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Forwarded from the NINCH list.

Judy

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From:   INTERNET:[log in to unmask], INTERNET:[log in to unmask]
To:     Multiple recipients of list, INTERNET:[log in to unmask]

Date:   5/13/97 12:09 PM

RE:     NGI comments by ALA endorsed by NINCH


NINCH MEMBERS:

You may be interested to see the comments submitted by the American Library
Association on the Next Generation Internet Concept Paper.

At NINCH's suggestion, final language included "museums, historical
societies, the cultural community," (in comment no. 3) and the "arts and
humanities" (comment no. 4) to broaden the reference of comments to include
that of our community beyond that of libraries.

See also the second paragraph in which NINCH's endorsement is noted.

********************************************************
COMMENTS ON DRAFT NEXT GENERATION INTERNET CONCEPT PAPER


The American Library Association (ALA) is grateful to have the
opportunity to offer comments on the Draft Next Generation Internet
Concept Paper. ALA is a nonprofit educational organization of 58,000
librarians, library educators, information specialists, library trustees, and
friends of libraries representing public, school, academic, state, and
specialized libraries dedicated to the improvement of library and
information services.  A five year-initiative, ALA Goal 2000, aims to have
ALA and librarianship be as closely associated with the public's right to a
free and open information society--intellectual participation--as it is with
the idea of intellectual freedom.

These comments are endorsed by the National Initiative for a Networked
Cultural Heritage.  NINCH is a coalition of arts, humanities and social
science organizations formed to assure the fullest possible participation
of the cultural sector in the new digitally networked environment.  NINCH
seeks to encourage the development of the NII as a means to preserve,
access and creatively build upon our cultural legacy, in a manner that
embraces the fullest understanding of the nation's cultural heritage.

We are pleased that the President, in his announcement of October 10,
1996 on the Next Generation Internet Initiative, committed the
administration to a program designed to help us take the next step in the
continuing evolution of the Internet. As the recent ruling by the Federal
Communications Commission on discounts for schools and libraries
illustrates, the Information Superhighway has already become a vital
technology for improving the public services offered by libraries, schools,
health care providers, and state and local governments. We are naturally
concerned that the infrastructure continue to improve and evolve in a
way that enhances our ability to use it in the most effective way, and,
thus, are watching the NGI program development with great interest.

A well-planned and funded NGI Initiative could be an important step in
furthering network infrastructure development.  Clearly, industry is
investing substantial sums in upgrading current commercial networks and
services. Those investments are very important to the growth of
networking in this country and will particularly undergird the commercial
use of the net. But, there remains an important role for government in
pushing the long-term state of the art forward and in supporting research
and development that advances areas of public application such as those
 mentioned above.

Above all, we are concerned with useability. We want to assure that the
network of the future is accessible to and usable by everyone, and that
the benefits of the NGI Initiative flow broadly to individual users and
organizations.

We have five specific recommendations:

1.  Progress toward the NGI should be evolutionary; interoperability with
the first generation Internet should be a major goal. Individual and
organizational users have made large investments in current technology.
It is also our impression that the information industry and services
providers are investing heavily in improvements to the capacity and
reliability of current architecture. An NGI research program must be
compatible with these private endeavors. The program should be framed
as a full partnership between government, industry, and public
institutions.

2.  To be consistent with the President's announcement last October, the
budget must more strongly reflect a civilian focus. In particular, the role of
the National Science Foundation (whose share was only $10 million of
the $100 million proposed in the FY 1998 budget) should be significantly
expanded. NSF is the agency with the broadest charter in support of a
wide range of education and research efforts.

3.  The NGI program needs to have an explicit applications component and
budget.  High-end applications and fundamental network architecture are
closely interdependent, and a research program focused on simply
enhancing basic network capabilities without a sensitivity to application
requirements would run the risk of creating unusable or under used
capabilities. Since technology flowing from the NGI program is intended to
be eventually adopted by a larger user community, more thought is
needed towards areas such as libraries, education, museums, historical
societies, the cultural community, and health.

4.  A strong and specific diffusion plan should be developed to assure
that the benefits of the NGI research flow not just to industry but to future
government, education, arts and humanities, and library users. Such
diffusion needs to be planned and encouraged, not just assumed.

5.  Some important agencies and programs are noticeably absent from the
draft NGI plan. In particular, the National Library of Medicine should play
an explicit role in the NGI program. Digital library programs such as those
at the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration should be linked to the NGI effort.

We hope these brief comments are useful. We have no doubt that a
well-planned and executed NGI Initiative can accelerate the development
of the nation's information infrastructure, and we look forward to working
with the administration as the program planning for this important initiative
moves forward.

Should you wish further information on these comments, please contact:

Carol C. Henderson, Executive Director
Washington Office
American Library Association
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-628-8410 or 1-800-941-8478
[log in to unmask]

J. Andrew Magpantay, Director
Office for Information Technology Policy
American Library Association
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-628-8421 or 1-800-941-8478
[log in to unmask]

David L. Green, Executive Director
National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage
21 Dupont Circle, NW
Washington DC 20036
202-296-5346
[log in to unmask]