1. The Impact of Information Technology on Library Operations in the Past Three Decades and What to Anticipate for the Future
CALA Mid-West Chapter
Annual Meeting
May 3, 2003
Andrew H. Wang
Executive Director
OCLC Asia Pacific

2. Evolution of Library Information Technology
Papermaking and printing
Microfilming
Telephone
Typewriting and duplicating
Computers
Mainframes, mini-, and micro-, laptops, palms
CD ROM and DVD
Telecommunications networks
Campus networks, the Internet, and wireless
The Web

3. Co-existence of Information Technologies
Paperless society prophesized in 1960’s, but demand for paper has continued to increase
New and old technologies co-exist
Microfilm and paper
TV, radio, and newspaper
Internet, telephone, and postal service
New technologies stimulate an increase in information flow and cause a re-distribution of the use of existing technologies

4. Paradigm Shift From Traditional Library To Digital Library
Library Building => Virtual Library
(You go to the library => The library comes to you)
Traditional Library
Design, size, location of the library building
Other than warehousing library materials, library building has other important societal functions
Digital library
Electronic resources, hardware, software, telecommunications

5. Paradigm Shift From Traditional Library To Digital Library
Ownership => Access
Traditional library
“Buy and own” books and journals, etc.
Digital library
“Annual subscriptions” for access

6. Paradigm Shift From Traditional Library To Digital Library
Just In Case => Just In Time
Traditional library
80% of books and journals, etc. “purchased and owned” have never been used
Buy and own – “just in case”
Digital library
Document delivery, print on demand, pay per view, etc. – “just in time”

7. Paradigm Shift From Traditional Library To Digital Library
Unlimited Use => Pre-Defined Limited Use
Traditional library
“Buy and own” books and journals, etc. for unlimited use by any users
Digital library
Number of simultaneous logons (concurrent users)
12 month subscriptions
By registered users only

8. Paradigm Shift From Traditional Library To Digital Library
One At A Time => Many At A Time
Traditional library
One book or journal can be read by one user at a time
One user can read one book or journal at a time
Digital library
One database can be accessed by many users at the same time
One user can access many databases or journals at the same time

9. Paradigm Shift From Traditional Library To Digital Library
Take Your Time => Don’t Waste My Time!
Traditional library
Users wait for weeks or months for the library to purchase books or journals or through ILL
Users spend hours or days going through printed pages to find and compile information needed
Digital library
Users want the information right away!

10. Paradigm Shift From Traditional Library To Digital Library
Isolation => Cooperation
Traditional library
Do everything by myself and for myself
Digital library
Cooperation to eliminate unnecessary duplication of efforts
Cooperation to increase resources through sharing

11. Is WWW A Digital Library?
WWW is very resourceful and useful, but
Too much information on WWW is not wanted
Much information wanted is not on WWW on a free-of-charge basis
Information on WWW is disorganized
Authenticity and reliability
It is there today, but gone tomorrow
WWW is digital, but not a library!

12. Shall We Make WWW Part of the Library？
As a library portal
CORC (Cooperative Online Resource Catalog)
QuestionPoint
Integration

16. Your library is here to serve you through the Website!

17. Patron
The patron can now see a picture of the librarian in the corner and initiate their chat session in the “chat box” located in the upper right.

18. A Global Cooperation Model
Request
Manager
Member Profiles
Requesting
Library
Patron
Answering
Library
Librarian
QUESTION
QUESTION
NOTIFICATION
NOTIFICATION
Results
Store
SEND
ANSWER
GET
ANSWER
RESOURCES
Simultaneous
Access to Multiple
Catalogs, Web
Resources,
Print Resources,
Subject Specialists
Searching the Knowledge Base
EDITED
Q & A
Knowledge
Base

19. Real Time Local (Chat) Interaction Example
Inst 1
Patron
Ref Lib
Ref Lib
Local KB
Patron
Chat
window
Librarian
Chat
window
Library
web page
Librarian
Chat
Monitor
Graphically, here is an example of a real-time interaction with the service at the local level using QuestionPoint’s chat functionality.
A patron accesses the service through a link on the library’s homepage. One of the options in the library’s patron view of the service is to open a chat session, which the patron does. This action causes notification to be sent to a librarian’s chat monitor. The librarian sees the patron-initiated session and accesses it in much the same way she would pick up a ringing phone. The librarian may be from of a single institution or representing a group of libraries (a consortium). The librarian may search the local knowledge base first. She may look at Web sites or consult databases. She may call other librarians or institutions, look up facts in ready reference books, or consult her own knowledge on the subject. She may pull information from all of these resources in order to provide the patron with the most authoritative and up-to-date information.
Call others
Own knowledge
Global KB
Web sites
& databases
Look up
In references

20. Routes to best-fit profiled institution
QuestionPoint Global Component
LOCAL DIGITAL REFERENCE SOLUTION
QuestionPoint Local/Regional Component
LSSI
Convey
Locally created solution
Exhausted local knowledge or seeking expertise globally.
Question answered.
Submit question to global component
Request Manager
Routes to best-fit profiled institution
Profile DB
This is how the global component works.
A patron submits a question to the local service. It could be a home grown solution, LSSI, Convey or QuetionPoints local component. A local reference librarian picks up the question and routes it through the global component. When the librarian submits a question to the global component (network), it travels first through the Request Manager, which is a routing algorithm that matches key information in the question against records in the profile database in order to find an institution that is most likely to have an answer. The Request Manager finds the best match and forwards the question to that institution. After the question is answered, the Q/A pair is automatically placed in a queue, where it is picked up by a global editor for review and possible inclusion in the global Knowledge Base. The answered question is also immediately sent back to the questioning library.
As with a local knowledge base, the global knowledge base is built using questions that have gone through an editorial process. An editor at the global level reviews questions in the Q/A Queue to determine if they meet current quality and content standards. After an editor qualifies a question for inclusion in the global KB, she “activates” it, which makes it available for searching.
Profiled institutions available for question services
Ref
Lib
Ref
Lib
Ref
Lib
Global Administration- Q & A Editing
Global KB

21. A Digital Library Integration Example
OCLC ILL Link
Document Supplier Link
End Users
Web Electronic
Database Resources
Cataloging Metadata
OCLC
Z39.50
Or Web
Single Source for
Multiple Resources
FirstSearch
-A&I
-Full Text
-Union Catalogs
netLibrary eBooks
eJournals
QuestionPoint
End Users

22. The Library and The Information Technology
Shall libraries be driven by the information technology?
Shall libraries play an active role in making use of the information technology?

23. Thank you!
Questions?
敬請指教！
王行仁 敬謝