From: "Rutherford, John (Library)" <Rutherford@mail.ccsu.edu> To: "'conntech@wilson.ccsu.edu'" <conntech@wilson.ccsu.edu> Subject: FW: [CONNTECH] iCONN Budget Situation
-----Original Message-----
From: Sharon Brettschneider [mailto:SBrett@cslib.org]
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 12:07 PM
To: conntech@csuweb.ctstateu.edu
Subject: [CONNTECH] iCONN Budget Situation
I am posting this for Kendall Wiggin, State Librarian.
We write to report to you on the current status of iCONN, Connecticut's
Digital Library.
The best measure of the success of any enterprise or activity is how
often it is used and how it satisfies the goals it was designed to meet.
iCONN began providing full-text information databases to Connecticut's
citizens and students in July 2001. In the first four months of its
existence, the Library and its databases were used more than 1 million
times. Usage statistics for iCONN indicate that, from July through the
end of October this year, 1,070,675 visitors used iCONN's resources. Of
those, more than 570,000 visitors used databases available to the
state's public libraries and schools and more than 500,000 visitors used
the databases available to students and faculty in Connecticut's 46
public and independent colleges and universities. If usage of the
Library continues at this current rate - and we have every reason to
believe that it will, since the trend from July through October is for
ever-great numbers of users each month - then iCONN's important
information resources and databases will be used more than 3,000,000
times during the 2001-2002 fiscal year. That is a real measure of
iCONN's resounding success and growing importance to Connecticut.
iCONN is supported by state funds generously proposed by Governor
Rowland and Lieutenant Governor Rell and approved by the Legislature.
Because Connecticut is facing real budgetary concerns, funding for iCONN
for the '02 fiscal year has been reduced, as is the case for nearly all
of the state's activities. The Connecticut State Library and the
Department of Higher Education wish to assure you, however, that there
will be no reductions in any of the services provided by iCONN during
the current fiscal year, through June 2002. Thanks to the timing of our
initial contracts, patrons of Connecticut's public libraries and
students and faculty members in our schools and in our colleges and
universities will be able to continue using iCONN fully during this
time. We will keep you informed as to our efforts to secure funding for
FY 03.
We are grateful for your support for Connecticut's Digital Library and
hope you will continue to encourage all of our citizens and students to
use its remarkable and important resources.
Kendall Wiggin Valerie F. Lewis
State Librarian Commissioner of Higher
Education
Sharon Brettschneider
Director, Division of Library Development
Connecticut State Library
231 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
860-757-6665
sbrett@cslib.org
www.cslib.org
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