Electronic technology and its impact on libraries

Abstract

Critically assesses the value of the Internet to the library and information science profession by examining its role in three areas: the impact on academic and scholarly periodical publishing and the dissemination of information; the contribution to reference work; and the impact on recreational reading. Concludes that the Internet will be most useful in the publication and distribution of scholarly electronic journals and reviews recent trends in Internet published electronic periodicals and the problems requiring solution, particularly those relating to bibliographic description. Commercial publishers are taking a keen interest in these developments but it remains to be seen how the academic community will react, given their past criticisms of periodical publishers. The design of electronic periodicals will probably be brought more into line with their printed counterparts. Screen layouts and display features will need to be improved to facilitate skimming and browsing and, if the hypertext linking facilities are retained, then a major breakthrough in readability will be achieved. Nevertheless the issues of authority, accuracy and currency of information remain to be solved.