SPRU Report No 19
Distributed Library Futures:
IT Applications for 2000 and Beyond
by Jennifer Gristock and Professor Robin Mansell
"The physical character of books, journals and other information
sources may dematerialise, but the need for people who have the
capabilities to add value to digital information resources is likely
to expand exponentially."
Are libraries heading towards a 'virtual' future? If they are, what
does this mean? How will library services be altered? What influence
will issues of information property rights have? How is this quiet
transformation opening up new opportunities for libraries in both
developed and developing countries?
Starting with a brief overview of the key IT applications which are
expected to change the role and function of libraries in future years,
'Distributed Library Futures' addresses these questions. The library
of the future will not be without walls. Rather, those walls will no
longer present the same barriers to information access and sharing.
This concise document provides a review of key foresight-type
documents which discuss IT applications for libraries. Special
attention is paid to intellectual property rights and 'fair use', the
costs of information use borne by users, and the potential pitfalls
faced by existing libraries that are transforming their services, as
opposed to those setting up new distributed libraries.
However this report, prepared for the Institute of Development Studies
at the University of Sussex, does not paint one view of the future.
The active roles that technology developments, new policies, and the
ways in which library staff and patrons respond to these changes are
examined and presented in the form of scenarios that illustrate
alternative pathways towards a distributed library future.
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Distributed Library Futures: IT Applications for 2000 and Beyond, by
Jennifer Gristock and Professor Robin Mansell
ISBN 0-903622-84-x
Price £12.00 (Please add £5.00 for orders outside the UK)
I enclose a cheque for £_____ payable to 'The University of Sussex'.
Name
Address
Please return to the SPRU Publications Office.
Betty P Skolnick
Communications Officer
Science Policy Research Unit email: [log in to unmask]
University of Sussex Tel: +44 1273 686758 x3618
Mantell Building Fax: +44 1273 685865
Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RF Web: http://www.susx.ac.uk/spru
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