Help Tennessee Libraries Prepare to Embrace the Information Age

Imagine walking into your local library and using a computer to look up
magazine and newspaper articles, medical information, even articles from an
encyclopedia!  The Tennessee Electronic Library, proposed in bills currently
before the House (HB 442, sponsored by Representative Matt Kisber) and the
Senate (SB 418, sponsored by Senator Ward Crutchfield), promises to deliver
this capability to all Tennesseans with access to a school, public, academic,
or special library.

In too many libraries across Tennessee, this capability is currently impossible
because of the prohibitive expense of individual subscriptions to databases.
Under the proposed Tennessee Electronic Library, however, a statewide contract
for these same databases would be negotiated which would drastically reduce the
cost.  The Tennessee Electronic Library would result in information equity for
all Tennesseans by giving them access to information vital to being informed
citizens.  The incredible savings realized would help small libraries better
serve the needs of their users and allow libraries with current subscriptions
to spend funds on additional resources.

Though every state surrounding Tennessee has a similar project, the Tennessee
Electronic Library is unique because it would provide all libraries across the
state access to these electronic information resources.  More information about
the Tennessee Electronic Library is available on the Internet at
http://toltec.lib.utk.edu/~tennshare/TEL.

Tennesseans are urged to contact their legislators and encourage them to
support this legislation and the subsequent appropriation of funds that will
make this wide selection of electronic databases in libraries across the state
a reality.

Contacts:

Ms. Penny Frere
Executive Director, TENN-SHARE
P. O. Box 357
Bell Buckle, TN  37020
931/389-9207
931/389-9101 (FAX)
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Dr. Edwin S. Gleaves
State Librarian
Tennessee State Library/Archives
403 Seventh Avenue North
Nashville, TN  37243
615/741-7996
615/741-6471 (FAX)
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Ms. Martha Earl
President, Tennessee Library Association
Preston Medical Library
UT Medical Center
1924 Alcoa Highway
Knoxville, TN37920
423/544-6616
423/544-9527 (FAX)
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____________________________________________________________________________
Sherry Young                                    Phone:  (423)757-2668
Access Services Librarian                       Fax:    (423)755-4775
The University of Tennesee at Chattanooga       Email:  [log in to unmask]
615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37403