Libraries Without Walls 4: The Delivery of Services to Distant Users

Citation

Johnson, I.M. (2004), "Libraries Without Walls 4: The Delivery of Services to Distant Users", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 60 No. 1, pp. 92-94. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410410516671

This is the latest volume of proceedings of an international conference organised by the Centre for Research in Library and Information Management (CERLIM), now part of Manchester Metropolitan University's Department of Information and Communication. A total of 24 papers are presented in this volume, loosely arranged within seven themes. The Conference was held in September 2001, and the proceedings were published little more than six months later. Although it may be reckoned that the papers were probably written several months before the conference took place, their rapid appearance is a commendable achievement and highly necessary, given the pace of change in the subjects that the conference covers.

Six papers examine the theme of libraries and virtual environments. Essentially, these are no more than reports of attempts to enhance the provision of electronic resources. Anyone already involved in this kind of service would find the issues familiar, and the solutions to problems unconventional.

Seven papers, strangely distributed between two separate sections, consider the closely related themes of on‐line enquiry services and user behaviour and training. Most of these papers are descriptive. Few offer any self‐critical or independent evaluation. One, for example, outlines an experimental interactive online reference service, but fails to comment on the little use actually made of it by students and leaves unasked the question of whether distance‐learning students continue to use traditional support mechanisms.

Four papers describe national initiatives. Potentially, the most useful of these is work by one of the editors, Fisher, who is attempting to provide not only a formative evaluation of the British Distributed National Electronic Resource (DNER) but also a framework for such evaluations. On the evidence of these papers, that framework is urgently needed.

Two papers examine the public library scene. One is a rather disturbing British study of the development of training for public library staff. As it was based on staff's self assessment of their training needs, and the researchers appears to have had no broader vision of the potential future role of librarians, the outcome was predictably narrowly defined. The resultant training programme seems unlikely to underpin the renaissance of public libraries that some hope will come from the development of networked resources. The other paper outlines the plans for a project, PULMAN, intended to share best practice between member states of the European Union. It is too early to say whether this will provide any greater inspiration.

Two markedly contrasting papers examine issues relating to content development. One describes Dutch efforts to develop an intelligent agent to assist students to develop an understanding of information flow. The other is a rather banal paper on copyright, oddly titled “Copyright made interesting”!

The two final papers in the volume consider technological issues in developing services to distant users. One describes the development of the British Library's ZETOC service, using Z39.50, while the other describes attempts to develop a more user‐friendly version of Z39.50, and is probably of interest to a wider community.

Liz Burge, the keynote speaker, provided a succinct resume of eight key developments influencing current services, and suggested that librarians need to think more analytically about what they should be doing to meet those challenges. Regrettably, many of the papers provide evidence that her implicit criticism was well directed. Collectively, these papers reflect the information profession's fascination with new technology, and the absence of critical thinking from the skills set of the average practitioner. It is, of course, widely recognised that conferences such as this are often more valuable for the opportunities that they provide for person‐to‐person networking by individuals working in the field, than for the papers that are presented. Certainly, taken as a whole, the papers presented at this conference were alone, in Michelin‐speak, not worth the journey. By today's inflated book prices, these proceedings are relatively inexpensive but, for reading the one or two worthwhile papers, borrowing a copy of the book on inter‐library loan will represent better value.