Untangling the Web: Comparing the Impact of the Internet onthe National Archives, the National Library and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Abstract

This research sought answers to twoimportant questions regarding the impact of theInternet on three New Zealand cultural institutions:the National Archives, the National Library and theMuseum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. First, whatimpact has the Internet had on policy development ineach institution? Second, what are the attitudes ofthe professional staff toward the integration of theInternet into the workplace? The findings are comparedto determine the extent to which the experiences ofintegrating the Internet into each institution's corebusiness are similar and different. The resultsrevealed several important findings: 1. policyregarding the Internet has been most extensivelydeveloped at the National Library; 2. the Internet isnot currently as central to the delivery of coreservices at the National Archives or the Museum of NewZealand Te Papa Tongarewa as it is at the NationalLibrary; 3. the majority of the professional staff atall three institutions responded that they were either`very positive' or `somewhat positive' about theintegration of the Internet into their environment,although most felt that their core professional dutieswere not being fundamentally altered. The conclusionsand some recommendations for each institution toconsider in addressing Internet technology developmentare provided.