Infomediaries in the Internet Era

Abstract

When the Internet came into being, the information services industry entered an increasingly turbulent phase. It has become clear that traditional relationships in the information chain have changed radically with the advancement of electronic information delivery. Libraries, publishers, and subscription agents alike are being presented with challenges to their familiar roles and to their positions in our industry. Web technology and Internet distribution offer new opportunities to disseminate and access information. The downside of the Internet is the increased complexity of the industry in which we operate, with more suppliers, more formats, new types of relationships, more platforms, new pricing and licensing models, and new ways of buying and selling information. This includes the upsurge of consortia, increasing demand for individual articles, and linking ofvarious content types. It is becoming apparent that the future of the current subscription model and the journal in its present form has become questionable. All of these developments have resulted in new processes, operations, and systems, highlighting the strong need for agents to act as infomediaries in the electronic environment as the complexity increases. In this presentation we will assess current developments, future trends, and their impact on the value chain in general and, more specifically, the role of infomediaries. This timely assessment is relevant to all NASIG constituents as the roles of librarians, publishers, and subscription agents alike are being challenged by these developments. The world in which we now operate will be significantly different, possibly even unrecognizable, in the relatively short space of the next five years.