Electronic libraries

[Dan Lester]

At 08:17 AM 10/23/97 -0700, Jill Hamrin Postma wrote:
>I hope this isn't off topic for this list, but as the "computer"
>professionals in our libraries we're sometimes asked to give input on
>anything related to computers. Has anyone faced a board or administrator
>who insists that the library can be ALL electronic?  "They" have heard

I think that it is on topic, since most of that access these days would be
via the web.

>of paperless libraries and how EVERYTHING is available online or on a CD
>and they either want you to research this or insist you implement it.

My answer to those people is "if it is available on the internet, please
find it for me, because I sure can't".  Do the students have electronic
textbooks?  Are all of the courses on campus web based?  Not likely.  Have
they ever contacted a publisher of a book that is selling well and asked to
get electronic rights?  Did they have any luck, at least for a reasonable
fee?  Not likely.  I DO realize that you can't put it in these terms to
some folks, but I'll leave it to you to make it "sound nice".  o-)

>Those of you who have fought the fight of explaining that we're not
>quite there yet, the following questions are fodder for discussion -- I
>don't expect to see answers to each question...!
>
>1. a. ARE there any libraries trying to be all electronic? 
>   b. and have succeeded?  
>   c. or failed (and why)?

Cal State Monterey Bay is theoretically going to do this.  To quote from
http://library.monterey.edu/services/collections.html  :

Note that they still have 29,000 books and 300 print journals.  I may have
to go check them out before or after the conference in Monterey next month.

---begin web page extract---

CSUMB Library Collections


COLLECTION POLICY: To the extent possible and economically feasible, the
CSUMB Library uses electronic resources instead of print. Therefore, what
would usually be termed library collections has been redefined at CSUMB to
broadly incorporate access to materials as well as ownership of them; to
license and/or acquire relevant electronic publications for onsite use; and
to put in place a core collection of important print materials not
available in other formats.

SCOPE OF THE COLLECTIONS:



Electronic Resources 

Over 4,000 electronic full-text journals and news sources available online. 
Consult the INFO CENTER for a guide to the full range of electronic
information resources. 

Print Collections 

Over 29,000 books and 300 journals and magazines are housed in the Library
Learning Complex. Books are organized by subject using the Library of
Congress classification system; journals are shelved alphabetically by
title in the Peridocals Stacks. 

•You may search Voyager, the CSUMB library catalog, to locate books in the
collection. •Consult the CSUMB Serials List for titles of journals and
magazines to which the library subscribes, including several thousand
online full-text titles. •CSUMB students, faculty and staff may use the
Document Delivery Request Form to request that the library obtain
additional materials not owned or accessible locally. 

Library Media Collection 

The Library has a collection of over 400 videotapes on a variety of topics,
including selected feature films. A growing number of CD-ROM and
audiocasette materials are also being added.  

---end web page extract---

>2. What were your arguments against? (you know, the arguments "they" 
>   heard)

See above.  And, as the quotes above show, if a place starting brand new,
with no history of print collections, is still starting up with significant
collections, I'd be surprised if anyone else can do it all electronic YET.
Now in ten or twenty years, maybe...... 

>3. Got any references on stories on this subject?  Success, failure, or
>   you've got to be kidding stories?

See above.

>4. Is this an "us" (the librarians) and "them" (the check writers) 
>   battle?

No.  We should never battle with those people.  They're our allies, not our
enemies, even if we sometimes think they're enemies because of how little
they give us.  I also challenge them as shown above to show me a place that
IS doing it.  They may point to CSUMB, but when you check them out it still
isn't possible to go all electronic.  

>5. Does the viewpoint depend on the type of library?  The background of
>   the check writers? How much "they" LISTEN to "us"?

Yes to all of the above.  If the check writers are geek-wannabes who've
read too much of Wired and some other media sources, then they may be
really big on this.  They may be the same people who were sure that
videotapes would put the TV stations out of business.  As to how to
communicate with them, I'll leave that to you and your experience and
judgment.  I hope that they'll listen.  And, were it me, if they
insisted/required that I buy only electronic and nothing in print, I'd be
sure I had that in writing in some safe place, as well as on a disk.  o-)
At least that may help to protect you when it doesn't yet work.


cheers

dan



Dan Lester, 3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho 83716-7115 USA
dan at 84.com     http://www.84.com/  http://www.lili.org/
http://library.idbsu.edu/
Have you sent me a postcard of a library yet?  You'll get something nice in
return.   
In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.  Erasmus, 1534