COIN // Columbia Online Information Network

Columbia Online Information Network (COIN) began in 1993 as a pilot project of the University of Missouri, City of Columbia, Columbia Public Schools and Daniel Boone Regional Library (DBRL), and later Boone County, City of Fayette and the Howard County Library. COIN was the first community information network in the state and one of the first in the country. When it began, COIN was the only Internet access provider for the general public in the mid-Missouri area. In 2006, COIN discontinued dial-up Internet service and transfered about 220 not-for-profit web sites to DBRL. The library continues to host the web sites of local not-for-profit organizations.

COIN Highlights (1993-2006)

May 3, 1993 • COIN begins. The freenet is the first of its kind in Missouri. A 15-line 14.4k modem pool is installed to serve Columbia residents and three public terminals are introduced at the Columbia Public Library.
September 1993 • Electronic mail service begins.
March 1994 • A new modem pool is established at Central Methodist College in Fayette to serve users in Howard County.
April 1994 • Two modems are installed at the Callaway County Public Library to serve users in the Fulton area. Columbia’s modem pool increases to 38 lines.
May 3, 1994 • COIN celebrates its first anniversary and boasts over 6,000 registered users.
June 1994 • Boone County becomes a sustaining member of COIN.
August 1994 • COIN receives an award from the White House Conference on Library and Information Services in recognition of “exemplary cooperative effort of governmental units to advance citizen access to information services.”
September 15, 1994 • COIN celebrates its first year with a fund-raising event that generates $10,000 in donations. COIN unveils its new logo designed by Larry Boehm.
December 9, 1994 • COIN becomes the first Web site in the country to offer free access to the Federal Register, Congressional Record and Congressional Bills.
March 1995 • COIN changes domain names from bigcat.missouri.edu to coin.missouri.edu.
July 17, 1995 • COIN switches operating systems, from Freeport to Lynx, a text-based browser for the World Wide Web.
September 1995 • A new modem pool is established in Auxvasse to serve residents in Callaway County. Funded with a $12,000 donation from Kingdom Telephone Company, a $9,500 grant from Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, and contributions from the Callaway Livestock Center, Kingdom Philatelic Association and the Callaway Bank’s Community Development Committee.
November 7, 1995 • COIN begins offering SLIP, a graphical connection to the World Wide web.
July 1997 • COIN receives 501 (c)(3) nonprofit designation from the IRS.
November 3, 1997 • A new modem pool is established in New Bloomfield to serve residents in the south Callaway area, funded with a grant from the MOREnet Missouri Express Project.
March 25, 1999 • A new modem pool is established in Centralia to serve north Boone County, funded with the help of the Boone Electric Community Trust and support of the Centralia R-IV School District.
March 1, 2000 • COIN’s domain name changes to coin.org.
September 1, 2000 • A new 56k modem pool is established in Columbia.
May 3, 2003 • COIN celebrates its 10th anniversary!
June 2006 • COIN discontinues dial-up services (e-mail continues through December).