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␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ u1


␈↓ α∧␈↓α␈↓ ∧~An Electronic Library Project for the Centre Mondial

␈↓ α∧␈↓α␈↓ ¬
John McCarthy, Stanford University

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTThis␈α⊂is␈α⊂an␈α⊂adaptation␈α⊃of␈α⊂the␈α⊂proposals␈α⊂in␈α⊃my␈α⊂1979␈α⊂memorandum␈α⊂␈↓↓Towards␈α⊃a␈α⊂nationally
␈↓ α∧␈↓↓available complete electronic library␈↓.  I will not repeat the considerations of that paper.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTFor␈α∞the␈α
reasons␈α∞discussed␈α
in␈α∞that␈α
paper,␈α∞the␈α
time␈α∞has␈α
already␈α∞arrived␈α
for␈α∞it␈α
to␈α∞be␈α
socially
␈↓ α∧␈↓worthwhile␈α⊂and␈α⊂economically␈α⊂feasible␈α⊂to␈α⊂put␈α⊃the␈α⊂world␈α⊂literature␈α⊂in␈α⊂the␈α⊂French␈α⊃language␈α⊂into
␈↓ α∧␈↓computer␈α∩form␈α∩and␈α∩make␈α∪it␈α∩available␈α∩world␈α∩wide.␈α∪ Presumably␈α∩the␈α∩French␈α∩should␈α∪be␈α∩more
␈↓ α∧␈↓motivated␈αto␈α
do␈αit␈αthan␈α
the␈αAmericans,␈αthough␈α
I␈αsuppose␈αthat␈α
when␈αthe␈αU.S.␈α
gets␈αaround␈αto␈α
doing
␈↓ α∧␈↓it,␈αliterature␈αin␈αother␈αlanguages␈αthan␈αEnglish␈αwill␈αbe␈αincluded.␈α However,␈αif␈αthe␈αFrench␈αdo␈αit␈αfirst,
␈↓ α∧␈↓then the French objective of promoting the French language and literature will be advanced.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTImagine␈α∞the␈α
following␈α∞system.␈α
 The␈α∞French␈α∞language␈α
literature␈α∞is␈α
put␈α∞into␈α∞computer␈α
form,
␈↓ α∧␈↓either␈α⊂by␈α∂optical␈α⊂character␈α⊂recognition␈α∂machines␈α⊂or␈α∂by␈α⊂keyboarding␈α⊂in␈α∂low␈α⊂wage␈α⊂countries.␈α∂ A
␈↓ α∧␈↓central␈α
computer␈α
library␈α
in␈αFrance␈α
keeps␈α
this␈α
literature␈α
on␈αthe␈α
equivalent␈α
of␈α
about␈α
1000␈αIBM␈α
3380
␈↓ α∧␈↓disk␈αfiles.␈α Three␈αlarge␈αbandwith␈αsatellites␈αare␈αput␈αup␈αto␈αprovide␈αworldwide␈αtransmission␈α
facilities.
␈↓ α∧␈↓Reading␈αrooms␈αwith␈αsuitable␈αterminals␈αare␈αlocated␈α
in␈αevery␈αplace␈αwhere␈αthere␈αis␈αsufficient␈α
interest.
␈↓ α∧␈↓A␈αreader␈αcan␈αcall␈αup␈αany␈αbook␈αor␈αother␈αdocument␈αfrom␈αany␈αterminal.␈α When␈αhe␈αdoes␈αso,␈αthe␈αfirst
␈↓ α∧␈↓two␈α∂pages␈α∂are␈α∞transmitted␈α∂via␈α∂the␈α∞satellite␈α∂to␈α∂the␈α∞reading␈α∂room␈α∂computer␈α∞and␈α∂the␈α∂first␈α∂page␈α∞is
␈↓ α∧␈↓displayed␈αon␈α
his␈αterminal.␈α Perhaps␈α
the␈αlibrary␈α
catalog␈αand␈αother␈α
currently␈αpopular␈αdocuments␈α
are
␈↓ α∧␈↓kept in local file.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTSuch␈α⊂a␈α⊃system␈α⊂is␈α⊃technically␈α⊂feasible␈α⊂today,␈α⊃and␈α⊂I␈α⊃believe␈α⊂that␈α⊂it␈α⊃would␈α⊂be␈α⊃found␈α⊂cost-
␈↓ α∧␈↓effective,␈αbut␈αthere␈αis␈αtoo␈αmuch␈αinertia␈αto␈αmake␈αit␈αlikely␈αthat␈αthe␈αFrench␈αGovernment␈αwill␈αput␈αup
␈↓ α∧␈↓the money soon for the full system.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTTherefore, we propose that the Centre Mondial undertake the following pilot project.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT1.␈α
A␈αfew␈α
RA81␈αdisks␈α
are␈αacquired␈α
from␈α
Digital␈αEquipment␈α
Corporation␈αand␈α
attached␈αto␈α
the
␈↓ α∧␈↓Centre's VAX computer.  This is currently the most cost-effective disk file available.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT2.␈αA␈αrequest␈αfor␈αproposals␈αfor␈αa␈αfew␈αhundred␈αthousand␈αdollars␈αworth␈αof␈αbook␈αinput␈αis␈αsent
␈↓ α∧␈↓both␈α⊃to␈α∩keyboarding␈α⊃companies␈α⊃and␈α∩those␈α⊃that␈α⊃do␈α∩optical␈α⊃character␈α⊃recognition.␈α∩ In␈α⊃addition
␈↓ α∧␈↓existing␈α
computerized␈α
text␈α
is␈α
solicited␈α
from␈α
those␈α
who␈α
have␈α
it␈α
for␈α
experimental␈α
use.␈α∞ The␈α
initial
␈↓ α∧␈↓reading list is taken from the public domain literature.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT3.␈αAbout␈α20␈αtelephone␈αlines␈αare␈αattached␈αto␈αthe␈αVAX,␈αso␈αthat␈αthe␈αlibrary␈αis␈αavailable␈αfrom
␈↓ α∧␈↓existing terminals and micro-computers in the Paris area.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT4. The necessary programs are written and installed.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTAt␈αthis␈αpoint␈αa␈αtechnical␈αdemonstration␈αis␈αfeasible.␈α An␈αattempt␈αis␈αmade␈αto␈α
determine␈αwhat
␈↓ α∧␈↓is most attractive to the users of the library within the budget available.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT5.␈α∂An␈α∂experimental␈α∂terminal␈α∂cluster␈α∂is␈α∂installed␈α∂in␈α∂a␈α∂reading␈α∂room␈α∂in␈α∂the␈α∂Paris␈α⊂area.␈α∂ It
␈↓ α∧␈↓should be a place that is open for a large number of hours.
␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ u2


␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTAll␈α
this␈α∞seems␈α
feasible␈α∞within␈α
a␈α
budget␈α∞of␈α
1,000,000␈α∞francs␈α
in␈α
1983␈α∞and␈α
(say)␈α∞5,000,000␈α
in
␈↓ α∧␈↓1984.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTIf the results are encouraging, the next steps include.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT1. Giving the computerized library its own computer.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT2. More books.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT3.␈α∞Obtaining␈α∞the␈α∂co-operation␈α∞of␈α∞publishers␈α∞of␈α∂current␈α∞books,␈α∞magazines␈α∂and␈α∞newspapers
␈↓ α∧␈↓for an expanded program.  An experimental financial arrangement should be adopted.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT4.␈α
Design␈α
of␈αa␈α
reading␈α
terminal␈αthat␈α
can␈α
be␈αused␈α
in␈α
connection␈αwith␈α
the␈α
French␈αtelephone
␈↓ α∧␈↓system's electronic yellow pages.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT5.␈α⊃An␈α⊂experimental␈α⊃reading␈α⊃room␈α⊂in␈α⊃an␈α⊃underdeveloped␈α⊂country␈α⊃using␈α⊃existing␈α⊂satellite
␈↓ α∧␈↓transmission channels.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αT6. Developing an optical character recognition system optimized toward reading books.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTThis␈αmemorandum␈αneeds␈αto␈αbe␈αrewritten␈αwith␈αeasily␈αobtained␈αnumbers␈αconcerning␈αcost␈αand
␈↓ α∧␈↓performance.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTThe␈α
first␈αstage␈α
should␈αinvolve␈α
one␈αperson␈α
to␈αnegotiate␈α
the␈αcontracts␈α
and␈α
promote␈αmeetings
␈↓ α∧␈↓and␈α⊗write␈α⊗a␈α∃paper␈α⊗and␈α⊗another␈α∃person␈α⊗to␈α⊗do␈α∃the␈α⊗programming␈α⊗and␈α⊗supervise␈α∃hardware
␈↓ α∧␈↓installation.␈α What␈αhas␈αto␈αbe␈αdone␈αto␈αimplement␈αan␈αexperimental␈αsystem␈αis␈αclear␈αenough␈αso␈αthat␈αa
␈↓ α∧␈↓long␈αplanning␈αphase␈αis␈αnot␈αwarranted,␈αbecause␈αit␈αwould␈αuse␈αup␈αthe␈αbudget␈αwithout␈αproviding␈αthe
␈↓ α∧␈↓confidence needed to undertake a larger project.

␈↓ α∧␈↓This document is on line as FLIB[E83,JMC]@SU-AI on the Arpanet.