[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] four paragraphs

[John Kintree]

I just submitted the following four paragraphs to the Emerging Ideas page of
the St. Louis Public Library internal network.   JK
***********************************************
On March 27, 2007, I began working in the sub pool of the St. Louis Public
Library. As a substitute librarian, I've been assigned tasks in circulation,
reference, and special projects at a number of branch libraries. The
experience has reinforced my conviction that emerging digital resources will
allow libraries to provide a superior quality of service to patrons. For
example, many of the largest fines charged to patrons are for overdue video
materials because these are $1.00 per day instead of the five cents per day
fine for other items. Licensing agreements between libraries and owners of
video and other creative content that would allow patrons to download
materials through library web sites would not only make the materials more
convenient to access, but could help patrons avoid fines. Expenses from lost
or damaged items could also be avoided through digital access to materials.

 The One Laptop Per Child project is scheduled to begin producing 2,000 units
of their fourth test design on June 22, 2007. It appears that they have
succeeded in designing a laptop computer for less than $200 apiece that will
be, in several important ways, superior to any other personal computer on the
market today AT ANY PRICE. If and when OLPC-type computers become available
in developed countries, this will create a number of opportunities for school
and public libraries, especially in locations such as St. Louis that are
extremely well endowed with fiber optic connections to the Internet backbone.
Libraries can provide high-speed connections to the Internet for the mesh
wireless networks that will be established with OLPC-type computers.
Libraries can also install caching servers that will locally store the
content that is downloaded most frequently from the Internet. And, libraries
can serve as collective bargaining agents to negotiate licenses that will
allow patrons to access audio, video, and text content without having to deal
with per-use fees.

 I am grateful for another experience from working for the St. Louis Public
Library. I have been impressed with the high level of skills of my
co-workers. They are good at organizing and working with information. If
there is anything that will help humanity not only survive, but to thrive in
coming decades, it will be people who are good at organizing and working with
information. With emerging digital technologies, that could be all of us.

 There may be barriers to libraries implementing digital technologies to
 their fullest. We can expect opposition from incumbent telecommunications
companies, such as AT&T, to libraries providing high-speed connections to the
Internet for community mesh wireless networks. Owners of copyright may not
want to negotiate with public or school libraries for the digital
distribution of popular content if they can maximize their profits through
other arrangements. Still, if there is interest from the community, we should
at least try. The first step might be to survey community residents to assess
their interest.
**********************************************
Regards.
John Kintree
http://home.swbell.net/jkintree/islt/