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Regardless (almost...) of how fast either the board, chip or network
card is, I'm really more concerned with what the role of the Library
is.  RIGHT NOW (my emphasis) I'm tending to believe that for true GIS
analysis the library's role to still to acquire, describe and provide
access.  So, I'm "forcing" my users to download ZIPPED files, as many
as they would like or their machine can hold.  That puts the burden of
file and data management on them.  By making the software available,
such as it is, I'm really making the data accessible to them.  These
are the users who are "coming up"  not the GIS jockeys.
 
What I'm trying to do is isolate library issues.
 
I think they have to do with user groups: research and/or/vs. reference
I think they have to do with literacy: GIS and/or geographic literacy
   (in this instance literacy is linked to the user's machine and
    software.  The user cannot be truely literate without a computer
    and software.  Training is an issue, but at what level is it the
    library's.  I circulate manuals with tutorials.  I am writing
    functional How-tos "How to digitize a map," "How to print a map
    in ArcView using the Computer Center's Plotter," etc.
I think they have to do with descibing (cataloging) and assuring appropriate
    documentation, data dictionaries, formats etc.