TOWARD A NATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

This paper reviews a series of studies sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries to determine more rational and economical methods for serving the information needs of the public. Libraries in the United States are characterised as independent agencies supported from governmental and private sources and serving a local clientele. Steadily rising costs of operation associated with population growth, increased publishing rates, higher wages and other factors have led to reduced quality of services. Efforts to share costs through interlibrary loan and other co‐operative arrangements have only partially alleviated the financial problems and have done little to improve the quality of services. The ultimate solution is seen as a more systematic national approach designed to optimise available resources in order to achieve more rationally defined goals. There remain a number of unresolved questions concerning the configuration of national resource collections, bibliographic organisation and access, communication and delivery methods, and co‐ordinating mechanisms. A strong leadership role by the federal government seems mandatory for establishing and maintaining a comprehensive, higher quality information service.

Citation

McElderry, S. (1975), "TOWARD A NATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES", BLL Review, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 74-76. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb008457