The University Library as Information Broker to Industry and Commerce

Abstract

From the 1994 CAIS Conference: The Information Industry in Transition McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. May 25 - 27, 1994.The majority of libraries still provide the majority of their services for free. But fee-based information services attached to non-profit making institutions such as libraries is not a novel concept any longer. The information explosion has brought many changes to, amongst others, the university library and at present industry and commerce rely heavily on the expertise offered by the staff of those libraries.This paper does not propose to address any ideological issues of "feeversus free" but would rather focus on the following: 1 the need for industry and commerce for utilizing the university library and its resources;2 the university library as information broker with reference toinformation skills complemented with specialized subject knowledge and experience 3 the organization of the wide range of services offered and the pricing of these services; and4 a short, but detailed description of INFOBANK, a dynamic andsuccessful regional fee-based information service to industry and commerce at the library of the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.A university library can therefore be even more effective in promoting access to information by making it available in the community, albeit for a price. Libraries interested in establishing such fee-based services should nevertheless be aware of the pitfalls associated with the creation and management of these services. Knowledge of the latter will undoubtedly help establish a programme that serves the needs of clients whilst contributing towards the overall image of the parent institution.