Search results

It is usual in the VINE overview to commence with some kind of definition of the theme being covered. This time however the title appears straightforward (none of those obscure acronyms) and understandable. Nevertheless, what do we understand by public library networking? Many public libraries have been networked locally for many years; many have also operated various forms of regional networks for many years. However these kind of networks no longer count as real networking, in the age of the Internet. What is being considered in this issue is the linking of the public libraries to the global networks, or the eventual so‐called Information Superhighway (or was it the Super Information Highway, as one MP unfortunately blundered last week). In fact the nomenclature makes little difference because it does not yet exist, according to considered opinion. However the concept of the information superhighway is fully examined in the article following this, so will not be pursued here.

‘Public Domain’, in its clearly defined legal sense, is a phrase which is used to describe an item, usually a book or a play, which is no longer copyright, i.e. when the author of the item has been dead for 50 years. It is perhaps peculiar, therefore, to see it used to describe computer software, as there cannot be many program writers who fall into this category.

The Internet may well come to provide many members of the public with their best chance of access to public information. This article serves to update readers on two different approaches to assist public libraries to connect to the Internet; the Library Association Millennium Bid and Project EARL (Electronic Access to Resources in Libraries). In the first section of the article, the LA/EARL/UKOLN Public Libraries Networking Adviser reviews the exploratory Library Association Millennium Bid, the response by the Millennium Commission and the subsequent development of the new joint Library Association and Library and Information Commission bid. In the second section, she reviews the accelerating momentum of Project EARL, a consortium of 40% of UK public library authorities, and the establishment of Development/Special Interest Groups. The Millennium Bid and Project EARL seek to provide public access to the resources of the Internet, and to create new resources and services, through the UK public libraries community. Both projects have the potential to impact on public libraries into the next century and to deliver public information into the heart of every UK community.

The planning and production phases of the project Interactive Video on Microcomputers in Libraries were funded jointly by the British Library Research & Development Department, Brighton Polytechnic Department of Librarianship, and the Polytechnic of Central London Library Services. The duration of this phase of the project was 1 September 1985 to 31 August 1986. The research, analysis and planning stages were completed between September and December 1985. During the eight months from January to August 1986 production was completed and limited evaluation attempted.

On 22 October 1988 the lager louts of Reading stayed nervously indoors. The CLW “class of ‘68” was in town.

Concentrates on the organisational and indexing aspects of software collections. Unique problems are posed by: 1. the complexities of the nature of software; 2. rapid changes taking place in the software industry. One needs to decide if the collection is to be current or historical. The organisation of the material and level of indexing should be matched to the use being made of the system. Evaluates different levels of indexing. Discusses the indexing decisions that are unique to the software/information technology field. References are given to more detailed information.

Two new members of staff are joining BLRDD in September: Lawrence Howells, who is at present working in the Science Reference and Information service, will become a project officer, and Ros Cotton, who is currently working in the Library Association Library, will be the new dissemination officer.

The term ‘information superhighways’ has vastly increased in currency in the last 12 months. Like many such terms, it may have been used by politicians and the media to mean whatever they want it to mean, but there is no doubt that its currency in the language presages a major development in access to information and resources. The first significant step on the way to the realisation of information superhighways is the increasing use, for many different purposes, of the Internet.

The effect that a computer can have on your daily life as a library worker can be, if you're lucky, as little or as much as you like. Or so you'd like to think. How many senior managers in public and academic libraries have a computer terminal or personal computer in their offices? How many have it on their desks? Would somebody at the next meeting of the Society of County Librarians, Metropolitan Librarians, University Librarians or whatever please ask for a show of hands — which of you personally use a computer at work? My guess is less than half. Perhaps. On the other hand, how many readers' advisers, reference librarians, subject specialists, administrative officers, circulation desk or Saturday casual staff use one every day of their working lives? No doubt a majority where issues, orders and the catalogue are controlled by a computer. As far as the bread and butter is concerned, their view of information technology is likely to be coloured as much by its reliability as by what it can do. In a profession dedicated to information skills, why then do the benefits of office automation — communications, data, information and the organisation of knowledge — seem so thinly spread? Do the libraries and their parent organisations lack the funds, the vision or the will to grasp the new technologies in order to improve the way libraries are managed and therefore presumably enhance the services they offer? One information systems manager I know speaks of introducing office automation in order to get managers to speak to each other! Librarians I'd have thought would have been quite good at that and would welcome another, electronic way of doing it. Or is the implication of a decision support system, that decisions based on facts might actually have to be made, too difficult a concept for our library leaders? As an editorial in Computer Weekly said: “in exploring executive's information needs, you are exploring their mental model of the business. The result can be to challenge long held assumptions and provoke radical change”. Perhaps the information professional can have a key organisational role in the development, regulation and promotion of information systems technology, through applying his/her skills in information handling and the organisation of knowledge; and if this be the case, what evidence do you see at work of planning for this role? A terminal on every chief's desk might be a start.

The new Management Team which is to take the new‐style Aslib into the 80's and beyond, is taking shape.