The Nordic Electronic Research Library in different dimensions
| Published date | 01 April 2000 |
| Pages | 114-121 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005330 |
| Date | 01 April 2000 |
| Author | Sigrún Klara Hannesdóttir |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
The Nordic Electronic
Research Library in
different dimensions
SigruÂn Klara HannesdoÂttir
Introduction
The concept of the electronic library is still
not quite clear although it is a household term
in most library literature today. Several terms
are used as synonyms or near synonyms for
this phenomenon such as ``virtual library'',
``library without walls'', ``networked library'',
``desktop library'', ``logical library'', ``digital
library'', etc. In her recent book The Electronic
Library, Jennifer Rowley (1998) cites
differences in the terminology where she
comes to the conclusion that there is no one
definition of the terms and that they are used
sometimes interchangeably and sometimes
with a slight difference in meaning.
In the view of these various definitions it is
necessary to state that the definition assumed
here is that the electronic library is both a
physical library providing electronic access to
a variety of materials in different forms and a
virtual provider of access to electronic
publications. What we are really talking about
is an information institution which exists with
or without physical facilities. This also means
that most of the modern research libraries in
the Nordic countries are to some degree
electronic libraries, although they would also
be considered traditional research libraries
which are using modern information
technology to make their information sources
more easily available to their users.
The approaches to the development of this
new type of a library vary from place to place
and from country to country. This has been
particularly noticeable within the Nordic
region where in most cases coordination and
cooperation is the order of the day. The
Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland,
Iceland, Norway and Sweden have a very
elaborate network of cooperation in almost
every aspect of life. This cooperation
functions on the local, national and regional
level, and includes cooperation on the
personal level between people of different age
groups, and across all subjects, in the
sciences, the arts and education to name just a
few. On the political level, the Nordic Council
(Nordisk raad) functions as a Nordic
parliament. There is a Nordic budget
contributed by all the five Nordic countries to
operate dozens of Nordic institutions and
committees that work on coordination and
cooperation within their special fields. The
Nordic Council of Ministers is the executive
counterpart to the Nordic Council and serves
The author
Sigru n Klara Hannesdo ttir is Director at NORDINFO ±
Nordic Council for Scientific Information, Finland.
Keywords
Research organizations, Special libraries,
Electronic data interchange, Information services,
Scandinavia
Abstract
Abstract: The Nordic Electronic Research Library is a
concept which NORDINFO, the Nordic Council for
Scientific Information, will use as an umbrella for its
activities during the coming years. The concept is based
on national developments within the research library
sector in each of the five Nordic countries, Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The goals of the
Nordic Electronic Research Library are built on national
goals, which in general terms are to make scientific and
technical information easily available in all the Nordic
region, independent of subject area, publication form and
location of the user. This paper explores briefly the
developments of the electronic research library in the
Nordic region and how the concept is carried out.
NORDINFO provides grants and project money to support
coordination and cooperation within the field and the
question is raised as to how NORDINFO can assist this
development and increase cooperative efforts.
Electronic access
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Features
114
The Electronic Library
Volume 18 .Number 2 .2000 .pp. 114±120
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0264-0473
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