THE United States Library of Congress is gearing up for an information revolution.
The "goal is establishing a library without walls," proclaims Jacqueline Hess, the director of the Library of Congress's National Demonstration Lab.
The library - the largest in the world - eventually wants to put much, if not all, of the 100 million items in its collection into digital, or computer, form. This could allow browsing through the library's stacks from afar by way of increasingly powerful information networks.
Once today's data networks develop into the "data superhighways" of tomorrow - a concept backed by the Clinton administration - Library of Congress multimedia packages could be as easily received from afar as cable TV is today.
The library also is seeking the authority from Congress to charge access fees to recoup some of the expense of delivering new electronic services. Sen. Claiborne Pell (D) of Rhode Island has introduced a bill on the library's behalf that would replace a 1902 law.
For library officials, this proposal is right in line with President Clinton's call for government institutions to become more entrepreneurial.
"We mean by entrepreneurial reaching out and doing new and different things," says Associate Librarian of Congress Donald Curran. "There is quite a lot entrepreneurial interest in rendering library services in the future."
But as the Library of Congress becomes more entrepreneurial, businesses involved in distributing information digitally grow concerned. The Library of Congress has more material on hand than any other source in the country. Many sellers of information services worry it could corner the market.
"The impact of what the Library of Congress does in the marketplace has to be considered," says Steve Metalitz, a vice-president for the trade group, The Information Industry Association.
"We want to see a diversity of sources for information based on the collections in the library," Mr. Metalitz added. His is a plea for the private sector to get a piece of the action as the Library of Congress increasingly computerizes its collections.
The library is not opposed to such arrangements. It has a long history of joint ventures in more traditional formats - including books, records, and films.
Publication information: Article title: Library of Congress Sets off Debate with Its Plan to Sell Computer Data. Contributors: Michael Richards, Monitor - Author. Newspaper title: The Christian Science Monitor. Publication date: April 8, 1993. Page number: 8. © The Christian Science Publishing Society. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.