----------------------------Original message---------------------------- 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.