Abstarct 744 Happ EPSCoR States Information Network The project, involving four EPSCoR states (Vermont, West Virginia, Idaho, and Arkansas), will establish a pilot electronic document delivery network utilizing transmission of digitized information over networked telecommunications systems to meet the information needs of over one hundred widely-disbursed EPSCoR researchers. By providing immediate access to high-quality copies of articles from scientific journals in multiple research collections, the base of scientific and technical information accessible to these researchers will be greatly enhanced, thus stimulating the development of competitive research in many arenas. Rapid access to essential scientific information is a critical component in the development of a fully competitive research environment. Although the resources of major research collections in other states have long been available to institutions supporting EPSCoR projects through conventional interlibrary loan arrangements and systems such as OCLC, the time involved in processing such requests often lessens their usefulness in the conduct of competitive research. Commercial document delivery services based upon fax technology have recently emerged, but their viability is limited by restricted coverage of the scientific/technical literature and dependence upon a transmission medium which lacks the high resolution necessary for accurate copying of critical plates, photographs, formulae, and tables. The enhancement of existing resource sharing networks in the four participating states with electronic transmission technology will be a one-time investment with a lasting effect upon the quality and timeliness of information delivery in support of research. Extending this access to the four states' pooled collections and strengthening research journal holdings in specialized targeted areas in each of the lead institutions will further augment the base of available information. Once the i nitial investment in journal backfiles and transmission equipment has been made, the enhancements introduced in this project will be maintained by the institutions' base budgets, bringing about a systemic change in the information infrastructure necessary for competitive research. Once tested, this concept will be developed in later phases to include the remaining fourteen EPSCoR states, many of which have expressed interest in joining this project in the future. In addition, the opportunity for placing receiving equipment directly into the laboratories of EPSCoR researchers and partner corporations in the private sector may be considered, enabling information delivery to the researchers' desktops.
