Implications for librarianship of computer technology

Hayes, Robert M.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/1147 Copy

Description

Title

Implications for librarianship of computer technology

Author(s)

Hayes, Robert M.

Issue Date

1964

Keyword(s)

• Libraries --Automation
• Automatic data processing

Abstract

"The complexity of our modern society science, technology, government, business has become so great that its very existence is made possible only through correspondingly complex mechanisms for communication, processing, storage, and retrieval of information about itself and the results of its functioning. This may appear to be overly dramatic, yet its truth is demonstrated by the ever increasing number of information centers, ""data-banks,"" centralized files, and special libraries; the evidence for its importance lies in the ever increasing concern in science, technology, government, and business that these mechanisms meet their needs for information. The nature of those needs, wherever they exist, is that they are relatively ill -defined and represent a great variety of mutually conflicting requirements. The problem is to meet them within severe economic restraints, so that the ""information system"" does not itself become a burden. It is this which constitutes the challenge to librarianship, and all the concerns of the moment with ""mechanization,"" with ""centralized processing,"" with ""economic operation,"" with ""system analysis "" are merely symptomatic, merely the evidence of the crying need for professional knowledge of how to meet the demands for information ill-defined though they are and severe though the economic restraints may be. Because librarianship does represent the sole existing source of professional knowledge and operating experience in the field of information handling as such, it is librarianship which now feels the pressure of these needs. If librarianship does not meet this challenge and fill the need for professional knowledge, someone else will, but in the process they then must develop the same tools and capabilities which librarianship now provides."

Publisher

Graduate School of Library Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Series/Report Name or Number

Clinic on Library Applications of Data Processing (2nd : 1964)

ISSN

0069-4789

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1147

Copyright and License Information

Copyright owned by Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1965.

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