College and Research Libraries Library Future Shock: The Microcomputer . Revolution and the New Role of the Library* Alan E. Guskin, Carla J. Stoffle, and Barbara E. Baruth Dramatic advances in information-processing technology, especially in regard to microcom- puter software and hardware, have broad implications for higher education in general and aca- demic libraries specifically. This paper addresses the importance of planning for the integration of this technology into the campus and proposes a role for academic librarians that, if accepted, would bring academic librarians to the center of campus policy discussions in the future. he future role of the library may be the most important issue for the present generation of edu- cational leaders if the intellec- tual life of the university is to be ade- quately protected for this and future generations of students and faculty. Uni- versity libraries are at a critical crossroads. Pressures emanate from a number of di- verse sources: the financial difficulties of universities, the decay of physical facili- ties, the economics of book publishing, the inflationary cost increases in periodi- cals and serials, and the surge in computer technology that is changing the nature of information retrieval and information technology. The academic library has in the past of- ten been referred to as the center of the university. Yet the role of the library has been more symbol than reality for many years. Although it may be pl}ysically lo- cated at the heart of the campus or sym- bolically placed there in the words of the college catalog or even the university pres- ident, the day-to-day reality for libraries and librarians has been much different. On most, if not all campuses, the libraries are discussed in depth only when some- thing goes wrong or when the realities of inflation continue to ravage a dwindling materials budget. The library is not a cen- ter of policy discussions and librarians are, on the whole, not an influential lot. Yet, it is possible that this will change given how information will be processed, retrieved, and disseminated in the immediate fu- ture. While it would have been desirable in the past for the library to be a central concern of academic policymakers, it will be essential in the future for libraries to be such. One of the critical issues facing universi- ties, namely, the difficult fiscal situation, will most certainly bring the library to the front and center of university policy con- *A revision of a paper presented by Dr. Guskin at the dedication of the Bowling Green University Library. Alan E. Guskin is chancellor, Carla]. Stoffle is assistant chancellor for educational services, and Barbara E. Baruth is head of technical services, Library/Learning Center, all at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. 177 178 College & Research Libraries cerns. Inflation continues to eat away at the core of the physical facilities and in- structional equipment and materials, and this is nowhere more apparent than in university libraries. For example, from 1977 to 1981, the average cost of a book in- creased 32.6 percent. 1 From 1977 to 1981, the average cost of periodicals increased an incredible 59.1 percent. 2 Assuming a 60-40 ratio of periodicals to books, in or- der to purchase the same number of books and periodicals in 1981 that was bought in 1977, the library materials budget would have had to increase by 49 percent. In dol- lars, a university that spent $500,000 in 1977 would have had to spend $745,000 in 1981 to stay even. During this same pe- riod, many university budgets, excluding salaries, have, at best, been static. The result at many universities that pride themselves on having a good library is that even substantial increases in the li- brary materials budgets have been inade- quate. As a result, a decrease has occurred in book purchases. Also, periodicals and serials subscriptions have been carefully reviewed, some titles eliminated entirely, and others replaced in part by the intro- duction of alternative sources such as through computer retrieval systems (on- line bibliographic data banks and elec- tronic publishing services), and in part by a heavier reliance on resource sharing. Be- cause of fiscal problems and faculty outcry against periodical cuts, the library has be- come a serious concern of policymakers. A second critical matter that university policymakers must face that will have a di- rect impact on the library is the microcom- puter revolution and the increased de- mand for computer use. There has been a continuing increase in computer use over the last decade as faculty apply this tech- nology to more and more research areas and as engineering and business schools grow in students, faculty, and use of the new technologies. Much of the increased computer use generally has been focused on mainframe computers and sophisti- cated users who, utilizing available com- puter power, figure out ways to work with their similarly hardware-oriented com- puter center colleagues to solve their com- puting needs. - - ----------------., May 1984 The introduction of microcomputers has significantly altered these patterns; it has changed how people think about com- puters and how they can be utilized to fill their needs. Now unsophisticated users, who cannot program and who do not re- ally understand the internal operations of a computer, are able to use the power of the new technology in ways unthinkable just three years ago. 3 It is not only the development of high- powered microcomputer hardware that has really made the difference. Rather, the major change is the result of what is called applications software, the programs on floppy disks that tell the computer what to do. Now even an unsophisticated user can place a disk in a disk drive, turn on the mi- crocomputer and video monitor, and, with a little bit of self-education, use a so- phisticated word processing system or a bookkeeping-type spreadsheet program for budget forecasting and continuous monitoring of budgets. It is no longer nec- essary to know how to program, only to follow instructions and to be willing to spend a little time practicing. The best analogy to reflect this change in the use of computers is the automobile. In order to drive a car, you don't have to know how an internal combustion engine works or how to fix the engine; what you must know is how to put the key in the ignition and how to drive the car-a skill that, while complicated at first, is easily learned by almost everyone. Similarly, with mi- crocomputers, it is not necessary to know how to program a computer or to under- stand the computer's architecture. What the user must do is, after learning to turn the machine on, be able to identify an ap- propriate program, and to follow the in- structions for operating the program. A major issue for the university is how . to respond to the microcomputer revolu- tion. The effect of the fierce competition among microcomputer companies, the ensuing media coverage, and the in- creased sophistication of nontechnical fac- ulty and students (that is, those who are not in science, engineering, or business) has put pressure on universities to re- spond in some way. The wonders of the microcomputer are proclaimed loudly and widely. And there are wonders! But, as in all cases, the race to sell machines has cre- ated a sensational atmosphere that over- estimates the potential benefits. Micro- computers can be exceptional tools in supporting the educational process as well as providing increased access to in- formation for research, planning, and de- cision making. They are significant tools for universities. Policymakers should and must determine how best to utilize them. Should all students be required to learn how to program computers? How should universities provide students with access to microcomputers? Should all students be required to own them? Or should the university view the access to microcom- puters like access to all other information technology? Universities must come to terms with these questions and, in doing so, must in- volve policy-oriented administrators, fac- ulty, and staff as well as sophisticated computer-oriented experts. Unfortu- nately, up to this point in time, many pol- icy decisions have not involved universi- tywide constituencies and have not been based on the realities of the changing com- puter hardware and software, especially as it relates to microcomputers. The result has been that a growing number of univer- sities have developed either a computer literacy requirement based on learning programming, or only offer students who are interested in learning about how to use microcomputers programming courses. One outcome of these developments has been a massive increase in the number of computer programming courses. An- other is that students who merely wish to use specific microcomputer packages are discouraged and/or dissuaded from fur- ther involvement because they do not have the skill or interest in programming to stick with the courses. Yet, it is becoming clear to many that computer programming is a skill that will not be necessary or may not even be very desirable for all but sophisticated technical people. A recent Wall Street Journal article states that there seems to be a growing re- action against computer programming courses among university professors and quotes a Stanford researcher as saying the Library Future Shock 179 "educational establishment has overre- acted. " 4 The column also quotes a profes- sor at the University of Houston as saying that the ''need for much of this [courses in programming) will disappear soon, and some of it is unnecessary now. Making computers easier for novices to use is one of the principal thrusts of computer de- sign. As a result, in the future, less and less training will be needed to work with the machines. " 5 Sar Levitan, a labor econ- omist and professor at George Washing- ton University, states, "It doesn't make sense when futurists say that we'll all have to understand computers. We'll need a few specialists, of course, experts to design them, technicians to repair them. But most people won't have to know any more about computers than they know about telephones or x-rays. They'll just use the technology.'' 6 Finally, an information technology expert, Marc Tucker, concludes, "The computer is a powerful tool, and courses should con- centrate on applications of the tool, in ways that extend the student's intellectual power. Students need to learn how to use data, to use work processors, and spread sheets. Programming is not what it's all about." 7 Today, microcomputers are not highly specialized pieces of equipment that should be accessible only to the expert. Be- cause of their ability, through myriad soft- ware programs, to serve as powerful edu- cational tools, they must be treated by educational policymakers as part of the ac- ademic support services of a university available to everyone, much as other re- source materials are treated, e.g., video- tapes, films, books, and periodicals. The question of how they will become inte- grated into courses-and they will become integrated into most-will be a decision of an individual faculty member who has be- come somewhat knowledgeable about how students can best use microcom- puters to learn and apply course material. Indeed, there is a real revolution in in- formation technology that has been sharply accelerated by the introduction and rapid development of microcom- puters. The information technology revo- lution not only can help assuage the twin 180 College & Research Libraries scourges of inflation and fiscal con- straints, but offers libraries and librarians the opportunity to assume significant new roles of informational and educational leadership on their campuses. How does all this relate to our libraries and librari- ans? 1. The computer, especially the micro- computer, is an informational technology tool and it is the responsibility of libraries to provide information. Terminals or mi- crocomputers acting as terminals provide ease of access and decentralized access to an increasing variety of networks of infor- mation. Microcomputers in combination with the vast storage potential of easily duplicated optical video disks promise to further decentralize access to information in electronic form. In addition, the micro- computer has the added ability to download information and data from such information sources, allowing a user to store, edit, and analyze it easily. Given the proliferation of commercial and academic databases, the library can become more active in linking users to data and thereby further enhance its historic role as the pri- mary purveyor of information in the uni- versity. 2. Electronic publishing could become important to many areas of scholarly re- search where hard-copy publishing is be- coming more and more unprofitable. The combination of easy access and the capa- bility of making hard copies, where neces- sary, with high-speed printers at sharply reduced costs could lead to significant changes in future access to research re- ports, including a great improvement in time lag between research, publishing, and information availability. In fact, in these situations libraries themselves, par- ticularly research libraries, could become the publishers of studies that have very limited readership. While this would be a wholly new function for academic li- braries, it might evolve because of the needs of scholars. However, extremely important issues must be worked out: is- sues of peer review (refereeing), royalties, and how to develop the necessary net- works between universities. 3. In the next few years, ability to utilize May 1984 microcomputers in schools and work- places may be almost as common as know- ing how to drive a car. People will be able to learn how to utilize such powerful in- formation technology in short courses. In fact, much more time will be spent select- ing and learning how to use specific pro- grams than learning about the computer itself. As a result, the library may very well, and some have already, become the center for short workshops on the use of microcomputer software applications, much as many libraries have become the primary instructional unit for teaching people how to utilize the numerous biblio- graphic and information resources avail- able in the library. In addition, as faculty increasingly integrate the use of specific software applications in their courses, making these programs and microcom- puters available in the library for class- room assignments will be the future equivalent of placing books on reserve. The key to the proper application of the microcomputer as an educational tool, like that of a textbook, rests with the interest and knowledge of the individual faculty member teaching a particular course and with the training and time to learn avail- able to faculty members. 8 The library could be the primary focus for faculty de- velopment in this area. As librarians work with faculty in new information technol- ogy areas, such as online database search- ing, and in course-integrated biblio- graphic instruction settings, it is a natural extension for them to help faculty develop their skills in microcomputer applications. 5. To facilitate campuswide access and use of the microcomputer, the library could and should maintain strong collec- tions of microcomputer software and elab- orate microcomputer labs that will enable students to use them as they would other instructional materials. But why the library rather than the com- puter center? Answers to this question re- quire an appreciation of the needs of infor- mation seekers, the role of librarians in fulfilling these needs, and the role of the new information technology. Basically, the principal role of the library, and espe- cially the reference librarian, has been to I ... provide a link between the user and infor- mation resource. To accomplish this re- quires an ability to define the information problem, to understand and be sensitive to the needs of the individual student or faculty member, to be knowledgeable about available information sources, and to know how to gain access to them in a reasonable time period. In the last decade many librarians, real- izing through painful experience stu- dents' ignorance of bibliographic sources, have developed bibliographic instruction programs using materials such as work- books at the freshman level to introduce students to the library and its biblio- graphic sources. Even more recently, pro- grams and materials have been developed for specific disciplines to enable students to avoid the time-consuming trial-and- error method of learning how to search out needed information. In both these in- stances, reference- librarians working closely with faculty have become instruc- tors for a number of class periods in intro- ductory English classes and research methods courses in the academic disci- plines in order to facilitate a student's use of library resources. In providing these services, librarians have become an im- portant component of the - instructional process for developing skills in the use of new and old information sources. They, themselves, have developed skills in in- structing students and faculty on these matters as well as having maintained their traditional roles of being primary informa- tion resources for faculty and students. Further, librarians-at least the effective ones-in their efforts to serve the needs of faculty members and their disciplines, have developed an understanding of fac- ulty information needs across the campus through interviews with faculty, working with faculty on collection development, performing online database searches, etc. In fact, it is probably true that the staff of the library have a better sense of the intel- lectual needs of the entire faculty, or any significant segment, than any other group on a university campus. This university- wide perspective has enabled them to plan the university's collection needs and Library Future Shock . 181 will enable the library to effectively serve the university as the faculty become more attuned to the power of computer and mi- crocomputer applications. In the last few years, libraries and librar- ians have had to gain sophistication in the use of computers in order to provide ac- cess to the growing wealth of computer- ized databases and to automate library op- erations. Librarians have shown the potential to become the central campus re- source for the new information and com- munication technology. Beyond the above, librarians have de- veloped specific skills that could enhance the library's role as the campus center for information processing. Among these are the following: 1. Librarians tend to be people-oriented and have professional experience in re- sponding to the information needs of the faculty and students. 2. Librarians are skilled in information retrieval activities and c~anging technolo- gies, even though they will obviously need additional training to become so- phisticated in all aspects of computer searching and computer networking. 3. Librarians are information special- ists, trained to be concerned with informa- tion acquisition, dissemination, and use. 4. Librarians are managers; they are in- volved in a host of administrative activi- · ties including purchasing, work-force analyses, and !Ilanaging large numbers of part-time and full-time people. The library is the only campus unit organized to han- dle the information needs of a large num- ber of users in an orderly, systematic way. The librarian's ability to manage will be important in administering new informa- tion technology and understanding staff needs. 5. Librarians tend to be responsive to changing university priorities. The capability of the library to be an ef- fective resource in information processing is further enhanced by the fact that it is a low-threat environment in which all stu- dents and faculty are continuously inter- acting to fulfill their information needs. By the placement of microcomputers in the li- brary, it is conceivable that a relatively 182 College & Research Libraries high-threat educational tool can be neu- tralized and thereby become more accessi- ble# especially to the nontechnical stu- dents and faculty. Although the logic of locating a univer- sitywide information function, albeit a new technological one, in the library is compelling, what about the logic of ex- p~mding the function of the computer cen- ter to meet the microcomputer revolution? While the staffs of computer centers are sophisticated about the technology itself, the orientation of most computer center professionals is to the use of hardware-to make sure it operates effectively and to provide machine links of the user to the mainframe. Such individuals are not con- cerned with training or practice in infor- mation dissemination and use, but are concerned with data-its storage and ma- nipulation. Also, computer technicians tend to be not highly skilled. in interper- sonal relations, unconcerned about the application problems of unsophisticated users, and unknowledgeable about teach- ing users how to access or .use outside in- formation sources. In significant ways, the major revolution in microcomputer software applications, which has focused on the unsophisticated user, has left many professionals in computing on the side- lines. In addition, many mainframe- oriented computer centers (and highly ex- pert computer-oriented faculty) have tended to resist the introduction of micro- computers for the general user. 9 The computer center, with its highly so- phisticated and powerful mainframe com- puters and related equipment, is an essen- tial component in the operation of a university; it is a utility that serves the data processing needs of faculty and stu- dents. It often serves as a central point in linking up the ever-increasing number of microcomputers to internal and external networks . But it does not seem to be the appropriate university unit for providing large-scale access to microcomputers, for instructing faculty and students about the potential applications of microcomputers, or for providing linkage between the in- formation needs of the unsophisticated user and the available information source-whether that be a simple pro- May 1984 gram, an internal computer network where data can be stored and processed or information obtained, or an external com- puter network. Change does not come easily nor is it patently predictable, and the introduction of the powerful new information technol- ogy is no different. Inherent in the new technology are the human foibles of over- enthusiasm, straight-line projections based on limited experience, and the by- products of the fierce competition be- . tween commercial vendors. We are al- ready experiencing projections of too much change, some of which smacks of the absurd, some of which is just plain overzealousness. No matter what the en- thusiasts proclaim, there will still be nu- merous hard-copy books, for there still is money to be made in the publishing of books and convenience in using them. But just as obvious, limited-circulation schol- arly texts will no longer be published in hard copy; it doesn't make economic sense to the publisher or the library, nor is it particularly helpful to ·the scholar who would prefer having greater access elec- tronically to numerous limited-circulation scholarly monographs than having lim- ited access to a few hard-copy books that a publisher was somehow willing to print. In closing, several issues need to be ad- dressed. First, judicious use of the micro- computer must be made in the learning process. Educators must be cynical about its role as a panacea for educational prob- lems and highly analytical in the best ways to use it as an educational tool. It is an im~ portant educational tool but it is just that. It must be remembered that the micro- computer should augment faculty - student relationships, not replace them. Second, educators must be concerned about who controls information net~ works. This is one of the most critical is- sues that libraries and universities must face. How can open access to the world of information be maintained? Will commer- cial vendors stake out the domain before universities can? What implications do proprietary rights have for scholarly and bibliographic ventures that have tradition- ally been open to all through the role played by academic libraries? Will com- mercia! vendors balkanize the information networks? How will institutions and/or individual scholars be able to afford ac- cess? These and related issues must be dealt with very soon or universities will find themselves afloat in a commercially competitive world. Even though the cost of development may be great, the sheer power of larger computers and computer networking has made possible the accu- mulation of information inconceivable a few years ago. At the same time the pres- ence of microcomputers of all shapes and sizes that can gain access to these informa- tion networks has created the potential for commercially viable information sources that could limit the freedom of access so common to academic life . The irony might be that just at the time that the technologi- cal tools have been created to harness the enormous growth of information of the last three decades, universities may lose the ability to offer open access to the infor- mation produced directly and indirectly by their faculty and staff. University edu- cators, faculty, and librarians must be the watchdogs of the free flow of information. Whichever way these issues are re- solved, the library and the increasingly technologically sophisticated librarians can and should be at the center of the ma- jor developments in the use of the new in- Library Future Shock 183 formation and communication technology in university life and, therefore, inti- mately involved in university policy de- velopment . The basic challenge for librari- ans is whether they are prepared to reeducate themselves, whether they are prepared to take the risks inherent in be- ing at the center of major new develop- ments, whether they are capable of enter- ing into the political dialogue of university policy-making that will determine the al- locations of resources regarding new in- formation and communication technol- ogy. Some would say that it is safer to stay on the edges of the policy debates, to qui- etly learn about the new technology and slowly adjust to it, thereby avoiding new responsibilities inherent in being the pri- mary instructional unit for microcom- puters and the service unit for computers generally . It is safer but so is the quill pen. The problem is that if librarians take this attitude, events will pass them by. We need a strong academic library system with creative and energetic librarians who are willing and excited about taking the risks necessary to move the library of the future into a central role in the day-to-day life of the university. It is essential for the future health of our universities-and our libraries! REFERENCES 1. Bowker Annual of Library and Book Trade Information (New York: Bowker, 1982), p.400. 2. Ibid, p .397. 3. Judith Axler Turner, "Many Colleges Limit Students' Use of Central Computers for Writing," Chronicle of Higher Education 27, no .15: 1, 16 (Dec. 7, 1983). 4. Richard A. Shaffer, "Courses in Computer Literary Beginning to Draw Bad Marks," Wall Street Journal Sept. 16, 1983 . 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Robert Gillespie and Deborah Dicaro, Computing and High er Education: An Accidental Revolu tion (Se- attle, Wash.: Washington Univ., 1981), p .24. 9. Turner, p.16.