Growth of Automation and Access to the Resources of the Members of the Lewis & Clark Library System Through LSCA Grants

Library Services and Construction Act funds have been critical to the development of library automation within the Lewis & Clark Library System (LCLS). As a library system in west central Illinois, we have a diverse membership — some libraries are large, some small, some urban, some rural. Providing quality, cost-effective library automation for a diverse group of member libraries with varying needs and resources is difficult in the best of times. Access to these grant funds through the Illinois State Library has enhanced the growth and evolution of automation for our members' libraries when local resources alone would mean technological stagnation.

Over the years, LSCA grant funds have aided the membership in keeping pace with the rapid rate of technological change meeting the ever expanding expectations of their patrons. LSCA grants have provided a vital mechanism to increase member participation in the Local Library System Automation Project (LLSAP); increase the extent of union list information and non automated libraries holdings in the LLSAP, thus facilitating cooperative collection management and interlibrary loan; and improve both the quality and content of access for non-automated members.

The Lewis & Clark Library System has applied for many LSCA grants through the Illinois State Library to provide enhanced services and support to its members. Some of our proposals were successful, some were not. Grant applications from LCLS and its members for automation tended to fall into three general categories:

1. Member and central site equipment
2. Incentive monies for new members
3. Union list/CCM projects

One of the early LSCA grant-funded enhancements purchased a power supply and generator that together provide uninterrupted operation of automation services in the event of a local power outage. Following a recent tornado that caused minor local damage, automated services remained unaffected even though it was several hours before power was restored.

LSCA grant funds have been used at various times over the years to enhance or upgrade the speed or quality of access to our automated services. In 1989, as part of a grant to update member and central site telecommunications equipment, new modems were purchased to increase the speed of access for online libraries from 4,800 to 9,600 baud. This was done as part of a complete central site upgrade when we upgraded all key pieces of equipment, including our server. The grant allowed the online libraries to take full advantage of the performance improvement offered by the new server.

In 1992 another LSCA grant Internet access. Internet access was provided to all system members, with online or dial-access members initially using gopher and e-mail. Providing Gopher access gave all system members access to Internet-based text resources but did not require a member library to have graphical access to the Internet at that time. E-mail provided all system members another way to communicate with others outside the library system using Internet-based e-mail.

Following our online library modem upgrade, we applied for another LSCA grant and were awarded funding for a new bank of dial access modems. This grant had the goal of improving dial access to LLSAP resources and reducing member library telecommunication costs through higher speed connections. The same grant purchased modems for member library computers to compliment our new higher speed central site modems.

In 1993 under a grant titled "Retooling for the Millennium," we were able to obtain funding assistance in upgrading to a newer, faster and much smaller central-site computer. Our room full of computer equipment was reduced to a box a little bigger than a dehumidifier. LSCA funding was a vital part of two major upgrades to our central-site computer and telecommunications network. LSCA funding allowed the

* William N. Stevens, Automation Manager, Lewis & Clark Library System, Edwardsville.

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membership to have both server and telecommunications equipment evolution proceed together, while not having one component hold back the other.

Completing the upgrade cycle, we obtained LSCA funding in 1996 for routers for our central-site and online libraries. This upgrade to our network completed work begun earlier when we upgraded many of our analog circuits to 56K digital circuits using local funds. Adding routers, hubs and other networking equipment put graphical access to the world of digital information in the members' libraries where it was needed. It was a great pleasure to see the positive responses in many smaller public libraries (not to mention the larger ones) when patrons were able to obtain access to the Internet in their libraries.

The third major area LSCA funds were put to work was in working with nonautomated member library holdings. LSCA funds were used at various times to input holdings from member libraries into the LLSAP to create a systemwide union catalog on the LLSAP database. Grant funds also were used in a project to convert the holdings of various stand alone automation systems within the library system, and in the manual input of shelf list information from other member libraries into the LLSAP database to expand union list holdings and facilitate cooperative collection development projects.

Over the years we received LSCA funds in support of automation in the following amounts:

Grant Project	LSCA Funding
1. LLSAP/Member Equipment	$196,779
2. Incentive Funds	$30,000
3. Union List/CCM Projects	$83,997
LSCA Funding for Automation	$360,773

LSCA funds have been vital to the continued expansion and technological development of automation at the Lewis & Clark Library System. Grant funds provided assistance with central-site computer and telecommunications upgrades, new member equipment and assisting members with upgrades to their equipment.

LSCA funds have been of enormous benefit to this library system in meeting its goals as well as helping members meet their local goals and needs. We look forward to continued challenges and opportunities created by the availability of LSCA and now LSTA grant funds through the Illinois State Library.

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