An Agreement Between Dr. Louis Berger & The Berger Family and The Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, Tufts University

1.0 Introduction

The fundamental mission and centuries-old tradition of libraries and the library profession have been to provide intellectual and physical access to and preservation of the human record. While this will continue to be the fundamental mission of libraries, the manner in which libraries fulfill it is being changed by the rapid evolution of digital technologies. The rapid emergence of digital technologies has begun to alter the structure and process by which humans create, find, use and re-use the information they need and want. In particular, the digital library has the potential to:

• Provide information any time and any place,
• Provide access to collections of multimedia information built upon the integration of text, image, graphics, audio, video (and other continuous media),
• Support user-friendly personalization/customization of information access and representation, including support for "harvesting" relevant information and protection from information overload,
• Be the heart of new technology-mediated structures to radically enhance collaborative intellectual activities such as research, learning, and design by reducing barriers of distance (geographic and organizational) and time.

One of the challenges inherent in creating the digital library is to retrain today's professionals to function in tomorrow's world, while at the same time preparing today's students and faculty to effectively use the technology. The digital library is dependent upon hardware, software and people. Of the three, hardware is the most developed. Today's hardware is powerful and becoming more so almost daily. Software always lags behind, but with the emergence of tools such as the World Wide Web (WWW), etc., we can transmit all types of information - text, images, and sound - rapidly throughout the world. The successful integration of these new technologies in the operation of the library and into the classroom, however, requires a partnership between talented, skilled faculty and librarians. Tufts needs to insure that its faculty and librarians have the skills necessary to navigate the new digital world and to teach students to navigate in this world. The Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment will create the capability for librarians and faculty to expand their understanding of and ability to use digital information, to serve as guides for their colleagues, and to apply their technology skills to real issues in the University.

2.0 Description of Program

Earnings from the Berger Family Endowment will create a fund to be used by librarians or teams of librarians and faculty to learn more about the world of digital information in order to integrate that knowledge into their work and to transfer the knowledge to their colleagues. The funds will be distributed through a competitive grant process described below.

2.1 Eligibility

Arts, Sciences, and Engineering Library staff, teams of Library staff and Arts, Sciences, and Engineering faculty will be eligible to apply for annual funding from the Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment.

2.2 Selection Criteria

The Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment is intended to enable librarians and faculty to explore the world of information technology in order to improve their skills, to transfer their discoveries to their colleagues, and to apply their discoveries to real issues within the University.

Given the goals of the endowment, the following criteria will be used to review grant applications:

• Demonstrated potential for contributing value outside the Tufts University community, especially within the Boston Library Consortium
• Demonstrated potential for adding value to the secondary education environment
• Demonstrated potential for successfully exploring new technology
• Demonstrated potential for improving service to Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
• Demonstrated potential for creating interdepartmental approaches
• Demonstrated potential for building teams of librarians and faculty
• Demonstrated potential for introducing information literacy into the curriculum. Information literacy includes the ability to search and retrieve information from computer databases, navigate the internet, evaluate information sources for relevancy, and synthesize information.
• Demonstrated potential for increasing productivity
• Demonstrated potential for improving understanding and use of technology for all staff
• Demonstrated potential for transferring technology to other staff, to faculty, and to students
• Demonstrated potential for enhancing the teaching role of the library.

Each proposal will include a budget, time frame and list of deliverables. It is expected that most projects will be completed within one fiscal year, but that some projects may require multiple years. Multi-year projects will be evaluated annually to determine if progress justifies continued funding.

2.3 Administration & Evaluation

The Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment is administered by Tisch Library with the assistance of the Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment Advisory Board. Current members of the board include Fredric S. Berger, P.E., Senior Vice President, Louis Berger International, Inc. in Washington, DC; Dr. Gregory Crane, Winnick Family Chair in Technology & Entrepreneurship; Dr. Robin Kanarek, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; Dr. Linda M. Abriola, Dean of Engineering; Dr. Amy Friedlander, Senior Program Manager at Shinkuro in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Carol Flynn, Chair of the Library Committee; Dr. Susan Martin, President of SKM Associates, Inc. in Marston Mills, MA; Jo-Ann Michalak, Director of Tisch Library; and Dr. Don Weingust, Chair of the Computing Facilities and Computer Usage Committee. The Advisory Board will evaluate proposals, award funding for the successful proposals, and evaluate the program. At an annual dinner grantees will report on the results of their work and the Advisory Board will review the direction of the program. Members of the Berger Family will be invited to attend annual dinners for the recognition of grantee.

2.4 Publicity

The results of each year's project will be submitted for publication in professional journals as well as distributed through Tufts publications. Acknowledgment of the Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment will be provided on each product financed by or to which the Endowment contributed funds.

2.5 Budget

The Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment will support release time for Library staff and/or faculty, travel, speakers honorarium and expenses, expenses involved in organizing a conference, software necessary for the project, etc. The endowment will not support equipment purchase. Should revenue accrue to a project or product funded by the Endowment, an appropriate return will be reinvested in the Endowment.

3.0 Potential Projects

Examples of the types of projects of interest to the library, include:

• Developing electronic course reserves
• Introducing Mosaic to the entire staff and all students and faculty
• Creating and engineering electronic reference tool
• Working with other departments within Arts, Sciences, and Engineering to publish information on the World Wide Web
• Working with Academic Computing Services to develop programs that build synergies among our staffs

4.0 Funding and Ultimate Disposition

The Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment will be funded initially with a pledge of $500,000 from Dr. Louis Berger on behalf of the Berger Family. The first $250,000 of that pledge will be paid during June 1995 so that first grants from income may be awarded during the University's fiscal 1997. The second $250,000 from the Berger Family will be issued in the form of a challenge incentive, payable within five years of June 1995 or less, in annual payments at the pace of $1 for every $2 in gifts, grants, or equipment committed to this Berger Endowment, similar endowments for technology transfer, or current-funded technology transfer projects endorsed by the Advisory Board described in section 2.3, above.

Additional gifts and bequests, from the Berger Family and any and all others, will be strongly encouraged so the benefits of this technology transfer program can be sustained and expanded over the course of time.

In the unlikely event this endowed fund is not used for the purposes intended because those purposes are no longer appropriate, necessary, practical, or possible, or if for other substantial and lawful reason, the purpose cannot be accomplished, then, in that event, the Trustees of Tufts College may at their discretion use the income from the fund for a substantially similar purpose or for such purposes as will foster and promote the growth, progress, and general welfare of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. Donors of majority portions of the fund, if available to the University, would be consulted in these decisions.

For the Berger Family,

For the Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, Tufts University,
_________________________________________________________
I. Melvin Bernstein, David R. McDonald, Director,
Vice President and Dean Information Technology & Libraries
January 30, 1995