Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question about The WiderNet Project and the eGranary Digital Library? Read through the FAQ below to learn the basics about who we are and what we do:
- Why does the eGranary Digital Library copy Web resources? Can't those at African universities just use our Web site instead?
- Will the eGranary Digital Library sell the materials they ask for permission to copy?
- How much do libraries in the developing world pay to use the eGranary Digital Library?
- Who funds the eGranary Digital Library?
- Will people stop using my Web site and use yours instead?
- Will the eGranary Digital Library edit or alter my Web site in any way?
- How does The WiderNet Project collect my Web site(s)? Is there anything I need to do?
- What about my copyright?
- How frequently is The WiderNet digital library updated?
- How long will The WiderNet Project continue its eGranary Digital Library?
- Does The WiderNet Project provide an up-to-date list of recipients of the eGranary Digital Library?
- Does the eGranary Digital Library use republication contracts?
- I can find 750 GB hard drives cheaper than those you provide. Can I just buy one myself and copy the eGranary Digital Library?
- Can I contribute my resources for a limited amount of time, for example one year?
Have additional questions or need more information? Contact us today!
1. Why does the eGranary Digital Library copy Web resources? Can't those at African universities just use our Web site instead?
Many of the universities we work with have NO Internet connectivity. Those that have connectivity typically have 128K or less of Internet bandwidth. That's about the speed of two phone modems being shared by dozens or even hundreds of people. At some universities, staff and students have to pay for every minute they are on the Internet to cover the costs of the satellite service.
Either way, surfing is too slow and/or too expensive for scholars to spend a significant amount of time on the Internet. By placing relevant materials on a server within their campuses, we provide their campus community access to hundreds of thousands of documents at blazing speeds with absolutely no bandwidth cost.
For more information comparing the cost and productivity of the eGranary Digital Library versus an Internet connection, see http://www.widernet.org/digitallibrary/eG-InternetCostComparison.pdf.
2. Will the eGranary Digital Library sell the materials they ask for permission to copy?
No, we do not sell the donated content included in the eGranary Digital Library. As well, every subscriber is required to sign an agreement that they will not sell the donated materials (and not make it available on the Internet -- only on their own intranets.)
We are a non-profit service organization based at the University of Iowa with the core mission of serving the world's information poor without making them too much poorer. So we are always looking for ways to sustain our efforts while keeping the costs of eGranary Digital Library ownership as affordable as possible.
We DO charge subscribers for equipment and services (like training and custom portals), but never for the content itself. This way, if someone wants to install the eGranary Digital Library and they have the equipment and expertise at hand, they can simply sign a subscription agreement and make a copy of the closest eGranary Digital Library. Of course, our customized proxy and search software are Open Source and included in the eGranary Digital Library.
However, for those who want a more complete solution, we offer everything from external USB drive versions to an entire lab of refurbished computers with a dedicated eGranary Digital Library server.
For more information, see http://www.widernet.org/digitallibrary/productoptions.htm.
3. How much do libraries in the developing world pay to use the eGranary Digital Library?
For information about the cost of an eGranary Digital Library, please see http://www.widernet.org/digitallibrary/productoptions.htm.
The cost of our drives reflect the cost of purchasing, shipping, troubleshooting, dealing with failed drives, spending several hours loading the contents and testing the drive.
4. Who funds the eGranary Digital Library?
The eGranary Digital Library is largely a volunteer affair. For the first three years of its existence, the eGranary Digital Library was developed as a part of other programs being offered by the University of Iowa's WiderNet Project to assist universities in Africa to develop strategic ICT plans and build their first networks.
Volunteer librarians and programmers have put in over 1,000 hours, while hundreds of authors and publishers have donated their content.
In 2003 we received a generous grant of $236,000 from USAID's Leland Initiative to develop a protocol for using one-way satellite broadcasts to update the information stores in the field and increase the number of participants and subscribers in the eGranary Alliance.
We also received a $12,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to demonstrate how commercial content creators, in this case the World Book Encyclopedia, can be integrated into the eGranary Digital Library.
In 2005 we received a $226,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to focus on Sustainability, Access and Adoption of the eGranary Digital Library.
We continue to enjoy significant donations of hardware and software from industry leaders like Microsoft Inc., Red Hat Inc., and disk drive manufacturers.
5. Will people stop using my Web site and use yours instead?
No, our copy of your Web site will not be on the WWW; it will only be available on campus intranets. Participating universities agree to limit access to the distributed materials to browsers on their campuses.
In fact, none of the universities we are working with have enough bandwidth to serve Web sites without severely restricting their own Internet access.
6. Will the eGranary Digital Library edit or alter my Web site in any way?
No, we do not edit or alter the content of your Web pages during mirroring. We do, however, remove links to external advertisement servers and link counters, since these links won't work in places where there is no Internet connectivity.
We also do not "wrap" your content in our own frames; it appears to the reader as it would on your own Web site.
7. How does The WiderNet Project collect my Web site(s)? Is there anything I need to do?
The WiderNet Project uses an open source program called HT-Track to mirror websites. More information about this piece of software can be found at http://www.httrack.com/.
Since HTTRACK is able to mirror websites through the HTTP protocol, no further action is needed on your end. If your site uses a dynamic language such as PHP, ASP, or PERL, HTTRACK will download the site as it appears to users on the web, converting dynamic content into static HTML pages, since users of the eGranary Digital Library will not have access to any scripting or databases that your site may use.
By granting us republication permission you do not wave your copyright. Since we alter none of your pages, your copyright notices and credits are included in the distributed materials.
9. How frequently is The WiderNet digital library updated?
We currently manually update our digital library at least two times per year. We are also experimenting with a protocol to update the library using cheap satellite broadcasts and digital radio. Once successful, we will be able to update the collection weekly.
10. How long will The WiderNet Project continue its eGranary Digital Library?
We plan to continue developing our digital library for as long as it is needed... until developing world universities have sufficient Internet capabilities. Until then, of course, we depend on the generosity of volunteers and donors to keep the program growing.
11. Does The WiderNet Project provide an up-to-date list of recipients of the eGranary Digital Library?
Yes, this Web site is updated almost daily.
12. Does the eGranary Digital Library use republication contracts?
In the past we have used republication contracts when publishers have requested them. In those cases, the publishers had contracts of their own that we modified to suit the intentions of The WiderNet Project.
13. I can find 750 GB hard drives cheaper than those you provide. Can I just buy one myself and copy the eGranary Digital Library?
No, sorry. Legally, only The WiderNet Project has permission to make copies of the eGranary content.
The cost of our drives reflect the cost of purchasing, shipping, troubleshooting, dealing with failed drives, and spending several hours loading the contents and testing the drive. They may not be the least expensive drives, but we believe they still represent a good bargain.
14. Can I contribute my resources for a limited amount of time, for example one year?
We struggle with the idea of including a resource in the eGranary for a limited amount of time, as in granting us a year's usage, because we simply do not have a way to "recall" our eGranaries after they have been distributed.
While we are working on a mechanism to update eGranaries in the field, not all of our subscribers will use this mechanism, so we cannot assure contributors that we can honor a year's subscription.
The eGranary Digital Library is installed at dozens of institutions in Africa. Some of these have a modicum of Internet access and can update their eGranary on occasion. Most others have no Internet access and may only update their eGranaries annually, if at all.
The best we can do is to agree to DISTRIBUTE your resources site for a set amount of time and stop distributing your resources when you ask. As long as all of us recognize that a decade from now there may still be older copies in use around the developing world.
Have a question about The WiderNet Project and the eGranary Digital Library? Read through the FAQ below to learn the basics about who we are and what we do:
- Why does the eGranary Digital Library copy Web resources? Can't those at African universities just use our Web site instead?
- Will the eGranary Digital Library sell the materials they ask for permission to copy?
- How much do libraries in the developing world pay to use the eGranary Digital Library?
- Who funds the eGranary Digital Library?
- Will people stop using my Web site and use yours instead?
- Will the eGranary Digital Library edit or alter my Web site in any way?
- How does The WiderNet Project collect my Web site(s)? Is there anything I need to do?
- What about my copyright?
- How frequently is The WiderNet digital library updated?
- How long will The WiderNet Project continue its eGranary Digital Library?
- Does The WiderNet Project provide an up-to-date list of recipients of the eGranary Digital Library?
- Does the eGranary Digital Library use republication contracts?
- I can find 750 GB hard drives cheaper than those you provide. Can I just buy one myself and copy the eGranary Digital Library?
- Can I contribute my resources for a limited amount of time, for example one year?
Have additional questions or need more information? Contact us today!
1. Why does the eGranary Digital Library copy Web resources? Can't those at African universities just use our Web site instead?
Many of the universities we work with have NO Internet connectivity. Those that have connectivity typically have 128K or less of Internet bandwidth. That's about the speed of two phone modems being shared by dozens or even hundreds of people. At some universities, staff and students have to pay for every minute they are on the Internet to cover the costs of the satellite service.
Either way, surfing is too slow and/or too expensive for scholars to spend a significant amount of time on the Internet. By placing relevant materials on a server within their campuses, we provide their campus community access to hundreds of thousands of documents at blazing speeds with absolutely no bandwidth cost.
For more information comparing the cost and productivity of the eGranary Digital Library versus an Internet connection, see http://www.widernet.org/digitallibrary/eG-InternetCostComparison.pdf.
2. Will the eGranary Digital Library sell the materials they ask for permission to copy?
No, we do not sell the donated content included in the eGranary Digital Library. As well, every subscriber is required to sign an agreement that they will not sell the donated materials (and not make it available on the Internet -- only on their own intranets.)
We are a non-profit service organization based at the University of Iowa with the core mission of serving the world's information poor without making them too much poorer. So we are always looking for ways to sustain our efforts while keeping the costs of eGranary Digital Library ownership as affordable as possible.
We DO charge subscribers for equipment and services (like training and custom portals), but never for the content itself. This way, if someone wants to install the eGranary Digital Library and they have the equipment and expertise at hand, they can simply sign a subscription agreement and make a copy of the closest eGranary Digital Library. Of course, our customized proxy and search software are Open Source and included in the eGranary Digital Library.
However, for those who want a more complete solution, we offer everything from external USB drive versions to an entire lab of refurbished computers with a dedicated eGranary Digital Library server.
For more information, see http://www.widernet.org/digitallibrary/productoptions.htm.
3. How much do libraries in the developing world pay to use the eGranary Digital Library?
For information about the cost of an eGranary Digital Library, please see http://www.widernet.org/digitallibrary/productoptions.htm.
The cost of our drives reflect the cost of purchasing, shipping, troubleshooting, dealing with failed drives, spending several hours loading the contents and testing the drive.
4. Who funds the eGranary Digital Library?
The eGranary Digital Library is largely a volunteer affair. For the first three years of its existence, the eGranary Digital Library was developed as a part of other programs being offered by the University of Iowa's WiderNet Project to assist universities in Africa to develop strategic ICT plans and build their first networks.
Volunteer librarians and programmers have put in over 1,000 hours, while hundreds of authors and publishers have donated their content.
In 2003 we received a generous grant of $236,000 from USAID's Leland Initiative to develop a protocol for using one-way satellite broadcasts to update the information stores in the field and increase the number of participants and subscribers in the eGranary Alliance.
We also received a $12,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to demonstrate how commercial content creators, in this case the World Book Encyclopedia, can be integrated into the eGranary Digital Library.
In 2005 we received a $226,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to focus on Sustainability, Access and Adoption of the eGranary Digital Library.
We continue to enjoy significant donations of hardware and software from industry leaders like Microsoft Inc., Red Hat Inc., and disk drive manufacturers.
5. Will people stop using my Web site and use yours instead?
No, our copy of your Web site will not be on the WWW; it will only be available on campus intranets. Participating universities agree to limit access to the distributed materials to browsers on their campuses.
In fact, none of the universities we are working with have enough bandwidth to serve Web sites without severely restricting their own Internet access.
6. Will the eGranary Digital Library edit or alter my Web site in any way?
No, we do not edit or alter the content of your Web pages during mirroring. We do, however, remove links to external advertisement servers and link counters, since these links won't work in places where there is no Internet connectivity.
We also do not "wrap" your content in our own frames; it appears to the reader as it would on your own Web site.
7. How does The WiderNet Project collect my Web site(s)? Is there anything I need to do?
The WiderNet Project uses an open source program called HT-Track to mirror websites. More information about this piece of software can be found at http://www.httrack.com/.
Since HTTRACK is able to mirror websites through the HTTP protocol, no further action is needed on your end. If your site uses a dynamic language such as PHP, ASP, or PERL, HTTRACK will download the site as it appears to users on the web, converting dynamic content into static HTML pages, since users of the eGranary Digital Library will not have access to any scripting or databases that your site may use.
By granting us republication permission you do not wave your copyright. Since we alter none of your pages, your copyright notices and credits are included in the distributed materials.
9. How frequently is The WiderNet digital library updated?
We currently manually update our digital library at least two times per year. We are also experimenting with a protocol to update the library using cheap satellite broadcasts and digital radio. Once successful, we will be able to update the collection weekly.
10. How long will The WiderNet Project continue its eGranary Digital Library?
We plan to continue developing our digital library for as long as it is needed... until developing world universities have sufficient Internet capabilities. Until then, of course, we depend on the generosity of volunteers and donors to keep the program growing.
11. Does The WiderNet Project provide an up-to-date list of recipients of the eGranary Digital Library?
Yes, this Web site is updated almost daily.
12. Does the eGranary Digital Library use republication contracts?
In the past we have used republication contracts when publishers have requested them. In those cases, the publishers had contracts of their own that we modified to suit the intentions of The WiderNet Project.
13. I can find 750 GB hard drives cheaper than those you provide. Can I just buy one myself and copy the eGranary Digital Library?
No, sorry. Legally, only The WiderNet Project has permission to make copies of the eGranary content.
The cost of our drives reflect the cost of purchasing, shipping, troubleshooting, dealing with failed drives, and spending several hours loading the contents and testing the drive. They may not be the least expensive drives, but we believe they still represent a good bargain.
14. Can I contribute my resources for a limited amount of time, for example one year?
We struggle with the idea of including a resource in the eGranary for a limited amount of time, as in granting us a year's usage, because we simply do not have a way to "recall" our eGranaries after they have been distributed.
While we are working on a mechanism to update eGranaries in the field, not all of our subscribers will use this mechanism, so we cannot assure contributors that we can honor a year's subscription.
The eGranary Digital Library is installed at dozens of institutions in Africa. Some of these have a modicum of Internet access and can update their eGranary on occasion. Most others have no Internet access and may only update their eGranaries annually, if at all.
The best we can do is to agree to DISTRIBUTE your resources site for a set amount of time and stop distributing your resources when you ask. As long as all of us recognize that a decade from now there may still be older copies in use around the developing world.
