Subject: Re: STOP THE BRITISH LIBRARY, FREE ACCESS NOW!
From: Rami Heinisuo (Rami.Heinisuo@pori.fi)
Date: pe 05 heinä 1996 - 09:30:16 EEST
Hello,
I'd like to ask a counter-question:
Which is worse: A library providing an on-line catalog and charging for it
or no catalog and no charge?
We all now that the library has to use its own budget for building these
new services - maybe the EU or the British government should come forward
and maybe we as taxpayers should point our demands 'to our local MPs', so
to speak.
We have a similar example here in Finland, the union catalog of the
regional libraries, which -oh boy- is not free at all when connecting from
your living room via modem.
More examples can be found in the universities in Finland, which receive
nearly 100% of their funding from the government (this means you). This
has been quietly accepted. School of economics and university of
technology are among the leading commercial database providers in Finland.
Of course, the taxpayer has at least two viewpoints: 1) this is great, I
don't have to pay for this unless I need the information, and, 2) this is
bad, all government-paid databases should be freely accessible to the
public.
Which side are you on, good people of Europe?
Sincerely,
Rami Heinisuo
--------------------------------------------------------------
Rami Heinisuo City Library of Pori
Information specialist Regional library of Satakunta
rami.heinisuo@pori.fi PB 200 FIN-28101 PORI
FINLAND
--------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, 5 Jul 1996, Hannele Koivunen wrote:
> I think that this message should interest the ecup-list subscribers. I think
> that the British Library has taken a very serious step concerning the future
> development of libraries in the information society. This issue is really
> worth of discussion.
>
> Hannele Koivunen
> hannele.koivunen@minedu.fi
>
> >X-POP3-Rcpt: hakoivun@voxopm
> >>From ispo-owner@www.ispo.cec.be Fri Jul 5 02:49:32 1996
> >Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 00:21:43 +0200
> >X-Sender: newo@madrid.idec.es
> >To: ispo@www.ispo.cec.be
> >From: newo@madrid.idec.es (owen fisher)
> >Subject: STOP THE BRITISH LIBRARY, FREE ACCESS NOW!
> >Sender: owner-ispo@www.ispo.cec.be
> >Precedence: bulk
> >
> >Dear ISOP list members,
> >
> >As this is my first message to the list, I would like to thank ISOP for
> >providing this very important service. I hope it becomes one of the most
> >important and emblematic devices on the Internet in terms of electronic
> >democrary.
> >
> >The real motive for my contacting you is that recently, I discovered that
> >the British Library charges a fee for on-line users (except university
> >ISPs), to access to their catalogues! I believe this policy to be contrary
> >to the spirit of the information age as well as to the very definition of
> >what a public library's function is! The policy also sets an alarming
> >precedence, as I am under the impression that The British Library is the
> >only national library on-line that charges fees to the general public. (The
> >only rates that should be going up are modem baude rates!)
> >
> >I would like to solicit your help in denouncing this policy. The
> >effectiveness of pressure put forth by colleagues would be great.
> >
> >The British Library may be reached via email:
> >
> >portico@bl.uk
> >
> >the URL is:
> >
> >http://www.bl.uk
> >
> >There are questions here that not only effect the tax payers of the United
> >Kingdom but, also the European Union in terms of reciprocity, the
> >Commonwealth, and indeed the entire world.
> >
> >I look forward to reading your replies as to how to get them to rectify this
> >situation.
> >
> >Sincerely,
> >
> >Owen J. Fisher
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2a24 : to 25 huhti 2024 - 01:20:14 EEST