Pittsburgh, PA 15233

June 20, 1998

Dear Member of the Manchester Community:

What resources, what historical materials, what information would you want to make available to the Manchester community, the city of Pittsburgh, America, the world?

On behalf of Information Renaissance and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, I invite you to create and to shape an electronic, online library for and about the Manchester community.

Traditionally, a library is a storehouse of information. In many ways it is the memory of a people.
A library bridges the past, the present and the future:
it preserves and reaffirms a people's identity;
it serves the day-to-day information needs of a community;
it passes on a people's history to the next generation.

An electronic or "digital" library--stored in the memory of a computer and available to all through a network of computers-- extends the traditional library in a radical and revolutionary way. Just within the past three years, the Internet has made it possible for individuals and organizations to create and to shape libraries of information that are useful and meaningful to them.

At present, on the "Information Superhighway," no one perfect model exists for presenting the people, organizations and resources of a neighborhood like Manchester. This means that entering into such a project, as proposed by Information Renaissance and the Carnegie, is like the adventure of entering into unexplored territory--an opportunity to make a mark, gain skills, set the pace and be an example to others. Such an enterprise would be in keeping with Manchester's local and national reputation as a community that struggles successfully with issues of housing, education, preservation, economic development and land use.

Consider that an electronic library could have:

1. a database of historical records about the community;

2. a collection of photographs--historic and current;

3. portraits and voices of residents, telling their own stories;

4. easy-to-access resources on housing, education, medical care,

city services, etc.

5. an online forum for discussions where residents can

"talk" with one another and also learn the opinions and

ideas of their neighbors.

As an individual and as a member of an organization with a stake in Manchester, your involvement and the involvement of your organization are needed for the success of such a project.

I hope to phone you soon to set up a convenient time to meet to discuss this project and to answer your questions.
If you feel that friends, neighbors and associates in Manchester might be interested in the project I have outlined, please discuss it with them. Do not hesitate to write, phone or email me regarding any questions you may have. I look forward to meeting and talking with you face-to-face.

Sincerely,


Barry Chad
Assistant Head, Pennsylvania Department
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Phone: 622-3113
Email: bchad@info-ren.org
or chadb@clpgh.org

Attached:

1. A suggested list of the kinds of resources and

records that could become part of a

neighborhood electronic library.

2. A list of World Wide Web (WWW) sites that can

give you a feel for kinds of effective electronic

libraries that are currently online.

(Included is a preliminary Web site with a

listing of articles and materials on

Manchester taken from the files of the Carnegie's

Pennsylvania Department as well as information about

my own library background with some of the Web sites

I have authored and some of the things I have written.)

3. A list of "Information Age" terms and their meanings.

Manchester Electronic Branch Library: About This Site
Manchester Electronic Branch Library