NREN for All: Insurmountable Opportunity - Jean Armour Polly

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the "Information Infrastructure and Technology Act of 1992".

SEC. 7. APPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARIES.
(a) DIGITAL LIBRARIES.—In accordance with the Plan
developed under section 701 of the National Science and
Technology Policy, Organization and Priorities Act of 1976 (42
U.S.C. 6601 et seq.), as added by section 3 of this Act, the National
Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
and other appropriate agencies shall develop technologies for
"digital libraries" of electronic information. Development of digital
libraries shall include the following:
(1) Development of advanced data storage systems
capable of storing hundreds of trillions of bits of data
and giving thousands of users nearly instantaneous
access to that information.
(2) Development of high-speed, highly accurate
systems for converting printed text, page images,
graphics, and photographic images into electronic form.
(3) Development of database software capable of
quickly searching, filtering, and summarizing large
volumes of text, imagery, data, and sound.
(4) Encouragement of development and adoption of
standards for electronic data.
(5) Development of computer technology to
categorize and organize electronic information in a
variety of formats.
(6) Training of database users and librarians in
the use of and development of electronic databases.
(7) Development of technology for simplifying the
utilization of networked databases distributed around
the Nation and around the world.
(8) Development of visualization technology for
quickly browsing large volumes of imagery.
(b) DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOTYPES.—The National
Science
Foundation, working with the supercomputer centers it
supports, shall develop prototype digital libraries of
scientific data available over the Internet and the National
Research and Education Network.
(c) DEVELOPMENT OF DATABASES OF REMOTE-
SENSING
IMAGES.—The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
shall develop databases of software and remote-sensing images
to be made available over computer networks like the
Internet.

(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— (1) There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation for the purposes of this section, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1996, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1997. (2) There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the purposes of this section, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1996, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1997.

________________________ SIDEBAR Resources ___________________________

McClure, Charles R., Joe Ryan, Diana Lauterbach and William E. Moen Public Libraries and the INTERNET/NREN: New Challenges, New Opportunities. 1992. Copies of this 38-page study may be ordered at $15 each from the Publication Office, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-4100 315/443-2911.

The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) has issued a Report to the Office of Science and Technology Policy on Library and Information Services' Roles in the National Research and Education Network. The 25-page document, released in late November, 1992, summarizes the results of an open forum held in Washington during the previous summer. Topics addressed include funding NREN, charging for use, commercial access, protection of intellectual property, and security and privacy. The report "focuses on fulfilling the potential for extending the services and effectiveness of libraries and information services for all Americans through high-speed networks and electronic databases." A limited number of copies are available from NCLIS at 111 18th St., NW, Suite 310, Washington, D.C. 20036 202/254-3100.

Grand Challenges 1993: High Performance Computing and Communications. The "Teal Book" (because of its color) "provides a far-sighted vision for investment in technology but also recognizes the importance of human resources and applications that serve major national needs. This É investment will bring both economic and social dividends, including advances in education, productivity, basic science, and technological innovation." Requests for copies of this 68-page document should go to: Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, Committee on Physical, Mathematical, and Engineering Sciences c/o National Science Foundation, Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate, 1800 G St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20550

Carl Kadie operates an excellent electronic resource of documents pertaining to academic freedom, the Library Bill of Rights, and similar policy statements. Those with Internet access may use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to ftp.eff.org (192.88.144.4) Login as anonymous, use your network address as the password. The documents are in the /pub/academic directory.