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----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Forwarded from the NINCH list. Judy -------------Forwarded Message----------------- 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]