SECTION 1.100. Standards for Local Public Library Internet Access

(a) Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this undesignated head, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

(1) Administrative staff--Library staff whose responsibilities include management or supervision.

(2) Bandwidth--The amount of data that can be sent through a given communications circuit per second, generally expressed as kilobits per second (Kbps).

(3) Client--A computer system or process that requests a service of another computer system or process (a "server") according to a specified protocol.

(4) Dedicated connection--A permanent, as opposed to dialup, connection between machines established over a telephone line, including permanent virtual circuits.

(5) Dialup connection--A temporary, as opposed to dedicated, connection between machines established over a telephone line using modems.

(6) Distributed system--A collection of computers whose distribution is transparent to the user so that the system appears as one local machine, and which usually uses a client-server organization.

(7) Domain Name Server or Domain Name System (DNS)--A general-purpose distributed, replicated, data query service used on the Internet for translating host names into Internet addresses, as specified in RFC-1034 and 1035 (DOMAIN, Domain Name System) and RFC-974 (DNS-MX, Mail Routing and the Domain System) or their current successor documents.

(8) Domain name--The common suffix in a Fully Qualified Domain Name that a group of computers share.

(9) File Transfer Protocol (FTP)--A protocol for transferring files from one computer to another over the Internet, as specified in RFC-959 or its current successor document.

(10) Format of Electronic Mail Messages (MAIL)--A format for transferring electronic mail messages from one computer to another over the Internet, as specified in RFC-822 or its current successor document.

(11) Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)--The full name of a computer system, consisting of its local host name and its domain name.

(12) Gopher--A distributed document retrieval system that started at the University of Minnesota, as defined in RFC-1432 or its most current successor document.

(13) Graphical User Interface (GUI)--The use of pictures rather than words to represent the input and output of a computer program.

(14) Host name--The unique name by which a computer is known on a network, used to identify it in electronic information interchange.

(15) Host--A computer (including a terminal) connected to a network.

(16) Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)--A hypertext document format, using Standard Generalized Markup Language, used by the World Wide Web.

(17) Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)--The client-server TCP/IP protocol used on the World Wide Web for the exchange of HTML documents.

(18) Internet address--The 32-bit host address defined by the Internet Protocol in RFC-791, usually represented in dotted decimal notation.

(19) Internet Architecture Board (IAB)--A technical advisory group of the Internet Society chartered by the Internet Society Trustees to provide oversight of the architecture of the Internet and its protocols.

(20) Internet connection--A combination of hardware, software, and telecommunications services that allows a computer to communicate with any other computer on the worldwide network of networks known as the Internet, and that adheres to the required standard protocols listed in RFC-1800 or its current successor document.

(21) Internet Protocol (IP)--A protocol for computer telecommunications as specified in RFC-791 or its current successor document.

(22) Internet provider--An organization that is authorized to provide Internet connections to other organizations.

(23) Management Information Base-II (MIB-II)--A specification of the managed objects to be defined in a internetwork management system as specified in RFC-1213 or its current successor document.

(24) Network--A hardware and software computer data communication system.

(25) Protocol--A set of formal rules describing how to transmit data across a network.

(26) Public service staff--Library staff whose primary responsibilities include helping library users to find and use information or materials; pages, shelvers, circulation and clerical staff (or others whose reference or reader's advisory duties are incidental) are not included.

(27) Request for Comments (RFC)--A version of an Internet specification, published as part of the "Request for Comments" (RFC) document series, the official publication channel for Internet standards documents and other publications of the Internet Engineering Steering Group, Internet Architecture Board, and Internet community.

(28) Server--A computer system or process that provides some service for other computers ("clients") connected to it via a network, according to a specified protocol.

(29) Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)--A mail transfer protocol defining an envelope to be used in delivering messages between computers on the Internet, as specified in RFC-821 or its current successor document.

(30) Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)--A protocol for remote management and collection of network management information as specified in RFC-1157 or its current successor document.

(31) Technical services staff--Library staff whose primary responsibilities include selecting, cataloging, or indexing information or materials for the library collection.

(32) Telnet Protocol (TELNET)--A protocol that allows a user on one computer to login remotely to another computer over the Internet, as specified in RFC-854 and 855 or their current successor documents.

(33) Text-based--Working under a non-window-based operating system, as opposed to a graphical user interface.

(34) Transmissions Control Protocol (TCP)--A protocol for computer telecommunications as specified in RFC-793 or its current successor document.

(35) Wide Area Information Server (WAIS)--A distributed (client-server) information retrieval system that uses a protocol defined in the American National Standards Institute Z39.50.

(36) World Wide Web (WWW)--An Internet client-server hypertext distributed information retrieval system using HTTP that originated from the CERN High-Energy Physics laboratories in Geneva, Switzerland.

(b) These standards for local public library Internet access apply to all Internet connections funded in whole or in part by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission under §1.101 of this title (relating to Internet Assistance Grants).

(1) Internet Protocol standards. All connections must implement TCP/IP, Telnet, File Transfer Protocol, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and Format of Electronic Mail Messages. Dedicated connections must also implement Management Information Base-II and Simple Network Management Protocol.

(2) Application standards. All new hosts must provide Internet access through a graphical HTTP/1.0 or higher client. All existing hosts must provide Internet access through a graphical user interface (GUI) HTTP/1.0 or higher client, if this is possible with existing network hardware and software and the addition of client software; if not, existing hosts must provide Internet access through a text-based HTTP/1.0 or higher client.

(3) Bandwidth standards. All connections must have guaranteed availability of bandwidth.

(A) Dedicated lines must have at least 56 Kbps available to the library at all times.

(B) Dialup connections must be equipped by both the library and the provider to handle connections of at least 28.8 Kbps, regardless of the expected performance of the telephone line. Internet providers must guarantee service equivalent to a connection on 95% of connection attempts during the period 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (local time) daily.

(4) Addressing standards. Each Internet host must have an Internet address that is used only by the public library and its users; that is, temporary Internet addresses dynamically assigned by an Internet provider are not acceptable if they may also be assigned to other users. All Internet addresses must be resolvable to a fully qualified domain name through a Domain Name System.

(5) Access Standards. Internet hosts must be available for the direct use of library users during all open hours of the library location. There must be at least one host available to library users in each library location. For dedicated connections there must be at least one host available to users for every 50,000 library circulations or greater part thereof per year. Up to one dial-up port for every 150,000 circulations may be counted as an available host. Library connections must allow users to:

(A) Search and use information sources on the Internet and the World Wide Web, including those available by telnet, gopher, HTTP, WAIS, and FTP.

(B) Obtain copies of information by electronic-mailing, downloading to a diskette, and printing.

(6) All permanent public service staff must be trained to use and support library users in the use of Internet access; other permanent library staff must be trained to use networked information and services as needed to support their job tasks.

(7) All permanent public service, technical service, and administrative staff must have access to e-mail, telnet and World Wide Web.

(8) If the library operates a public access automated catalog that can support a telnet, HTTP, or Z39.50 server, the catalog must be made available to the general public on the Internet.

Source Note: The provisions of this §1.100 adopted to be effective November 30, 1995, 20 TexReg 9563.