Keynote Speaker: Karen Adams John Thurston, Manager of Emerging Technologies at InfoLink Consultants Inc., introduced Karen Adams, Executive Director of the Canadian Library Association (CLA). Before becoming Executive Director of CLA, Adams worked as chief librarian for the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Thurston noted that libraries and librarians have been involved in information access issues for many years. In 1992, CLA sponsored a national summit on information policy, and it sponsored information rights weeks in 1994 and 1995. Adams began her talk by referring to a Doonesbury cartoon in which two street people are sitting together. One tells the other that he has posted his resume on the Internet, but hasn't had any responses to it. His colleague asks him what address he used, and he responds: "lunatic@street.level." Using this cartoon as a springboard into her talk, Adams noted that participants at the conference are talking from privileged positions: "Most of us know about the issues and have access to technology." She told participants that her presentation would focus on the historical and economic roles and values of the public library system. Adams proceeded to give a brief overview of the history of libraries. Libraries existed at least since the third millennium B.C., when people started transferring the stories found on cave walls to portable media, such as papyrus. Libraries served the elite, and there is evidence that libraries tended to flourish during periods when civilizations were advancing. The concept of the public library is a twentieth century phenomenon. It gives access to all and is funded by the tax base. Previous library models were built on a user-fee model. Andrew Carnegie, who played a major role in the foundation of public libraries, left a mixed legacy: although some say he was a philanthropist building libraries to enable access to information, others argue that Carnegie built libraries to keep potential rebels busy. There are currently 3300 libraries in Canada; there are fewer post offices. Libraries disperse power to the many by creating an informed public. Referring to the information highway, Adams warned participants that we could be on "the cusp of a new dark age where information won't be available to the community as a whole". Adams illustrated the economic viability of libraries. Using a regional library system serving 100 Saskatchewan municipalities to illustrate her statement, Adams noted that in 1994 the libraries lent one million items at a cost of $2.50 per item (including operating costs such as library staff salaries). "Therefore the economic argument for libraries remains strong," Adams concluded. There is no way that the general public could buy these items elsewhere for this price. "The role of the libraries is to provide the most access for the least cost," she emphasized. Adams then read a quote from UNESCO's Public Library Manifesto that defined the role of the library in terms of freedom to unlimited access to information, a notion which is based on the concept of equality for all. The Manifesto refers to equal access for people of all ages and cultural backgrounds, and stresses that the material held by libraries should not be restricted by religious values or censorship. The Vancouver and Westmount Public Libraries are examples of libraries that are doing innovative things to provide access to the information highway. The Westmount Public Library, for example, is building a new edifice that features 22 public access terminals. "The library is the most heavily-used institution in Canada," noted Adams. A round of applause followed Adams' statement that in British Columbia, the number of people going to libraries exceeds those going to hockey or other sports events. "Libraries are the only social institution committed to the widest access to information," stated Adams. One negative aspect of library-going is that the activity of reading is conducted in isolation. Another weakness is that when libraries are threatened in certain communities, it is difficult to mobilize community groups because whether or not someone is a public library member is not immediately apparent. Libraries were among the first institutions to adopt new technologies. They were pioneers in the integration of networks and in using EDI. "This leadership role stems from being a community provider," Adams pointed out. Libraries and library staff have a deep understanding of some of the issues at stake regarding the information highway. In 1994, the CLA established a set of information and telecommunication access principles which addressed five areas: literacy, universal access, community rights, public space and privacy. Adams concluded her presentation by noting that people have often asked Adams why she isn't worried that libraries will die because of the information highway. She responds that the concept behind the information highway is not new, and that the addition of new tiers of information does not require the obsolescence of existing tiers. Thurston thanked Adams for describing the way in which public libraries have been meeting a wide range of information needs in communities for years. "I'm sure we're all happy to have it confirmed that we will have libraries in our cultural landscape for the duration," he said.