Reflecting on replies to your query so far, two more points occur to me:
a) from experience of a large organisation in which many people were
"mobile" as part of their job, and needed (or preferred) to be able to
work away from their office, the introduction of email and intranet
possibly increased printer paper consumption (for example, at least for
e.g. phone directory or technical info., but some prominent offenders
were senior managers who asked for all email to be printed out by their
secretaries before they would read it!) Such staff need stick-and-
carrot support to implant new habits, with truly "anywhere" access to
office networks - laptops are too cumbersome; handheld/WAP/mobile phone
is better. This problem may apply to e.g. advisers and outreach staff
but not museum staff generally - and which museums are in a financial
position to invest widely in these, plus their support?
b) the volume of Intranet-accessible information will tend to grow if
not well-audited, and possibly like Topsy, by familiar laws of
bureaucracy and job-justification as well as by aggregated user demand.
Resulting "information overload" can induce a reaction, firstly towards
"just printing it off to read on the way home", or maybe to rejection of
the now-stressful task of browsing to keep up with the latest info.
On both counts, the message is familiar but still not seen to be applied
enough - ICT must always be made appropriate to the processes, the
people and the benefits gained, and its costs must be looked at just as
much in terms of the support needed to kick-start and rigorously to
maintain those benefits in adaptation to new processes and people
(revenue costs), as to the necessary and sufficient investment (capital)
to introduce the system.
Bob Melling
Chromus Consultants
In message <[log in to unmask]>,
Ian Morrison <[log in to unmask]> writes
>For once I have a query of my own, rather than a rap on the knuckles, to
>post.
>
>Recently I have taken on some responsibility for raising
>awareness of environmental issues within the National Museums of
>Scotland. One important issue is the amount of paper consumed by the
>institution, particularly for the purpose of internal communication
>(staff notices, minutes of various groups, etc.). We do not have an
>intranet as yet, and I was wondering if any MCG members who do have
>access to an intranet have noticed any change in the quantity of paper
>they use as a direct result. In fact, what are the environmental pros
>and cons, if any?
>
>Any help would be much appreciated. So far my impression is that the
>rapid expansion of IT in the last two decades has contributed massively
>to environmental destruction worldwide, but I would pleased to hear of
>any evidence to the contrary.
>
>---
>Ian
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------
>Ian O. Morrison, Scottish Museums Documentation Officer
>http://homestead.deja.com/user.ian_o_morrison/index.html
>Hostes alienigeni me abduxerunt
--
Bob Melling
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