[1314] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
libraries and computer centers
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Calvin Boyer)
Thu Sep 24 13:27:04 1992
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1992 11:36:22 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: Calvin Boyer <cjboyer@uci.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
"Choosing What Is Important in Times of Change"
Stephen Franklin, a UCI colleague of mine, whose interest is academic
computing centers writes:
Computing is essential to the academic enterprise. Within the
university, as elsewhere, the understanding of what "computing" encompasses
is changing. While academic computing centers can be expected to provide a
smaller fraction of the total computing resources than in the past, what
they can be expected and challenged to provide can be of increasing
importance in integrating academic computing resources, in allowing those
using these resources to focus on their primary academic endeavors, in
broadening the utility of these resources, and in helping shape the academic
community's vision of what can be accomplished with these resources.
*********
Stephen D. Franklin. "Academic Computing Centers as Strategic University
Resources," in IFIP World Computer Congress (12th : 1992 : Madrid).
Information Processing 92, Vol. II. Proceedings .... Elsevier Science
Publishers B.V. (North Holland), p.114.
*********
What Franklin envisions for computing centers and what university libraries
face are strikingly similar. Given this convergence of circumstances,
these two primary campus service organizations can profit immeasurably by
drawing from the other's treasury of experiences and expertise. Within
our libraries, no one can remain ignorant of our rapidly escalating
dependence upon computers and telecommunications to deliver a growing
portion of needed information. While the portion of information
provided through libraries to campuses inevitably will change, and like
computing centers, that portion is very likely a diminishing one, the
urgent need for personnel in both library and computing center to
ensure a greater integration of information resources available to the
user community is beyond question.
For librarians (and computer personnel as well) the challenge is a daunting
one. Virtually everyone throughout our campuses is ignorant of some
important information source(s). While such has, no doubt, always
been true, the continuing proliferation of information sources and
formats has raised the level of such ignorance for most individuals.
Probably no other arena highlights this issue so elegantly as
the mushrooming volume of information in electronic format. If we
are to provide a measure of sophisticated assistance to faculty and
students which will enable them to exploit more fully electronic
information resources, our need to master an entirely new set of
tools is self evident. Yet unlike reference works in paper format, not
only are the electronic tools dynamic but they are machine-dependent
with a requisite, often unique, set of vocabulary and protocols,
(some of which are even non-intuitive).
While the gains in "market penetration" by our electronic library
discussion lists (listservs) are surely commendable, one
surmises that among the subscribers there is yet a large percentage
who are not yet proficient in searching for information among the
resulting archives. With listserv subscribers representing today a
minor fraction of our own professional population, even conservative
extrapolations suggest how probable it is that librarians and users
alike will miss readily available useful information. Such examples
merely underscore the pressing need for our own continuing education
and training.
It seems almost trite to be concerned with "turf" for the challenge
facing us very likely is larger than can be fully met by the
combined talents of both computing centers and libraries. If so,
then our mutual success in assisting others and in particular students
will be increasingly contingent upon our working with and through
faculty to achieve "information literacy" for our populations.
Likewise, the elusive proper mix of paper and electricity should not
preoccupy us to the extent that intervening generations of users of
our libraries of today and the electronic libraries of tomorrow
are shortchanged in their quests for information. Revolutions
are underway in both computing centers and libraries as each seeks to
provide the community with services of increasing value and quality.
As with any revolution, outcomes can not be entirely foreseen. Yet,
we can shape forces within these revolutions to achieve desired outcomes.
Calvin Boyer Library University of California, Irvine
PO Box 19557 Irvine, CA 92713
BITNET cjboyer@uci INTERNET cjboyer@uci.edu PHONE 714 856-4764
