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The changing role of the traditional players in the new information age: the future of document delivery services

Malcolm Smith (Malcolm Smith is Director of Public Services, The British Library, Boston Spa, Wetherby, UK.)
Mick Osborne (Mick Osborne is Head of International Marketing, British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby, UK.)

Interlending & Document Supply

ISSN: 0264-1615

Article publication date: 1 June 2000

1015

Abstract

One of the most significant recent developments for libraries has been the increasing availability of electronic versions of journals produced by the major publishers. Virtually instant online access to the full text of articles is engineering a fundamental rethink of how libraries provide information and services to their users: are libraries as physical entities still needed; can end‐users go it alone in searching for and retrieving documents they require; how can new and traditional services be effectively integrated, and so on. However, while technically many things are possible, the business models, the information delivery infrastructure, and the shifting relationships between the traditional players, are still in a state of flux and do not as yet provide a solid basis on which libraries can make confident decisions about the future. Explores the role of document supply services in the new paradigm and argues that, if they can seize the opportunity, they will have a vital though substantially different role to play.

Keywords

Citation

Smith, M. and Osborne, M. (2000), "The changing role of the traditional players in the new information age: the future of document delivery services", Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 86-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/02641610010331543

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited

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