sponsored by ACRL's Extended Campus Library Services Section and the LITA Telecommunications Interest Group) designed "to assist librarians, both academic and public, to gain knowledge, comfort and contacts to support their access to networked information, particularly in support of off-campus (distance education) students and faculty." Thomas E. Abbott (University of Maine at Augusta) greeted a standing-room-only audience and introduced three speakers from diverse settings who each addressed different aspects of networking and distance learning. James G. Neal Neal (Indiana University) outlined the context in which distance education is growing, gave an overview of the issues central to distance education and identified areas in the growth of technological infrastructure and policy that need our attention. He opened with a humorous story to stress that distance education has become a reality in higher education filled with promise but also surrounded by knotty educational and practical issues. Several environmental factors are driving this impetus, among them the promotion of lifelong learning, individuals' needs to prepare for advancement and career changes, technological and economic demands for re-education, government initiatives toward labor development and educational improvement and university endeavors to obtain maximum benefit from the human and educational resources in which they have invested. In addition, our definitions of distance education have evolved. With the emergence of new technologies, a paradigm shift in our educational thinking has occurred, with distance education gaining a more central role. As Neal pointed out, "shift happens," and we need to be prepared to provide services for this changing population and delivery mode. Indiana University now includes in its goals service to all of Indiana's residents as its constituency, and seeks to serve students and citizens who cannot be present on site and to support alumni, lifelong learners and the public schools. At the same time, the University seeks to maximize its resources and investments, strengthen the economy of the state, provide opportunities for research in nontradiitonal education and form partnerships with other educational institutions across the country. Neal observed that distance education is not a new concept, but declared that computer, video and especially the newer interactive audiographic technologies provide a strategic opportunity for universities to provide distance education, to expand their services to the public and to shape needed technological tools. The Internet has captured the public's imagination as reflected in the phenomenal growth in network traffic in a very short period, and Neal states that this technology is fundamental to distance education. It has been said that the Internet is the most significant development since Gutenberg developed movable type, but may only be noise if we don't use it wisely as an important tool in people's lives. Universities, Neal states, can and must be influential players in the use and development of these technologies. From a university perspective, technologies in support of distance education must include universal access to integrated information, tools for analysis and manipulation and emphasis on communication and collaboration. However, before the full potential of the Information Superhighway is realized, a variety of issues need to be addressed. We need greater interoperability, a massive increase in bandwidth, private sector investment and public sector involvement. Neal urges librarians to become more aggressive in preserving democratic principles of education and access to information by working toward least-cost access for the public sector, preferential rates for educational channels and programs and establishment of identifiable channels for publicly owned resources and networking. What's more, we must be critical users of this technology, shaping it toward human needs with workable funding structures so that it may blossom. Kate Wakefield Contrasting Neal's issue-oriented presentation, Wakefield (Western Library Network), Chair of LITA's Telecommunications Interest Group, outlined practical connectivity guidelines for those not now connected through educational affiliations. Several types of connections are available: dedicated leased line access, dial access and SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) or PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) connections. Each has its own cost options, hardware requirements and capabilities, and within a connectivity type there are a variety of network providers who differ in services provided and technical and training support. In selecting a connection type and provider, all of these factors need to be considered. With leased line access, typical of educational institutions, access is provided to users through a local area network, with a full range of Internet functions available, including e-mail, telnet, file transfer protocol (ftp) and the more sophisticated tools such as Mosaic and WAIS. Setup costs can be prohibitive, particularly if a site is not near a network "point of presence." Dial access may be a better option. Dial access is characterized by single-user accounts, limited transmission speed and services dependent upon Internet access providers. Several factors need to be considered when comparing providers. Not all companies provide the same functionality: some only provide e-mail access and may even charge per message, significant if users will belong to a variety of discussion lists. Others may provide more sophisticated services such as gopher, WAIS and World Wide Web (WWW) in addition to telnet and ftp. Dial-access users need to consider fee structures carefully as well, including whether phone charges are for local or long distance calling, whether toll-free calling is available, what set-up fees exist, what rates are charged and whether they are monthly or annual rates, what discounts are offered and what charges there are for connecting, storage and differing telecommunications speeds. Other considerations include ease of use, availability and readability of documentation, technical support, training and overall company reliability. SLIP or PPP connections installed in a dial-access environment can provide a middle level of access. With this type of connection, your computer is temporarily assigned its own Internet address allowing speedy retrieval of ftp files, a serious problem with a regular dial-access account. In making a decision, Wakefield suggested that assessment of the functionality and services must be carefully weighed with costs and providers' offerings. She addressed some very practical technological and monetary issues especially important to public libraries and remote learners as they connect to Internet resources and take advantage of distance education opportunities. Daniel Barron Daniel Barron (University of South Carolina) focused on the human side of technology and distance education, beginning with a recognition that this group of humans were all sitting too long and getting stiff! He opened his entertaining remarks with an equally lively opportunity for attendees to meet and speak with their neighbors about the role of librarians, if and how it is changing. In the ensuing discussion, a computer scientist in the audience observed that a librarian's role has shifted from "get and fetch" librarian to information consultant. Another participant countered, saying that our roles have not changed, only the way we provide service has changed. Barron neatly brought these two views together showing how our three-tiered function as warehousers and preservers of information, lenders of information, and teachers and guides has not essentially changed, but has shifted somewhat away from the collector role and more toward the guide and educator role. More significant today than role change is that libraries in the 1960s shifted from being elitist institutions serving the intellectual and the advantaged toward being more democratic institutions. Technology, he believes, frees librarians to work more with individuals, increasing rather than decreasing human contact, providing us with greater opportunities to build on our rich tradition of caring and further democratize library services by offering what librarians have always offered: egalitarian service, equal access to information and education. We need to especially stress education of patrons and students in an ever-changing society, helping users to cope with FUD, the Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt mindset people often have in dealing with change. To cope with these changes on an institutional level, Barron made a special appeal for thoughtful implementation of TQM (Total Quality Management), to look seriously at our organizations and take advantage of the power of collaboration among diversely talented groups of people. Working in groups, we can share and grow, providing a more comfortable transition to change at the same time that we create a nurturing climate for individuals working within organizations. He finished his presentation with the thought: Think globally, act locally, react personally. Judging by the audience applause and questions that were raised about specific distance-education initiatives and partnering programs, this session was thought provoking, raising expectations about what is possible for the future. Eileen E. Allen, a librarian at the SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, New York, where she performs a multitude of duties, is also a free-lance indexer.