--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 14:29:15 -0500
From: "Etkin, Cynthia" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: DRAFT 1999 Recommended Specifications for Public Access
Workstations in Federal Depository Libraries
This is being cross-posted to GOVDOC-L, LAWLIB, and MAPS-L. Please excuse
any duplication.
Below is a DRAFT version of the "1999 Recommended Specifications for Public
Access Workstations in Federal Depository Libraries." Librarians are
reminded that these are intended to provide guidance for new purchases and
are not requirements to be applied to existing equipment. The final version
will be printed in the June 15, 1999 Administrative Notes and made available
from the FDLP Administration web site. GPO will accept comments on these
specifications until May 5. Please forward any questions or comments to:
Cynthia Etkin
Depository Library Inspector
Library Programs Service (SLLD)
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20401
[log in to unmask]
(ph) 202-512-1119
(fax) 202-512-1432
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DRAFT
1999 Recommended Specifications for Public Access Workstations in Federal
Depository Libraries
These recommended specifications are intended to assist depository
librarians who are planning purchases of new personal computers (PCs) for
public use in Federal depository libraries. This document supersedes the
Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) "Recommended Specifications for
Public Access Work Stations in Federal Depository Libraries" (Administrative
Notes, v. 18, no. 9, June 15, 1998).
Recommended New Workstation Configuration
COMPUTER
Processor
IBM-compatible Pentium chip, 333 MHz Pentium II processor
minimum. Consider 450 MHz. System board should be "ATX" form factor.
Memory (RAM)
64 MB (expandable) minimum - 128 MB (expandable)
recommended.
Ports
One (1) Serial
One (1) Universal Serial Bus (USB)
One (1) Parallel
One (1) P/S-2 Mouse
One (1) SVGA Video (If video is built into system board.)
I/O bus
PCI. Should have at least four available PCI or shared
PCI/ISA slots after system is configured for delivery.
Video
64 or 128 bit PCI interface SVGA controller. Should come
with 4MB Windows RAM WRAM) or Video RAM (VRAM), and be expandable to
at least 8MB WRAM or VRAM. Recommend the selected device provide MPEG
hardware acceleration.
*FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE:
64 or 128 bit PCI interface SVGA controller with 8MB WRAM or
VRAM.
Audio
Sound Blaster 16 or better, or compatible (only if
appropriate for library setting).
Drive Bays
One (1) 3.5" half-height (HH).
Three (3) 5.25" HH Externally Accessible.
Two (2) 3.5" HH Internal.
DISK DRIVES AND STORAGE
Hard Disk Drive
8.4 gigabytes (GB) or greater capacity, partitioned into
smaller drives for quicker access time. IDE or SCSI interface.
*FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE:
9.0 GB or greater capacity, or network connectivity that
provides the same.
Removable/External Storage
3.5" 1.44 MB drive. Use an older system for 5.25" floppy
conversion.
Also, strongly recommend additional external and/or
exchangeable drives, especially drives such as Zip or Jaz drives for
downloading files too large to fit on a regular floppy disk, and tape drives
for periodic backup.
DVD Drive
4.8X speed minimum, 5X recommended. Ensure compatibility
with CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, DVD-Rs. Must have a MPEG-2 decoder card for
video.
*FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE:
5X speed (comparable to 32X CD-ROM ). Single platter or
changer design. Should support all available standard CD formats. Avoid
proprietary I/O designs.
PERIPHERALS
Monitor
17" Super VGA (SVGA) Multimedia monitor, 0.28 dpi or
smaller. May want to consider rotatable displays if in a technical services
area or if users do a lot of word-processing.
*FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE:
21" monitor, Super VGA (SVGA), with at least 70 MHz vertical
refresh rate at 1024x768 resolution non-interlaced, 0.28 or smaller dot
pitch; display card which supports 1024x768 resolution at 70 MHz or faster.
Printer
Ink Jet or laser printer. Must support PostScript. 10MB
Memory, minimum. More recommended if using PostScript or color.
*FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE:
Color ink jet plotter, 36", 600 dpi, 68 MB or more memory,
or access to a comparable networked printer
Keyboard and Pointing Device
Microsoft-compatible keyboard, plus mouse or other
compatible device. Strongly recommend ergonomically-designed products.
Internet Connectivity
Local Area Network with TCP/IP (Strongly Recommended)
or
Dial-up SLIP/PPP connection using 56 Kbps or better Modem
(internal modem would be advisable to reduce cabling and power requirements)
SOFTWARE
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 95b (OEM release which includes "FAT-32"
and their fixes),
or
Microsoft Windows 98
or
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
Communications
Package which supports multiple file transfer protocols;
several terminal emulations such as ANSI-BBS, TTY, VT-100. Data transfer
rates up to 56 Kbps. Supports Hayes "AT" compatible modems; manages telnet
sessions. Must have ability to "script" log-on files.
Client Software
World Wide Web graphical browser with forms support.
Java-enabled browsers such as Internet Explorer 4 or Netscape Navigator 4
are required for use of some online databases (for example, the DOE/GPO
Information Bridge partnership). Also recommend consider EINet winWAIS 2.06
customized for use with GPO Access WAIS databases.
Viewers
WWW graphical browser (see above) will handle both GIF and
JPEG graphics. Additional PDF viewer and MPEG player; strongly recommend
viewers for other file formats such as TIFF.
*FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE:
GEOTIFF file viewer. Viewing software for raster data, such
as Photo Shop or Print Shop.
Applications Software
Consider getting an integrated "office suite" product such
as Microsoft Office or Corel WordPerfect8 Suite. Otherwise:
Database
dBASE file format compatible or dBASE and ASCII
comma delimited file importing database management software; useful to have
fixed field format (SDF) import ability.
Spreadsheet
Lotus .WK1 file format compatible software; support
for other formats such as Excel and Quattro Pro.
Word Processing
Software capable of importing major text file
formats (Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, WordPro, etc.) and ASCII text files.
Mapping Software
*FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: Data manipulation package, such
as ArcView 3.0 or higher, Landview, MapInfo 4.5 or higher, or other similar
packages.
DVD AS A PERIPHERAL
A DVD external drive may be purchased to add to an existing workstation.
However, here are some cautionary notes about this. Most of these products
are first and second generation DVD drives and not all of them read CD-ROMs.
If you want the flexibility to use this as an additional CD-ROM drive,
verify its compatibility with CD-ROMs before purchasing. External drives
are available only at 1X and 2X speed. This is equivalent to 9X or 18X
speed CD-ROMs and slower speeds than were recommended in last year's
specifications. Most external DVD models use a SCSI or PC card interface.
Macintosh machines and many recent PCs have a SCSI interface. Make sure your
system has a compatible interface. It must also have a MPEG-2 decoder card
for video.
Y2K
Depository librarians are reminded to check computer and network
configurations and software to ensure Y2K compliance. Most software
developed in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and to a lesser extent the 90s, was not
designed to be operable into the 21st century. If you are using any
application programs (database management, spreadsheets, word processors,
etc.) to administer any part of the depository operation, verify their Y2K
readiness and upgrade or migrate to a new program if necessary.
RELATED ISSUES AND CONCERNS
These specifications are intended to assist depository staff in making
informed purchases which will best achieve the goal of providing public
access to Federal Government information in a variety of electronic formats.
These guidelines are aimed at providing reasonably robust workstations which
should provide years of service before they become obsolete, but LPS
encourages the purchase of equipment that exceeds these specifications if at
all economically feasible. The speed at which computer capabilities are
evolving indicates that the higher the initial outlay, the longer the useful
life for the equipment. If a higher end system is not affordable, look for
flexibility and expandability in the system that will allow for enhancements
and upgrades at a later date.
As of this writing the Pentium III was just released. LPS believes it is
too soon to recommend its purchase for depository libraries. At this early
stage not much software supports the Katmai New Instructions (KNI) of the
Pentium III that make it a more powerful and speedy processor. Of greater
concern is the unique ID number associated with each chip that has potential
security risks. Intel is going to release software that allows the ID
number to be turned on and off. When this problem is eliminated and if your
software supports KNI, consider purchasing a 500 MHz Pentium III.
Depository libraries must have computer equipment sufficient to allow timely
and equitable public access to Government electronic information products
and should allow printing or downloading information selected by the user.
During a depository library inspection LPS will use a functional approach to
determine compliance with this requirement.
LPS cannot anticipate or address every possible depository library computer
scenario and depository libraries are encouraged to adapt this menu of
specifications to fit their local situations. Depositories may require
multi-purpose single workstations, electronic access in networked
environments, or a combination of both. Given the large variation in the
size of Federal depository libraries and the numbers of users served, LPS
cannot recommend a universal standard for the number of public access
workstations in any given library. However, when assessing workstation
needs, librarians should consider such local factors as:
* the amount of information provided over the Internet compared with the
amount from CD-ROM
* whether and how the workstations are networked
* to what extent users are permitted to perform additional information
processing at the public access workstations
* whether users are experiencing extended waiting times at library peak
service hours, etc.
When configuring workstations bear in mind that some government CD-ROM
products now link to the web to update information on the CD-ROM. This means
that for the user to get the newer information and the full benefit of the
product at least one workstation must have both CD-ROM capability and
Internet accessibility with a graphical browser.
Additional or different capabilities may be desirable for workstations used
by library staff. Some libraries may elect to add applications software,
such as spreadsheet, word processing, or data base software, to their public
access workstations, but this is a local resource management decision.
Many depository libraries have existing computer equipment that is no longer
"state of the art." These specifications should not be applied
retrospectively to existing equipment, although they may assist in
determining the appropriate time for replacement or upgrading.
LPS has deliberately not provided specifications for Apple Macintosh (Mac)
or UNIX workstations. Based on responses to the 1995 and 1997 Biennial
Surveys, Mac's are the computer of choice for a small minority of the
depository libraries. However, depository libraries that have a Mac or UNIX
environment should assess their functional capabilities in light of these
specifications.
LPS works with the Cartographic Users Advisory Council (CUAC) to develop any
additional specifications which support GIS applications. These are included
in the recommendations with the indicator *For cartographic data use.
For additional information, or if you have any questions about these
specifications, please contact Cynthia Etkin, Depository Library Inspector,
at [log in to unmask] or by voice at (202) 512-1119.
RELATED GUIDELINES:
"Public Access to Electronic Government Information Provided Through Federal
Depository Libraries," Administrative Notes v. 17, #7 (May 15, 1996).
"Depository Library Public Service Guidelines for Government Information in
Electronic Formats," Administrative Notes v. 19, #11 (September 15, 1998).
"FDLP Internet Use Policy Guidelines," Administrative Notes v. 20, #2
(January 15, 1999).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cynthia Etkin
Depository Library Inspector
Library Programs Service (SLLD)
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20401
[log in to unmask]
(ph) 202-512-1119
(fax) 202-512-1432
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