The Use of Facsimile Equipment in an Illinois Library Network
| Date | 01 April 1986 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb047663 |
| Pages | 33-36 |
| Published date | 01 April 1986 |
| Author | Margaret A. Wainer |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
The Use of Facsimile Equipment
in an Illinois Library Network
Margaret A. Wainer
Facsimile is a type of electronic
equipment that can send and
receive documents over ordinary
telephone lines. A facsimile
machine converts a document into
electrical signals and transmits
those signals to a second machine,
where the signals are converted
into paper copies of the original
document. The original may be
printed, typed, handwritten or
drawn; the copy is an exact duplicate.
The Facsimile Transmission Project,
which has involved a growing
number of Illinois libraries
of all types, is described.
Costs of various options for
requesting and delivering
documents are discussed and compared.
Illinois libraries are cutting interlibrary docu-
ment delivery times from days to hours, improving
their services, meeting the needs of clients not
previously served, and economically sharing resources
and varied collections by transmitting documents
via facsimile.
More than fifty of the state's libraries of
all types—public, academic, school, and special—are
demonstrating that improved facsimile transmission
technology:
• utilizes well the existing resources of libraries
of various types;
• increases patrons' satisfaction by delivering
information more quickly; and
• enhances communication among librarians.
The Fax Project is still expanding. Health-sci-
ence libraries now participate in the project by
using facsimile to deliver rapidly the information
required in medical emergencies.
Facsimile is a type of electronic equipment
that can send and receive documents over ordinary
telephone lines. A facsimile machine converts a
document into electrical signals and transmits those
signals to a second machine, where the signals
are converted into paper copies of the original
document.
The original may be printed, typed, handwritten
or drawn; the copy is an exact duplicate. The
costs of sending a document include the price of
a telephone call, a portion of the equipment price
and maintenance costs, and related personnel time.
The Fax Project began when the staffs of
seven libraries in west-central Illinois realized their
Wainer is an independent consultant and Ad-
ministrator, Corporate Information Center, North-
western Mutual Life Insurance Corporation, Mil-
waukee, WI.
ISSUE 16 33
To continue reading
Request your trial