Jean Polly
jpolly@nysernet.org
Nominated Candidate

Education: MS Library Science,1975, Syracuse University. BA
Selected Studies in Medieval Literature, 1974, Syracuse University.

Experience:
10/19/92-present, Manager of Network Development and User Training,
NYSERNet, Inc.

1980 - 10/9/92, Assistant Director for Public Services and Head,
Microcomputer Department Liverpool Public Library. Supervised
public computer lab. Collected, cataloged, and maintained software
collections. Responsible for the planning and maintenance of the
library staff local area network. Seeks and administers grants such
as Apple Library of Tomorrow (1990), Library of Congress American
Memory Project Beta Site (1991-92) and NYSERNet Internet connection
grant (1991-92).

1976 - 1980, Periodicals and Serials Librarian, Liverpool Public
Library.

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Library Association; Member, Library and
Information Technology Association. Elected to LITA Board, 92-95;
Member, Public Library Association, 1988 - 1992; Chair, Program
Planning Sub-Committee, Technology in Public Libraries Committee.
Responsible for all phases of program development and logistics for
various Convention programming. 1983 - present, variously involved
with the Task Force on Computers in Public Libraries. Member,
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, Electronic
Frontier Foundation, Internet Society. June, 1990, co-sigop, Apple
Library User's Group Online Conference on the WELL (Whole Earth
'Lectronic Link), Sausalito, CA.

Publications

Books: Series Editor Essential Guide to Apple Computers in
Libraries, Meckler Publishing Corporation. Public Technology: the
Library Public Access Computer (1986); Co-author of Hardware:
Expansion and Set-up (1987). Selected Articles: Numerous articles
have appeared in professional journals such as Small Computers in
Libraries, ONLINE, LaserDisk Professional, Wilson Library Bulletin,
American Libraries. Topics have ranged from "Surfing the Internet"
to LANS in libraries. Additionally, Polly writes the Computer
Currents monthly column in Library Journal, which has a global
circulation of almost 30,000. Polly appeared on the cover of the
9/1/92 issue, and will be starting a column about the Internet in
summer of 1993.

Selected Invited Papers: In 1992, Polly spoke at numerous
conferences, including National Net'92, Computers, Freedom &
Privacy II, EDUCOM, University of Michigan, University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign, Maine Library Association, Nevada Library
Association, and about thirty other venues. The topic was "Surfing
the Internet"; how small libraries and schools can get connected
to the Internet, and why the public needs access to the NREN.

Statement:

If you wanted to categorize my Internet involvement, you might say
I speak for "the little guy". I believe access to information is
of paramount importance to developing countries and developing
humans. I am a proponent of K-12 access, public library access, and
individual access. I have been a user of the Internet for three
years; only in the past two years have I become something of a
national spokesperson for public libraries and the Internet.