‘The Upset Balance’: The Dutch Academy Report on the Distortions in National Library Resources Caused by the Prioritization of Science

Abstract

After World War 2 defence considerations led to a great upsurge in the study of science and technology, a consequent emphasis on scientific literature, and a belief in the power of information technology to solve problems of information access. This led to a serious distortion in library collections, with disastrous consequences for provision in the humanities and social sciences. A report by the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences on the imbalance of literature provision in the research libraries of the Netherlands is the first clear articulation of a post-Cold War national library policy. While the establishment and growth of the network Pica has widened access, it has had no effect on the basic distortion in Dutch collections. National acquisition plans in several other countries having been dismissed as inappropriate in the Netherlands (as well as ineffective), the German Verteilungsplan is recommended as a model, with various adaptations. The system proposed would involve sixteen existing Dutch research libraries sharing the collection burden fairly equally; some libraries in Flanders would join in later. The Royal Library's role would be to take responsibility for recording, maintaining and preserving the Dutch cultural heritage in print, wherever located. Remote supply, electronic or otherwise, is not regarded as a substitute for direct access to large collections. It is suggested that knowledge production depends on the browsing function, which information technology works against, and calls for an end to prioritizing ‘access’ over ‘holdings’. The report, particularly its diagnosis of the present situation, has considerable relevance for other countries.