PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE!

[Doug Schuler]

Here is a report on how libraries can help support
public space in cyberspace.  Please help distribute
this note.

-- Doug


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Feel free to distribute this announcement to appropriate
people and lists!
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PUMP UP THE VOLUME: PRESERVE A PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE!

For more information, visit: http://www.lff.org/advocacy/public.html or
contact Jamie McClelland (800-542-1918, jamiem at lff.org).

This February, on the third anniversary of the E-rate, the law authorizing
discounted telecommunications services for libraries and schools, Libraries
for the Future is sponsoring two events that bring together a diverse group of
public library, community television, museum, community technology, and
independent media advocates to pump up support for electronic public spaces.

First, LFF will release PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE: LIBRARY ADVOCACY FOR THE
INFORMATION AGE. This booklet documents many of the ways public libraries and
other organizations are designing public spaces in cyberspace. Combining best
practices with down to earth policy information, PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE
includes profiles of the latest free, innovative library based Internet and
computer programs, public libraries experimenting with communication and
information services rarely seen on the library agenda, and a digital policy
primer written for the beginner. This booklet shows through example the common
threads uniting public libraries, public information, public media, public
policy and our right to information. Check Libraries for the Future's website
in February to access a free online version. Print orders will be available
for $9.95. To reserve a copy, contact Jamie McClelland (jamiem at lff.org).

In addition, on February 2, 1999, Libraries for the Future, the Association of
Independent Video and Filmmakers, and the Walker Art Center will present a
forum discussion entitled: LENDING CULTURE, MAKING MEDIA: LIBRARIES AND
MUSEUMS IN THE DIGITAL AGE. In the future will libraries become the lenders of
culture? Will museums become the repositories of information? New digital
technologies make it possible for artists to make their work accessible over
the Internet. At the same time, these technologies allow museums and public
libraries to "lend" their collections and archives in ways never before
possible. This panel discussion examines the ways artists, particularly
independent video and film makers, use the Internet to exhibit and distribute
their work, how public libraries and museums work together to create digital
media and information collections, and finally how we can preserve public
access to the Internet so everyone can participate. The forum will take place
at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN and will be free to the public. Free
copies of PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE will be available for those that attend.

Libraries for the Future (LFF) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to
information equity, literacy and the preservation and renewal of libraries as
essential tools for a democratic society. The Association for Independent
Video and Filmmakers (AIVF) is a national service organization for independent
media, providing programs and services, as well as a sense of community. The
Walker Art Center is a catalyst for the creative expression of artists and the
active engagement of audiences that focuses on the visual, performing, and
media arts of our time.

For more information, contact: Jamie McClelland, Libraries for the Future,
jamiem at lff.org, 800-542-1918.

*************
Jamie McClelland
Access Harlem/Harlem Partnership Center
Minisink Townhouse
646 Lenox Ave., 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10030
tel: 212-283-7477
fax: 212-283-7149
jamiem at lff.org

Libraries for the Future
121 W. 27th Street, #1102
New York, NY 10001
tel: 212-352-2330 / 800-542-1918
fax: 212-352-2342
http://www.lff.org

***************



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