Action for Libraries

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ACTI ;N }?O'ltt;.lBAARIES
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Bibliographical Center for Research • Volume XX', No
~--~-
,February 1994 • ISSN: 0363·0250
DClC Allows Internet Access to PRISM
Cataloging and III
OCLC has announced the beginningQf a one-year
pilot program called Expanded Internet Access (EIA),
which will allow libraries to use Internet telecommuni­cations
to connect to the OCLC PRISM cataloging,
interlibrary loan and reference systems. This pro­gram
will be open to any OCLC user after a brief field
test with 10 to 20 libraries. The field test is currently
planned to, begin on February 13 and end after the test
, libraries experience two weeks without a problem.
This means that BCR member libraries may be able to
use ihe Internet for access to the OCLC ILL and cata­loging
systems as early as mid-April.
OCLC will discourage users from de-instaliing or can­celing
their other methods of communicating with the
OCLe system until the one-year pilot program is com­pleted.
'During the first year, ports will be provided
for 500 simultaneous Internet users. Users who
attempt to log ori after this limit has been met will be
unable to do so. OCLC will evaluate and upgrade its
Internet telecommunications facilities aft,er the first
. yeaiif the EIA pilot program issuccessfnl.
There will be a fee for the use of OCLC Internet access
services to defray development and support costs and
contribute to shared facilities and systems. OCLC's
goals in establish~ng this fee are to maintain economic
parity across all access methods while allowing use of
the Internet and to strike a balance be~ween preserving
the existing dependable telecommuniCation facilities
for the "Internots" while providing Internet access for
, those who prefer it. The fee will not be assessed for ac­cessing
OCLC reference systems; which have been
available over the Inte~net for some time.
BCR will be participating in the EIA field test and will
be able to provide more detailed information to our
members by the end o(February. In late March or
early April, all OCLC libraries should receive an
OCLC technical bulletin which will provide the
details on Extended Internet Access.
8CR Internet Survey
By James Hodson
Thanks to the many BCR members who completed and returned our Internet survey. Some responses are
still coming in, but we have received enough replies to
see some trends.
Sixty percent of the libraries that responded to the sur'
vey already have Internet acceSs. Of those, 54 percent
are using dial-up accounts. Seventy-nine percent of the
"Internots" expect to be connected in the next ,year .
About half of the respondents said they would like to
put their files up f';r others to access via the Internet,
and many of these would like BCR to help them;
BCR staff will use the survey responses to develop our
Internet services and training .. We would still like to
receive surveys not yet returned, or any- other com­ments
that our members have regarding Internet serv­ices.
The next issue of Action for Libraries will inClude
a full report of this survey. '
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