From the Director's Chair

    	
  	
  	
  


	Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship  	Fall 1996  


	DOI:10.5062/F40G3H42


    

From the Director's Chair
      Miriam A. Drake
  Dean and Director of Libraries
  Georgia Institute of Technology    
    I am delighted to contribute a column to this first Web issue of   ISTL.  Distribution of this journal on the Web indicates the importance   of electronic publication and the immediacy of scientific and technical   information.      One of my responsibilities is to forecast, plan and build the   future of the libraries at Georgia Tech.  In carrying out that   responsibility, I find that I walk the fine line of transition from print   to multimedia digital publication.  There are many questions and a cloudy   crystal ball.  While I feel confident that electronic publication of   scientific and technical information will be the norm in 15 to 20 years,   I cannot forecast, with any confidence, the mix of paper and electronic   publication for the next 3 to 15 years.  I have many questions and few   answers.    

  The literature on science and technology publishing has dealt   largely with supply issues; that is, how material is supplied not how it   is used.  Questions relate to print, electronic distribution, archiving,   access and pricing.  Librarians are concerned with how they will acquire   the material needed by faculty and students and how they will pay.  In   the immediate future there is likely to be a mix of print and electronic   publications.  There also will be a mix of electronic subscriptions,   acquisition of specific articles online and, perhaps acquisition of   materials in a specific discipline.    

  It is difficult to foresee the disappearance of print.  The   initial intent of journal publishing was communication.  Now print is   used to authenticate and document the work of scientists and engineers.    Electronic publishing is problematic in documenting original work.  While   scientists exchange preprints online, they need the imprimatur of a   publisher to establish authenticity and certification.    

  While scientists in rapidly growing fields need immediacy, others   need history.  They need access to older works.  This need for access   raises the issue of archiving in the electronic world.  When electronic   publication becomes the norm, who will archive the material?  How will   scientists and engineers obtain documents published electronically twenty   years in the future?  Will publishers or libraries be responsible for   archiving scientific and technical works?  How will works be archived?    Retention in electronic form may be the most expensive because changes in   storage technology will require constant shifting and refreshing.    Storage in paper has worked for a few hundred years, but the space   required is scarce and increasing in cost.  The most efficient and   effective method of long-term preservation is microfilm.  It will last   for a few hundred years and requires less space than bound volumes.    

  Librarians are confronting a variety of dilemmas in providing   access to scientific and technical information.  In some fields   electronic distribution of technical reports, dissertations and preprints   is thriving.  Other fields are adapting slowly to new forms of distribution.    

  Another aspect of the access issue is generational.  Today's   younger faculty and graduate students do not understand why everything   they could possibly want to read or consult is not readily available   online. They do not realize that most of the world's knowledge resides on   paper and that the cost conversion to digital form is high.  If it is not   on the computer, it does not exist for many young people.  Older faculty   want to browse and read material on paper and are upset by journal   cancellations.  They do not understand why librarians are leading them to   online alternatives.  If young people are to avoid redundancy and errors,   they need to consult older literature.  In some of the sciences,   mechanical engineering and civil engineering, the past is crucial.    

  The demand side of the service equation is evolving.  In ten   years, some of today's Nintendo freshmen will be in the classroom   teaching a new generation whose learning methods and styles will be   different from previous generations.  We are just beginning to understand   that young people reared with television, computers and electronic games   do not learn in the same way as people brought up with books as the   primary source of information, learning materials and entertainment.    

  Access and delivery of scientific and technical information will   undergo dramatic change.  Our challenge is to forecast this change and   equip ourselves and our libraries to be key players in leading the change   and delivering the right information, at the right time and in the right   format.    

  

  
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