Download Leveling the Playing Field - the original Kellogg Grant Proposal

Executive Summary

The AccessMichigan project focuses on electronic content, building upon librarians' traditional strengths of information organization and selection, to design a digital library collection for all Michigan residents. This collection provides them with access to information resources, whether they exist at a remote site in another state or country, in another city or region of the state, or in the local community or institution. By using the Internet and the World Wide Web to link to these disparate locations, every Michigan library can improve its service and offer content which is not now easily available to its patrons.

The AccessMichigan project is a collaborative effort of Michigan libraries of all types--from school media centers to public libraries to hospital libraries to academic research libraries. It seeks to provide a core set of information resources to all libraries, with the opportunity for aggregating demand among libraries for purchase of specialized resources which might be of value to a subset of libraries. In addition, AccessMichigan can serve as a unifying bridge with existing efforts, including the Michigan Electronic Library.

Creating the necessary components for the AccessMichigan project to succeed will necessarily involve many agencies, public and private and will require a robust telecommunications network and environment. Libraries are a key and vital part of the planning for this network, and librarians will contribute in a variety of ways. Public policy issues related to this effort will be addressed through the state’s professional librarian associations, including the Michigan Library Association (MLA), the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME). There will be continuing efforts by the Library of Michigan to keep librarians aware of developments with the Universal Service Fund. Other questions related to the use of technology in libraries will be addressed by public library cooperatives, Regional Educational Media Centers, MLA, MAME, and others.

The first pieces of the AccessMichigan project are already in place. In July 1997, the Library of Michigan provided a start-up grant from existing federal funds to provide Michigan libraries with access to more than 60 online databases for one year. Many of these are available from homes and offices, as well as libraries. To expand this initial effort requires at least $7 million annually. This funding would focus on providing information content to Michigan residents and will meet the following program expenses:

• Database licenses
• Computer hardware and software
• Research and development for a common user interface
• Enhancement of state-wide resource sharing mechanisms
• Document delivery services

The Needs

• Need for equal access to information. Differing local resources mean that access to information is uneven across the state. This creates significant problems:
  • Elementary, middle, high school, and post-secondary students in information-poor communities struggle to compete effectively with students in information-rich environments.
  • Local governments and businesses lack the information they need to make management and development decisions.
  • Communities with poor information resources have trouble attracting new businesses and services.
  • Residents of information-poor communities do not have access to the training they need to succeed in today's changing job market.
• Need for easy access to a selection of high-quality, reliable information resources. Because of the anarchic nature of the Internet and World Wide Web, individuals need librarians who can help them find high-quality, reliable resources. Librarians can make these resources easy to locate and use by creating a common user interface, which can be available all over the state.
• Need for electronic full-text information sources, efficient interlibrary loans, and rapid document delivery. Because users frequently need information quickly, they require ready access to information in electronic formats. For materials that are not available electronically, they need easy interlibrary loan procedures and methods for timely delivery of non-electronic materials.
• Need for cost sharing. The number and scope of electronic resources is growing rapidly. Sharing the evaluation of resources and purchasing them on a state-wide basis is the most cost-effective way to provide resources equitably.

Objectives

The AccessMichigan project will provide central funding for additional information sources which have broad, universal appeal. This assures that every library patron has access to a core set of information resources, regardless of the library's geographic location. Some libraries will use local funding to enhance these core resources. The AccessMichigan project will allow these libraries to aggregate demand so that licensing fees and subscription rates can be negotiated at favorable state-wide prices.

Training
Michigan already has many groups which conduct training sessions for librarians. Some of the major providers of training include the public library cooperatives, the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Library Association, Regional Educational Media Centers, the Michigan Association for Media in Education, and the Michigan Library Consortium. To date, there has been little coordination among the various groups. The AccessMichigan project will enable a much higher degree of coordination by creating a common training calendar and a network of trainers. This will help librarians feel comfortable with the new services and will lead to better service for library users.

Access to the Internet
Local issues such as the size of the library, availability of local funding, and availability of Universal Service Fund discounts will play a major role in decisions about the type of Internet access in local libraries. A direct connection to the Internet is required for libraries to take full advantage of the databases and services offered through the AccessMichigan project. To underscore the importance of such a connection, the AccessMichigan steering committee will appoint a liaison committee to work with other organizations which will have involvement with creating the direct connections, whether the connections are ISDN, T1, or other. The liaison committee will keep all parties informed of decisions and changes in the environment which will impact the ongoing implementation of AccessMichigan services.

In addition to monitoring and coordinating activities on the statewide level, the Steering Committee will be working with public library cooperatives, Regional Educational Media Centers, and organizations working to assist libraries on the local level. A commitment to provide access to these resources for all Michigan residents must be a state and local partnership, and we are committed to assisting efforts to improve access for libraries at all levels.

Digitization projects
In July 1997 Merit Network, Inc. was awarded a $166,667 grant by the Library of Michigan Foundation to develop a Community Information Network Tool Kit. This grant was funded by Ameritech. The tool kit will help libraries work with other local agencies and organizations to identify resources which would be good candidates for digitization. The tool kit will contain hardware and software recommendations for local libraries to use on the digitization projects. By using the tool kit and creating networks with other local organizations, libraries will make available a wide range of local information on the Internet which is now difficult, if not impossible, to locate. The AccessMichigan project will work to insure ready access to these materials, enhancing the value of many local materials. If local storage of the digitized project is not available, the AccessMichigan project will provide a server and software which will make these collections available through the World Wide Web.

Enhance the Michigan Electronic Library
The Michigan Electronic Library (MEL) is a successful joint project of the Library of Michigan, the University of Michigan Libraries, and Merit Network, Inc. Michigan librarians find that MEL is a valuable tool for locating information resources on the Internet.

In order to move MEL into the future, it must be enhanced by:

• Adding an Internet "spider" function. This will allow us to create subject-based collections from sites linked to MEL. The spider crawls out to those Internet sites in a particular subject area and creates a searchable index of those sites.
• Moving MEL from HTML pages to a database of records. This will require new software and in-house programming to convert MEL's 19,000 links into 19,000 records.
• Installing a commercial link checker and site management tool. This would help selectors keep MEL up-to-date with less time spent manually checking links and references.

Enhance SPAN, the state-wide serials union list
The Serials, Periodicals, and Newspapers (SPAN) database is an Internet accessible, state-wide list of magazines and journals held in more than 875 Michigan libraries. Michigan librarians began to use SPAN in August 1997. The AccessMichigan Steering Committee has named a liaison to the SPAN Advisory committee and will have ultimate responsibility for SPAN.

To achieve maximum effectiveness, SPAN must be expanded to include more Michigan libraries. The AccessMichigan project will develop incentives for non-participating libraries to include their holdings in SPAN and for current participants to update existing information. Other enhancements may include links to document delivery suppliers, links to online databases, and enhanced interlibrary loan tools.

Enhance state-wide resource sharing tools
New technology will allow Michigan residents to locate the books and other materials in any Michigan library and to make interlibrary loan requests for needed materials. As software tools and standards become more sophisticated and robust, there are more options for creating this functionality. The AccessMichigan project will explore these options and identify mechanisms which will enhance current resource sharing services.

AccessMichigan gateway
There will be an Internet-accessible gateway to the AccessMichigan project available to all Michigan libraries and residents. This gateway will include links to online databases, library catalogs, MEL, SPAN, state government information, local community projects, a training calendar, and professional development activities and information sharing for librarians. The gateway will be a convenient starting place for libraries wishing to point their patrons to all of the AccessMichigan services. It will also allow for development of a common user interface.

Common user interface
The World Wide Web has accelerated the introduction of new online services. Most of these have a proprietary user interface, and each one is different. Existing standards, promulgated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), allow for interoperability and interconnectedness among these proprietary systems. These ANSI standards establish a common set of protocols for information requests and retrievals and will form the basis for developing a common user interface. A common user interface means that patrons in one library would see the same interface when visiting another library and using AccessMichigan databases. Local libraries will have the option of using this interface or using the native interface provided by the database provider.

Document delivery
The current database licenses offer access to many full-text files. With its goal of facilitating enhanced access to information, the AccessMichigan project will focus on delivering as much full-text electronically as possible. However, the percentage of documents available in a digital format is a very small fraction of the entire universe of bibliographic materials. For the foreseeable future, it will be necessary for libraries to share books and other materials through a ground-based delivery service. The AccessMichigan Steering Committee will examine the need for a state-wide courier service to deliver books and other materials around the state.

Administration & Management

Although defining precise staffing requirements is premature at this time, forecasts based on time allocated to date and project goals indicate that the AccessMichigan project will be able to proceed with minimal full-time staff, most likely including at least an AccessMichigan Coordinator and a trainer. Staff working on the AccessMichigan project will be employees of the contractor and will be supervised by the AccessMichigan Coordinator.

Oversight for the AccessMichigan project will be accomplished through the AccessMichigan Steering Committee, a representative committee of librarians from all types and sizes of libraries. The AccessMichigan steering committee will be charged with overseeing and guiding the development of the project.

Program Evaluation

The AccessMichigan steering committee will be responsible for evaluating specific aspects of the project, including the selection of online databases, development of the AccessMichigan gateway, and resource sharing mechanisms.

Appendix 1: Financial Analysis

Total project cost will be at least $7 million annually. Sources for the needed funding are listed below.

• Library Services and Technology Act. The Library of Michigan is committed to the use of LSTA funds for the AccessMichigan project for the next few years. This is not hard money, since federal money has historically served as start-up funding and not as ongoing operational funding.
• Local contributions. Local communities and institutions will be asked to bear a portion of the costs of the AccessMichigan project.
• Access to the Internet. Local municipalities, campuses, and school districts are likely to bear some of the costs associated with providing libraries access to the Internet.
• Additional databases. Some libraries may wish to add to the core of databases provided through the central funding. These additional databases will be the responsibility of the local community.
• Digitization projects. It will be up to each locality to determine which collections are the best candidates for digitization and to share costs for the actual digitization process.
• In-kind contributions. Some local communities and institutions will choose to contribute by offering in-kind contributions. Michigan State University, for example, is offering free interlibrary loan of magazine and journal articles to any Michigan library. This is worth $30,000 annually.
• Grants. Thus far, the Library of Michigan Foundation has received one grant to support state-wide library networking efforts. In the spring of 1997, Ameritech awarded a $167,000 grant to the Library of Michigan for development of a Community Information Network Toolkit. The Library of Michigan contracted with Merit Network, Inc. to develop the toolkit, and it will be ready for use by mid-1998.
• Michigan Legislature. For long-term viability and stability, it is imperative for the Michigan executive and legislative branches to provide the bulk of the funding for this project. Public officials should consider this request for the following reasons:
  
  • This is a collaborative project, involving all type of libraries and all levels of the education community. The private sector, through their corporate and special libraries, is also included in the AccessMichigan project. Because this project is broad-based, public officials can expect that it will receive wide support from their constituents.
  • The legislature committed $500,000 to AccessMichigan projects for FY98, and the governor’s budget for FY99 continues funding at this level. With a pilot project already in-place and generating increasing usage, it is clear that the public values this service.
  • Without this investment Michigan will fall behind neighboring states which have already begun to deploy this type of information access system. To gain increased educational opportunity, enhanced economic development, and improved access to health-care information, AccessMichigan must become a reality.

[1] The AccessMichigan project is one piece of a larger effort which will be necessary to provide Michigan residents with greater access to information. The other aspects of this digital environment are outlined in Libraries: Strategic partners in Michigan's Information Future and in documents produced by the Michigan Information Technology Commission.