Approved-By:  "Michael S. Hart" <HART@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.gutnberg
Date:         Sun, 23 Aug 1992 13:29:22 CDT
From:         "Michael S. Hart" <HART@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject:      Project Gutenberg Email
X-To:         Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.BITNET>,
              Gutenberg Discussion Group <gutnberg@uiucvmd.BITNET>,
              Humanist Discussion <editors@brownvm.BITNET>,
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              LIBREF <LIBREF-L@KENTVM.BITNET>,
              MegaByte University <MBU-L@TTUVM1.BITNET>,
              Bibliographic Instruction Discussion Group <BI-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>

This is a short note describing Project Gutenberg and its Newsletter,
which appears on this list once per month, and its Newsletter2, which
has enjoyed more experimental success than I had imagined. . .so I am
asking those with opinions as to whether the Newsletter should appear
here once a month as it has been, or not, and whether a shorter, more
editorial Newsletter2 should appear here, describing more of policies
and opinions about etext in general.

Project Gutenberg has several irons in the fire, the major two are:

To encourage the creation and distribution of electronic text

and

To encourage the exploration and use of the networks by new users.

The first has a goal of distributing 10,000 etexts to 100,000,000,
by the end of the year 2001, for a total of one trillion etexts to
be given away free of charge by the end of our 30 year project (it
was begun in 1971 with the Declaration of Independence).

This goal has been defined in a manner which doubles our output in
each succssive year.  This year we are releasing two books a month
and plan to double that to four per month in 1993, whereas we were
doing on one a month in 1991, one every two months in 1990, etc.

If you do the math, this should add up to 10,000 by the end of the
year 2001.  We predict an audience for etext of 100,000,000 by the
end of our project.  To address such a wide audience, we prepare a
book in what we have termed Plain Vanilla ASCII, or just the kinds
of characters you see here and as they appear most of the time, in
books, magazines, newspapers, etc.  The frills are left out so the
users of all computers and terminals can read them with ease.

The second project is A Child's Garden of the Internet, designed a
bit more for the novice than other guides which have appeared, and
disappeared, from the networks.  We will produce a paper edition--
but the etext editions will remain on the nets, free of charge.

Enough for now. . .thank you for your time and attention.

This note will be posted one more time, in a month, to catch those
who are still arriving at their new locations.  Hence brevity.
=====================================================
|       The trend of library policy is clearly toward
|       the ideal of making all information available
|       without delay to all people.
|
|The Software Toolworks Illustrated Encyclopedia (TM)
|(c) 1990, 1991 Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc.

Thank you for your interest,

Michael S. Hart, Director, Project Gutenberg
National Clearinghouse for Machine Readable Texts

The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect
the views of any person or institution.  Neither Prof
Hart nor Project Gutenberg have any official contacts
with the University of Illinois.

Mail will be considered for release in our newsletter
and notes unless otherwise requested.

Email addresses:
BITNET> HART@UIUCVMD  INTERNET> HART@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU
Also as the Usenet group bit.listserv.gutnberg
CompuServe:  >INTERNET:hart@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu
Attmail:  internet!vmd.cso.uiuc.edu!HART
MCImail:  ADDRESS TYPE: MCI / EMS: INTERNET / MBX: hart@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu
Why such a long signature block?  So many people require parts of it.
Most material (not etexts) sent by Project Gutenberg has been written
from live terminals without the benefit of spelling programs and they
also gain a few errors we do not see when sent through the mails.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU