by Charles Ramsey

By the time that you read this, we will have celebrated the third anniversary of the official launching of the NALD site (www.nald.ca) on the World Wide Web (WWW) on February 1st, 1996. The idea that we had back then "to provide information and resources to the literacy community in Canada" was exciting to us, but, I must admit, not universally seen to be the good idea that we thought that it was. The World Wide Web, then in its infancy, was generally viewed with some skepticism, and this emerging technology was perhaps even more greatly suspect in the literacy world where even traditional resources could be hard to come by.

Now, some three years later, that suspicion has not totally dissipated as people in the literacy community are still under-represented among those who have access to communication technology. However, usage statistics for the NALD web site show that the concept of using the WWW is gaining wider acceptance with the passing months. At NALD we use software on a monthly basis to analyze our log files (files which record in great detail activity on the NALD site) for such things as number of users, number of "pages" that they have "viewed" or downloaded and the average time per visit for each user.

In the fiscal year April 1, 1997 to March 31, 1998, there were 172,047 users of the NALD site for an average of 14,237 per month. Users "viewed" or downloaded 718,281 "pages" of information and resources for an average of 59,856 per month. The average time spent per visit to the NALD site by each user was 9 minutes and 27 seconds.

So far this fiscal year, i.e. from April 1, 1998 to December 31, 1998, the figures are as follows. There have been 237,095 users of NALD for an average of 26,344 per month, compared to the 14,237 monthly average for last year. 1,102,855 "pages" of information and resources have been"viewed" or downloaded so far this year, for a monthly average of 122,539 per month compared to the 59,856 monthly average for last year. Finally, the average time per user visit is 11 minutes and 57 seconds for the 9 month period compared to the 9 minute and 27 seconds average for last year.

Needless to say, we are extremely gratified that this concept of using the Internet for the distribution of information and resources has been gaining acceptance. These figures far outstrip the wildest predictions that we dared to make three years ago. As Executive Director of NALD, I have stood on the front line promoting what we have been doing and encouraging people to join us in making this "our" resource, a resource that will enhance the learning experience in the literacy environment; hence I have been the most visible proponent of NALD. I would like to say that without the vision embraced by NALD's Board of Directors, the commitment, determination and creativity of NALD staff and the support provided by our many partners in the literacy community, this growing compendium of resources would never have been possible. The direct contribution to NALD's success made by the National Literacy Secretariat through advice, support and funding as well as the in-kind support provided by the Government of the Province of New Brunswick have been the conditions without which we would not exist. Thank you very much for all the support that all of you have given us.

At our most recent Board meeting in December, and in staff workshops for "fine tuning" our efforts, all of us have renewed again our commitment to work with all of you in further developing through NALD a quality resource that will help make a difference in the educational experience for the literacy community.