[1348] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Gutenberg Newsletter, Pt 1 of 2
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Tue Sep 29 19:38:48 1992
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 18:02:46 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: "Michael S. Hart" <HART@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Gutenberg Sept Newsletter2, Pt. 1 of 2
To: Gutenberg Discussion Group <gutnberg@uiucvmd>,
Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1>,
Humanist Discussion <editors@brownvm>,
LIBREF <LIBREF-L@KENTVM>,
Bibliographic Instruction Discussion Group <BI-L@BINGVMB>
*This is the Project Gutenberg Newsletter2 for September 1992.*
Our Goal, To Give Away One Trillion Etexts By December 31, 2001
When I put together the August Newsletter2 I figured I had only
that one issue and this one to worry about. . .as it was merely
intended to address the general interest of the influx of those
who enter the net conversations at this time of year. I wasn't
expecting the unanimous positive response we received. So, you
can expect to receive one of these Newsletter2's each month, up
until the point I either receive too many negative responses or
collapse from exhaustion. Why exhaustion, you might ask?
Project Gutenberg has the following goals:
0. Making ten thousand etext titles available to one hundred
million computer users (equals one trillion etexts).
1. Encouraging general creation and distribution of etext.
2. Assisting with copyright analysis.
3. Creating "A Child's Garden of the Internet" to facilitate
the ease with which large portions of the population will
be able to use the networks (hopefully as easily as their
current use of the telephone). Abbreviated as CGI.
4. Assisting with hardware and software selection.
5. Creating electronic libraries to use via networks or with
personal visits to local libraries. This includes a MUSH
(Multi-User Shared Hardware) program to actually simulate
a library (Virtual Library) in which one can use material
provided by the library, converse with others using these
resources, make contributions to the library, and suggest
ideas for future development.
Each one of these is enough to allow a workaholic to work to an
exhausted level at any time.
0. This will obviously be the last year I can really proofread
each and every etext we produce to the point of 99.9% level
of accuracy, which is our goal for initial releases (really
they are about the 10th edition and are identified by 10 in
their edition number, which meant 1.0 in the older editions
of Millennium Fulcrum and Duncan Research).
1. I receive about 10,000 lines of email on a good day and put
back about 5,000 lines in my replies, which are all written
by myself and usually contain a personal response, not just
the information packets requested. Having already made out
these packets is a big help, but I feel all but the simpler
requests (Send me info) deserve a personal response. These
total to about 2 meg a week incoming and 1 meg outgoing. I
keep a copy of just about every message I send or receive--
150M per year. This does not include paper mail, which you
have probably noted I discourage. Nevertheless this Public
Relations aspect of Project Gutenberg is becoming as worthy
of our attention as any other aspect, as we prepare for the
doubling of our production as we do every January.
Next year we plan to release 4 books a month, some that our
current production teams would find exhausting if not truly
impossible without the invaluable assistance of a volunteer
corps that has always been the true base for our work.
Project Gutenberg is TOTALLY VOLUNTEER DRIVEN. All work is
done by people who simply believe in what we are doing, and
our finances and hardware are totally donation driven. The
donation are tax deductible to the maximum allowable by law
and should be sent to:
Project Gutenberg/IBC
Illinois Benedictine College
5700 College Road
Lisle, Illinois 60532
2. Our copyright research team is a small army unto itself and
deserves a newsletter and a bunch of medals unto itself!
3. "A Child's Garden of the Internet" is the title of our work
introducing novices to the networks. Nearly every work the
networks have seen on this and related subjects has been in
various manners withdrawn from network circulation and been
put into commercial paper editions instead, nothing against
commercial paper. . .but to withdraw things from circulated
usage in one medium to increase circulation in another. . .
well enough has been said on that subject for a while until
the release of another Project Gutenberg work under similar
construction: "Fear and Loathing on the Internet Trail."
You want Fame? You want Glory? Write us some childlike or
even childish articles on how to use the net resources. In
no time at all your name and fame will spread into Netland,
which is scheduled to be the sequel (or an Adolescent Guide
to the Internet).
4. We are happy to advise people in the selection of hardware,
software and in installation and operation.
5. The Project Gutenberg Virtual Library has been operational,
in testing mode for a few weeks now. I will let our MUSHer
write his own reports on that. It currently resides on the
Silicon Graphic IRIS donated to our use by Prof. Greg Newby
of the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library &
Information Science, and may be moved to the new NeXT which
was sent to Project Gutenberg as a grant from NeXT. If any
MUSH or MUD programmers would like to assist, please let me
know via email at my personal address.
OK. . .we have covered the major objective points. . .now on to
the less subjective points. . .for which we need different help
. . .and entirely different kind of help.
One. . .we need someone to handle Public Relations. . .in a big
way. . .none of us are the types who enjoy this kind of work or
are any good at it. We are mostly behind the scenes types. . .
believe it or not. We like to do the work. . .and sometimes we
even like to talk about it. . .but not with reporters every day
of every week of every year. . .which is what the trends are in
the process of telling us. Most of us aren't oriented strongly
on the fame track, and we would be happy to give someone, maybe
even those in Public Relations classes, a chance to reap fame &
whatever goes with it.
Two. . .coordination and administration. We have hundreds, yes
hundreds, of volunteers around the world, and it will take them
all to get our work done this next year. Luckily volunteers in
our work triple nearly every year while our output is scheduled
only to double every year. As you will see this is a very good
ratio. . .and we need our volunteers very very much.
Next year we plan to release 48 Project Gutenberg Etexts, twice
as many as we are doing this year. . .four per month. We tried
doing this as an experiment with our current staff, production,
and other items. . .and found we COULD do it, but the pressures
were so great that we still have not recovered, and that was an
experiment that only lasted for a month or so.
Each of these 48 etexts will take several people; first, one to
get the text entered in the first place; second, a few proofers
to get it up to the 99.9% accuracy level we desire for release;
third, an editor to get it into good margination and spacing to
be read on screen and sent via email, and to enter the header--
to make sure the proper legal notices are properly attached and
to update all the index files, etc,; fourth, someone to post it
to all the various ftp and email sites from which the networker
and email users will get the etexts (we also have several BBS's
who pick up and relay our etexts, as well as several large site
locations in other parts of the world who have asked that we do
not reveal their locations for fear of being overrun with etext
requests on an international basis); fifth, before all this can
even be legally begun our copyright researchers have to locate,
research, and approve every paper edition from which our etexts
are derived; and lastly someone has to announce to the nets the
current releases, their locations, and how to retrieve them.
Now. . .if you understood everything you have ever read about a
project named Gutenberg. . .don't bother to read on. . .however
I promised to include answers to certain questions in this copy
of the Newsletter2. . .so here are the questions and answers:
End of Part 1 of 2
THIS MESSAGE IS A PRIVATE COMMUNICATION, INTENDED ONLY TO BE
READ BY THE PEOPLE TO WHOM IT IS ADDRESSED. RECIPIENTS OF
THIS MESSAGE MAY NOT COPY, CHANGE OR DISTRIBUTE IT IN WHOLE
OR IN PART WITHOUT MICHAEL HART'S WRITTEN PERMISSION.
Copyright [1992] Michael Hart
