Press Release

Potential Telecommunications Discounts to Save The New York Public Library Millions

Access to Electronic Information to be Greatly Expanded

New York City, Friday, January 30: The New York Public Library joined libraries and schools across the nation today in submitting their application for universal service discounts provided by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Friday, January 30, 1998 is the first day applications for the discounts on telecommunications expenditures may be submitted. Among libraries, The New York Public Library (NYPL) is one of the largest potential recipients.

The demographics of the communities served by the NYPL make it eligible for a system-wide discount of 80% on telecommunications costs if its application is approved. Providers, who will be paid just 20% by the NYPL, will recoup the remainder from the Schools and Libraries Corporation (a not-for-profit agency created by the Federal Communications Commission to administer universal service).

In 1998, NYPL intends to spend $2 million in telecommunications rates and another $3 million in telecommunications equipment, infrastructure and facilities upgrades. This funding has been provided by the City of New York, the Department of Commerce TIIAP program, and the Bell Atlantic Diffusion Fund program. Through the universal service program, NYPL could leverage this investment by an additional 80% to provide enhanced telecommunications services.

Library President Paul LeClerc said, "At the beginning of this century, Andrew Carnegie began to build public libraries across the country, and put books into the hands of those who could not afford them. One hundred years later, the universal service discount program provides a similar opportunity for libraries to advance the nation's level of access to knowledge. The value of this moment in history should not be overlooked or underestimated. This program will play a powerful role in democratizing access to electronic information for the 15 million people who use New York Public's libraries."

According to the 1997 Statistical Abstract of the United States, only 24% of the population currently owns a home computer, and those who do have incomes of over $50,000. The 1990 census indicates that only 29% of households in The New York Public Library service area (the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island) have an average income this large. Studies also show that black and latino households (53% of the NYPL population) have significantly less access to computers than the overall population, therefore indicating that The New York Public Library provides the only possible access to computers, databases, and the Web for large segments of its population.

Another recent study, by MCI Library LINK (a partnership between MCI and the American Library Association), found that the number of people who access the Internet regularly through points other than home, office or school has nearly tripled in the last year; almost 40% of these people turn to libraries for Internet access.

The New York Public Library currently maintains 1,100 publicly accessible PC workstations and scores more used by staff to support public service. As a result of universal service discounts NYPL expects to double this number. The number of electronic databases could also double. In addition, there will be great improvements in accessing the Library's catalogs and materials available to the public with new Web interfaces and digitization techniques. Public training in the use of these technologies will be greatly expanded.

Library President Paul LeClerc said, "As the global environment becomes increasingly based on technology, training the public to be comfortable and even expert in this area is a vital component of increasing access to the Internet. For this reason, we are committed to building new electronic training centers in NYPL's branch libraries and research centers to significantly increase the free training opportunities for both public and staff."

Over the next year, The New York Public Library plans to improve service by upgrading the system's entire network to provide high bandwidth Internet connections to all 89 locations in NYPL's three boroughs, and a very high-speed fiber optic network to connect a core group of libraries - the Center for the Humanities at 42nd Street, the Library for the Performing Arts,the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Science Industry and Business Library, the Mid-Manhattan Library and the Donnell Library Center - to the Internet and to each other, bringing high-quality video, images and sound to all linked sites.

Finally, many branch libraries in the NYPL system still retain dated voice equipment. Access to branch libraries by phone and fax will be greatly increased following installation of digital voice instruments and intercom service.

Return to Press Releases Page

rchurchill:pro:1/30/98