- From: Lynn H. Nelson <lhnelson@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu>
- Date: Sat, 18 Mar 1995 05:03:03 -0600 (CST)
- To: web@sowebo.charm.net
- Cc: Multiple recipients of list <www-vlib@www10.w3.org>
There are problems for academic types in receiving outside funding. I (try to) keep up History pretty much on my own, except for facilities and encouragement from our Academic Computing Services -- certainly not from the University administration. Like everyone else, I could use some help, particularly since it would allow me to do a better job. If I were to receive outside funding, however, my University administration would take 40% of the total as "administrative overhead" in exchange for requiring me to fill out forms, compose job descriptions, and so forth. They would probably get the idea that this is a good thing, and I would soon be spending all of my time making grant applications. If we finally end up taking in outside funding, wouldn't it be more effective if the funds were used centrally to provide services for webmasters? What about a central address to which all new web sites wanting VL listings would submit their URL's, a short description, and a set of key words for distributing notices to the appropriate sites? Or a central testing service, notifying site maintainers when a page in their field changes addresses or ceases operations? Or mirroring on each continent to cut down on transatlantic use and alleviate the concern that some of us have about the simultaneous user limits of our systems? Or providing new and independent sites with a list of URL's of similar sites? I suppose that I'm suggesting that funds not be used in helping us contend with our present problems, but to eliminate them. Lynn H. Nelson Department of History University of Kansas Lawrence KS 66045-2030
Received on Saturday, 18 March 1995 01:03:08 UTC