Information technology in the US library market: what the numbers tell us
| Date | 01 June 1994 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045325 |
| Published date | 01 June 1994 |
| Pages | 367-369 |
| Author | Dan Arbour |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Βrief
Communication
Information technology in
the US library market:
what the numbers tell us
Dan
Arbour
UMI, 300 North Zeeb
Road,
Ann
Arbor,
Ml
48106,
USA
Abstract:
Information technology
is
fueling a revolution
in
US
libraries.
UMI's market
survey
shows that the
proliferation
of
CDROM,
database licensing and computer
networks is allowing
information
professionals
to provide
extraordinary new levels
of
service to a
variety of
researchers.
1.
Introduction:
UMI
survey reveals
a
revolution in
libraries
DeKalb College is a liberal-arts institution with four cam-
puses on
the
east
side
of Atlanta,
Georgia.
The
mission of the
DeKalb College library is to provide information services to
more than
17
000 students and 1000 faculty members. The
library fulfills that mission by making available more than
210 000 bound volumes; 700 titles on microform; 870 peri-
odical subscriptions; 8200 records, tapes and compact discs
—
and
one
Wizard,
an online information system.
A student
using
Wizard has
immediate electronic access
to
several databases, including Periodical Abstracts, a file that
covers 1600 business, academic and general reference jour-
nals.
A
wide
area network (WAN) connects
the DeKalb
cam-
puses and provides access to General Periodicals OnDisc,
which
links the
Periodical Abstracts
database with the
images
of articles from 350 journals. The images, stored on
CDROMs,
are
exact
copies
of the articles
as
they appeared
in
their original
publications.
One hundred students
and
scholars
can search
Wizard simultaneously
and
they don't
have to be in
the library;
they can dial in
from their offices,
labs and
homes.
Wizard is just
one
example of
a
revolutionary information
technology.
UMI's
most recent market
study shows
that
revo-
lutionary technologies
are
spreading throughout
US
libraries.
The changes — especially in terms of increased usage of
CDROM,
tape leasing
and local area networks
—
are creating
opportunities to bring sophisticated information retrieval
methods and document delivery technologies to more users
than
ever
before.
For
UMI's
study,
more than
1500 librarians
were
surveyed.
They represent
US
academic research libraries (ARLs), uni-
versities, colleges, junior colleges, secondary schools and
corporate libraries. The results of
the
survey can help us un-
derstand the scope of the information revolution and the
strength of emerging technologies.
To
facilitate this understanding, we'll
first
examine a few
key survey findings. Then we'll examine what the numbers
mean.
Finally,
we'll explore
some
possible
predictions
for
the
future of
the
library market and information technology.
2.
Key
survey results
The study confirmed that libraries widely
use CDROM
data-
bases to provide information (Figure
1
overleaf). Each cate-
gory of
libraries,
except
the academic
research category, said
they would increase their use of CDROM in the next two
years.
The academic research libraries have embraced CDROM
so fully that they're looking to new technologies, especially
database licensing or tape leasing (Figure 2). The survey
showed that the use of tape leasing by academic research li-
braries is
expected
to
rise
from
27%
in 1993
to
more
than
45%
in the next 24 months. The other types of libraries also re-
ported that
they
would increase
their use
of
tape
leasing.
Despite
the
growth in
tape
leasing,
half
the
survey
respon-
dents reported that hardly any CDROM products will be re-
placed
by tape in
their
libraries.
Seventy
percent reported
that
only
some will be
replaced.
The survey also showed mat many libraries will install
computer networks in
the
next few years (Figure
3).
Univer-
sity libraries indicated that
57%
will be
connected to a
local
or
wide
area network
by
1995.
Nearly half
the
secondary school
libraries reported that
they
will
be
connected
to
a network by
1996.
The survey
also
asked librarians
about
preferences in user
interfaces for
their
information
systems.
Forty-one percent
of
academic librarians said they would
buy
Microsoft Windows
within
the
next two years. Forty percent of
public
librarians
said they
would buy
it within
me
same
period.
Forty-four per-
cent of secondary school librarians said
they
would.
Many secondary schools
use
Macintosh
computers,
so
it's
not surprising
that
55%
of secondary school libraries said it
was very important for CDROM products to be compatible
The Electronic Library, Vol. 12, No. 6, December 1994. 367
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