ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


J u n e  1 9 9 2  /  4 0 5

W ashington 
H otline

Carol C. Henderson

What has happened since 
legislation to establish the Na­
tional Research and Education 
Network was signed into law 
last December? The NREN is the 
smaller part of the High-Perfor­
mance Computing Act, with 
about 15 percent of the $3 bil­
lion authorized over a five-year 
period. The larger part is the 
N ational High Perform ance 
C o m p u tin g  P ro g ram . T h e 
NREN is an expansion of the 
existing array of research and
education networks know n as the Internet, with 
NSFNET (sponsored by the National Science Foun­
dation) as its backbone. The NREN is a high-capac­
ity, high-quality computer network to link research 
institutions, education institutions, government, and 
industry. Several federal agencies are participating 
in the further development of what is already called 
the “interim interagency NREN” with the goal of 
transmitting data at one gigabit (or 1 billion bits) 
per second by 1996.

Unlike most legislation which must wait a year 
or two after enactment for actual funding, some 
funding was already in place for the administration’s 
High Perfoimance Computing and Communications 
Initiative in FY 1992. Funding requested for FY ’93 
totals $803 million, of which $122.5 million would 
be for the NREN component, spread among eight 
federal agencies. The National Science Foundation, 
which is responsible for the NSFNET backbone, 
would receive $45 million of the NREN total.

Passage of legislation provided a long-term com­
mitment to NREN development and a broadening 
of the constituencies to be served. This broad vi­
sion, encompassing all levels of education and li­
braries, is closer to the original intent of key spon­
sor Sen. Albert Gore Jr. (D-TN). However, early 
versions of the legislation offered a narrower sei/ 
tech research orientation reflecting the original in­
tent o f NSFNET to  provide rem ote access to 
supercomputer sites. Broadening the legislation was 
resisted by the administration and certain mission agen­
cies which preferred maximum flexibility in the op­
eration of the program and maximum autonomy for 
agency networks carrying out their missions.

Despite the inevitable compromises among all 
the interests at stake, the library and education com­
munities gained specific inclusion of libraries and 
schools in the legislation. The NREN is to provide 
users with access to libraries and to the electronic

information resources main­
tained by libraries, and federal 
agencies are to work with li­
braries, etc., to ensure user ac­
cess to the network. The Na­
tional Science Foundation has 
primary, but limited, respon­
sibility for assisting libraries to 
connect to the NREN.

Other gains include NREN 
linkages to every state, use of 
the NREN to provide for im­
proved dissemination of fed­
eral agency data and electronic

information, the addition of library and information 
science to the list o f specialties in which education 
and training is authorized, a small but specific role 
for the Department of Education, and retention of 
provisions for promoting development of NREN 
information services and training of users.

These gains represent meaningful improvements 
achieved despite considerable resistance, but they 
lack specifics, including funding, to make them 
happen automatically. The current federal invest­
ment in the network is estimated at only 10 per­
cent, with the rest coming from industry, individual 
institutions, and other levels of government. Given 
these realities, libraries will need to mine every 
possible funding source for NREN connections, as 
well as for training and for projects to help make 
the network easier to use, including federal library 
programs under the Higher Education Act and the 
Library Services and Construction Act.

The options are increasing for library access to 
the Internet, especially dial-up options for libraries 
on smaller campuses or those not housed in a par­
ent institution of higher education or research. Com­
mercial providers offer one option, as do the not- 
for-profit regional networks seeded by the National 
Science Foundation. Some library networks are 
exploring partnerships with the NSFNET networks 
in which Internet connections would be made avail­
able for libraries, and the library network would 
provide technical support and training. For instance, 
the CLASS library netw ork of California offers 
Internet connections to library members through 
CERFnet. NYSERNET in New Yotk has a New Con­
nections program which is aggressively seeking 
Internet connections for smaller institutions, includ­
ing libraries. ■

Carol Henderson is deputy director o f  ALA 's Washington 
Office, (202)545-4440; Bitnet: NU_ALAWASH@CUA.