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Date:         Thu, 13 Aug 1992 17:19:51 EDT
From:         Gleason Sackman <sackman@plains.nodak.edu>
Subject:      ALAWON Vol. 1, No. 6 (fwd)

---------- Text of forwarded message ----------
Tue, 11 Aug 1992 11:37:00 EDT
ALA Washington Office <NU_ALAWASH@cua.bitnet>
Multiple recipients of list ALA-WO <ALA-WO@uicvm.bitnet>
ALAWON Vol. 1, No. 6

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                                  ALAWON
                      ALA Washington Office Newsline
                     An electronic publication of the
              American Library Association Washington Office

                            Volume 1, Number 6
                              August 11, 1992

   In this issue: (219 lines)

[deleted material]

     INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGY ACT

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               INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGY ACT

Senator Albert Gore, Jr. (D-TN) introduced on July 1 an NREN applications
bill as a follow-up to his High-Performance Computing Act which established
the National Research and Education Network.  S. 2937, the Information
Infrastructure and Technology Act of 1992, would develop and deploy new
applications of high-performance computing for K-12 education,
manufacturing, health care, and digital libraries.  A House companion
measure was introduced August 4 by Rep. George Brown, Jr. (D-CA).  See the
July 1 _Congressional Record_, p. S9538-41, for the text and Gore's
statement; August 4 (pp. E2358-59) for Brown's remarks.

In explaining the new applications, Senator Gore said:

     For example, it will fund development of new ways to use high-speed
     networks to link high schools and elementary schools so that teachers
     and students can communicate with their colleagues around the country,
     access digital libraries of information, and consult with experts in
     colleges, universities, Federal labs, and companies....It will
     accelerate development of supercomputers, massive data bases, and the
     software needed to use them, so that even the most remote library can
     tap into more information than is stored in the entire Library of
     Congress.

Generally, funds authorized in these bills (a total of $90 million the
first year, increasing to $370 million the fifth year) would be used by
sci/tech agencies under the jurisdiction of congressional science
committees.  Gore chairs a science subcommittee; Brown a full science
committee.

EDUCATION:  The National Science Foundation would support pilot projects to
connect K-12 schools to the Internet and the NREN to aid in development of
the software, hardware, and training material needed to enable students and
teachers to use networks for communication with peers around the country,
with educators and students in colleges and universities, for teacher
training, and to access databases of electronic information.

MANUFACTURING: The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards
and Technology would establish an Advanced Manufacturing Systems and
Networking Project.

HEALTH CARE:  The National Library of Medicine would support testbed
networks for linking hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices, medical schools,
medical libraries, and universities to enable health care providers and
researchers to share medical data and imagery; software, visualization, and
virtual reality technologies; and database technology to provide health
care providers with access to relevant medical information and literature.

DIGITAL LIBRARIES:  The National Science Foundation and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration would develop technologies for digital
libraries of electronic information, including advanced data storage
systems capable of giving thousands of users nearly instantaneous access;
high-speed systems for converting multimedia images into electronic form;
database search and filter software; standards for electronic data;
computer technology to organize electronic information; training of
database users and librarians in the use of and development of electronic
databases; technology to simplify use of networked databases; and
visualization technology for quickly browsing large volumes of imagery.

An additional associate director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy would be added to oversee federal efforts to disseminate sci/tech
information.  The bills are not likely to be acted on in the little time
remaining in this election year session.  They will come up again next
year, however, and the ALA Washington Office would be interested in library
community reaction to them.  For instance, is there an NREN application
area that would be of particular help to libraries?  What is the library
research agenda for the NREN?

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