World Libraries on the Information Superhighway: Preparing for the Challenges of the New Millennium

Citation

Dugdale, C. (2002), "World Libraries on the Information Superhighway: Preparing for the Challenges of the New Millennium", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 58 No. 2, pp. 227-229. https://doi.org/10.1108/jd.2002.58.2.227.2

These are exciting times that present great challenges, uncertainty and risk for libraries across the world; a point that is reiterated by authors of several chapters in this book. The introduction of the Internet and the World Wide Web, taken along with the phenomenal growth of information available via this new global information infrastructure, offers tremendous opportunities and challenges to those wishing to be part of a global networked community of libraries. But it also creates a tension between the wish to offer users maximum access and the ability to support that aspiration, as well as emphasising the great divide between the information “haves” and “have nots”.

Individual chapters are written by representatives of different libraries that have successfully developed Web‐based information services. These are based across the world (rather than world libraries as suggested by the title). As one would expect, there is a North American emphasis with US authors writing six of the 15 chapters. As the introduction, by a US editor, points out, the USA has heavily invested in its infrastructures whereas other countries are not yet as sophisticated. Certainly, issues focusing upon the lack of adequate national and regional infrastructures are addressed by a number of authors.

Other chapters consider examples of libraries or information strategies in Australia, Canada, Portugal, Korea, Malaysia, the UK and Estonia. Chapters considering issues raised in less developed countries are a very welcome comparison to those describing services in more developed countries, but I would have expected that there might have been more examples of Australian or possibly UK libraries.

The book seeks to provide “practitioners and educators with examples of libraries that have achieved success in this important emerging information area”, and does this admirably. It does, however, as a result, lack examples of failed or problematic attempts to provide Internet or Web‐based services. Such examples might not “stimulate creativity and attention” to libraries (Introduction), but would provide useful advice about avoidable pitfalls. As a collection of examples of successful libraries, chapters are written by practitioners who are experts in their own field and bring an enthusiasm, authority and depth of knowledge. But, inevitably, such a collection lacks a more balanced perspective that might have been achieved by the inclusion of more “theoretical” speculations regarding time spans before information providers are able to realise more of the potential offered by global information, and a greater consideration of the opportunities and changing roles that the Internet brings to librarians as well as libraries and their users.

Unfortunately, some loose editing does detract from the authority of individual chapters. There are a number of instances of badly cited or missing references. There are also examples of typing errors concentrated particularly in one chapter. Unfortunately, this questions the validity of issues raised since a repetition of points made in an earlier chapter might be thought to indicate poor editing, whereas it is probably a deliberate underlining of the fact that the same issues and problems are exercising the minds of all those offering Web‐based services – whether in large or small libraries in well‐developed or less well‐developed countries.

There are 15 chapters, a useful introduction, an excellent concluding summary chapter, an index and notes about individual authors. There is a nice mix of information about projects with some excellent overviews of strategies and past developments from librarians and academics considering the reconfiguring of traditional library practices in a digital world. The book is divided into four sections that look at agendas for national libraries in a digital world, at academic libraries, at special projects in different domains, and at policy and practice challenges.

A number of common themes emerge. Many have exercised the thoughts of information providers for centuries. The availability of the Internet only brings some of these into sharper focus and changes the nature of others. All authors accept that the Internet is now a permanent feature of our lives and that information providers should identify, select, collect, record, preserve, manage, exploit and maximise its potential for service users. They are, however, concerned about the definition, quality, authority and transient nature of some of its material and about how they can support access. In order to provide this access there are, albeit different, cost, cultural, linguistic, infrastructural, inclusion, legal, privacy, open access and political issues to be addressed as there are with “traditional” libraries. Though excellent progress has been achieved in some areas, there is still an immense amount of work to be done in order to bring about universal access to information. The digital world provides vast opportunities to realise the enormous potential of the Internet and Web‐based services, but it also raises a long and depressing list of issues and problems that face information providers.

Together, the chapters address a number of diverse and important topics that highlight the uncertainty of providing Internet‐based services to users. It is emphasised that the potential for a global networked community of libraries is only just beginning to be understood. Very different issues from those faced by print‐based services are discussed and yet some of these underline the fact that libraries offering Web and Internet‐based services, fundamentally, face the same policy decisions as those of more “traditional” services.

The real challenge that emerges from this book is the need for libraries to grasp the opportunities that the new information environment offers, and to develop skills to enable them to integrate digital services with print services and to integrate, co‐operate and share with other groups and libraries to provide users with a cost‐effective and humanly supported virtual “library” that offers an equitable expansion of services and access to a wider body of knowledge than is possible via individual print collections. There are many networks, but only one world.