Introduction to Literary texts in an electronic age: Scholarly implications and library services [papers presented at the 1994 Clinic on Library applications of Data Processing, April 10-12, 1994]

Sutton, J. Brett

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Description

Title

Introduction to Literary texts in an electronic age: Scholarly implications and library services [papers presented at the 1994 Clinic on Library applications of Data Processing, April 10-12, 1994]

Author(s)

Sutton, J. Brett

Issue Date

1994

Keyword(s)

Electronic texts

Abstract

The explosive rate of technological progress in the development of information systems has not benefited all users to the same degree. Even with the appearance of advanced information retrieval systems and the availability of previously printed texts in electronic form, for many library users, the main purpose of computers in libraries is still to provide fast and precise access to printed documents, not electronic files. In academic settings, this is particularly true for humanistic scholars for whom the traditional print-oriented library is laboratory, toolkit, and the single most important source of scholarly materials. Although there has been no shortage of fantasizing about the all-electronic library, even in the more technologically advanced academic institutions, literary work is practiced by many scholars using techniques differing little from those in use a century ago. These patterns, however, are changing. Literary scholars no longer have to learn computer programming in order to gain useful access to literature in electronic form: programs are now available that are capable of performing in minutes analytical tasks that used to take months; scholars are beginning to create electronic editions of classic literary works and are pooling their efforts to make those texts available to others; new fast and efficient delivery systems for electronic texts are beginning to appear; working prototypes of fully electronic libraries are now in operation in academic library settings. Scholarly work in the humanities that bypasses print altogether is now possible. The papers in this volume explore the potential of electronic texts in the humanities and describe the possible roles for libraries as electronic books take the place of printed ones. This apparently simple topic embodies a considerable amount of complexity, however. Glancing over these papers, it is easy to see that the question of literary texts in the humanities spans many areas of interest, reflecting the various needs of librarians, publishers, system administrators, scholars, readers, and writers. It is one purpose of this collection to bring these diverse perspectives into conjunction.

Publisher

Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Series/Report Name or Number

Literary texts in an electronic age: Scholarly implications and library services [papers presented at the 1994 Clinic on Library applications of Data Processing, April 10-12, 1994]

ISSN

0069-4789

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

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