Commonwealth libraries : a case study on access & use of the Internet

by Roxanne Missingham, Information Resources Section, Department of Human Services and Health

1. Introduction

2. The Internet and commonwealth departments, agencies and their libraries.

(i) Why do departments and agencies and their libraries need access to the Internet?

(ii) What have some of the successful uses of the Internet by commonwealth agencies been? What have the problems been?

(iii) Why do public servants need the Internet and how should this service be managed?

3. Conclusions: public service librarians and officers in the virtual world

Commonwealth libraries : a case study on access & use of the Internet

by Roxanne Missingham, Assistant Director, Information Services Resources, Department of Human Services and Health

Introduction

Library services are changing rapidly with development in information technology, particularly the Internet. Special libraries have been quick to grasp electronic services as part of their core business and are moving to the new electronic library as a model for the twenty first century. This paper explores approaches to the of the Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Department of the Environment, Sports and Territory and Department of Human Services and Health Libraries. The paper is in three parts -

(i). Why do departments and agencies and their libraries need access to the Internet?

(ii). What have some of the successful uses of the Internet by commonwealth agencies been? What have the problems been?

(iii). Why do public servants need the Internet and how should this service be managed?

To introduce this topic it is useful to note that there are three major approaches taken by the general public and theorists to the Internet. These propose that

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Firstly there are those who consider the Internet as a technical delivery mechanism which exists between those writing material and those seeking material. Strongest in the academic library environment, this approach is exemplified by the Vision for an integrated Internet information service and in a paper by David Green last year which develops a technical model of new relationships between authors, computing environments and information seekers. Authors will produce material, computer professionals will develop better robots and indexing tools and client will obtain information directly from either a broad unmediated information source, such as the Internet, or selected electronic environments. Libraries as we know them will be an obsolete intermediary between authors and information seekers. Electronic libraries will supplant current libraries, except for historical material whose value to small to be worth converting to the new medium. For government employees this approach leads to the conclusion that those who currently need information need Internet access, and might at best be a publishing tool which could cut costs of distribution of government publications.

The second approach proposes government services and Internet use which can not just facilitate information both to public servants and from the public service to the community. Information services could be tailored to individual needs, including corporate information, and new desktop services could be delivered using Internet and network technology. Most of us who are involved in delivering services to and from Government using the Internet are in this group, and last year's National Scholarly Communication Forum's Roundtable on Public Access to Networked Information explored the potential of this paradigm for service delivery to the community.

The third approach can be seen within some public service managers and media commentators.

"What President Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex is transforming itself into a military-entertainment complex is taking the media, its investors and use along for the ride." McKenzie Wark (1995) "Infohype", 21 C January 1995: 52

This cynicism about Internet information services may limit what is achieved though government Internet projects - both from the lack of confidence by clients in the broader community and concerns from public servants who may either be producing information or need information for their decisions.

Now that I have outlined these three approaches taken to the Internet both inside government and by the general community, I will describe the needs of government officers for Internet access. Descriptions of some of the projects I have been involved in follow this. All these projects reflect type 2 approaches, but not all have been equally successful. The element of cynicism reflected in type 3 approaches is probably still strong within the commonwealth public service, and with some good reasons. The conclusion explores some of the difficulties this range of approaches offers us, and some of the successes from which we can develop services.

2. The Internet and commonwealth departments, agencies and their libraries.

(i) Why do departments and agencies and their libraries need access to the Internet?

Most of my work has been as a commonwealth librarian. In this situation I have five top reasons for joining the Internet:

1) Provision of information services

2) costs - greater efficiency and costing changes

3) responsiveness to clients needs

4) access to information relevant to technical, reference and management functions

5) access to people.

All of these are important - and relevant to the brokering of information necessary for decision making in the commonwealth government, public service processes and the delivery of services. Figures for cost savings achieved for libraries apply equally to other government activities.

Reason 1) Provision of information services

Through the Internet access to basic information increases - from academic handbooks, lists of research publications to full electronic publishing, particularly research and indexes. Current CITES provides a good example of a current electronic index which provides information on many article in printed and electronic form. Delivered to your email box as a service it adds access and value to many publications. While multimedia electronic publishing is still developing I use text and WWW journals on a regular basis, particularly non US publications. The speed of electronic publication (on average 1-2 months for an issue) as opposed to the traditional journal 18 month turnaround makes access essential. For dynamic areas in which government policy needs to be responsive to new developments, for instance medical research such as AIDS or environmental research, such as the discovery of an endangered species, Internet access is crucial.

Reason 2) costs - greater efficiency and costing changes

Existing manual library services have surprisingly high costs - inter-library loans for instance according to ARL studies costs around $30 processing time and on costs. An email ill to another library of Uncover can reduce these costs by half. Basic communications charges, whether to ABN by leased line or to Dialog using Sprint net or Auspac can also be reduced. For a medium special libraries savings of up to $5,000 can be made on communications charges based on 1994 AARNet charges. Other areas of government which use databases, including intergovernmental arrangements, can make similar savings.

Reason 3) responsiveness to clients needs

In using electronic sources information can be packaged and provided to clients in a form which meets their needs easily - such as by email or by print to those still most comfortable with this medium! The speed of delivery for new information is particularly relevant to special libraries, as is the ability to keep up to date in research fields which are dynamic. Clients may be uncomfortable with new technology and special libraries often provide additional information technology training services.

Reason 4) access to information relevant to technical, reference and management functions.

Library examples are:

Relevant to business, environment, social, community, local, state and commonwealth govt administration

Library administrative aspects - service/customer plans (especially US)

Reason 5) access to people.

This is perhaps one of the most undervalued aspects of the 'net in traditional library and information technology discussions. Michelle Huston, ACT Education Information Network has describe the people connection as the connection which will in fact transform education. For information providers bulletin boards, listservs and direct electronic communication with other in a subject field, as well as with other information providers adds more knowledge and access points. Probably this is one of the major aspects of the Internet relevant to all government services. Correspondence with other commonwealth officials, state government officials, overseas officials, relevant researchers and clients is critical to good service delivery and leading edge management.

In line with the type 3 approach described earlier I must give some caveats about Internet access for all government officers. This is best covered in what I call the top 5 Internet myths and are probably the reasons why libraries have had a central role in brokering Internet information within many agencies.

Internet myths

1) Anyone can do it

2) All the information you need is on the 'net

3) You can find resources on the 'net

4) Researchers will use the 'net all the time

5) Libraries will be obsolete

(ii). What have some of the successful uses of the Internet by commonwealth agencies been? What have the problems been?

Australian Nature Conservation Agency

1) Electronic publishing - ERIN

2) Internal information service -Gopher, WWW, FTP, WAIS, Listserv's - major issues training, active support and tailoring of products

3) Internal service - Corporate store concept

Successes

Tailored products using listservs

Use of Internet for transactions with other organisations (examples)

Location of information not otherwise accessible

Current international policy information

Not successful

End user training

End user searching

Database access (example Fedworld)

Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories

1) Electronic publishing - ERIN

2) Internal information service -Gopher, WWW, FTP, WAIS, Listserv's - major issues training, active support and tailoring of products -

3) Selected desktop delivery - SLIP services

Successes

Tailored products using many Internet resources

Location of information not otherwise accessible

International program administration UNEP Infoterra

Current international policy information

Not successful

End user training

Desktop access

Delivery of new services

Department of Human Services and Health

1) Electronic publishing - Full service launched 9 May 1995 - purpose, scope, partners within department

2) Internal information service -electronic desktop - Pilot, business needs, integration

3) Internal service - Corporate store concept & staged delivery

Successes

Library services and information seeking

Delivery of home page service

Location of information not otherwise accessible

International program administration WHO

Current international policy information

PC rather than UNIX environment

Not successful (yet)

Database access (emulation problems)

Integration with other services

Delivery of new services

(iii). Why do public servants need the Internet and how should this service be managed?

Issues:

1) time versus results -

2) technical support

3) costs - access options and cost effective searching, information source identification skills

4) Security

5) determining core business needs

6) publishing and cost recovery

3. Conclusions : public service librarians and officers in the virtual world

In order to give this talk today I described some of the successes and limitations of Internet use in the Commonwealth. The business uses found to be most valuable are:

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The limitations of the services include:

After almost 20 years use of on line services by commonwealth libraries, our roles and functions have developed and there are adventurous examples of service delivery in the new electronic environment. The concept of a virtual library has captured the imagination of the public and academics, particularly with increased easy access to the Internet, which I will suggest is the greatest living example of why you need librarians. The advantages offered by commonwealth libraries in contributing to Internet access come from their:

Internet access and publishing is a fraught issue for every department and agency and solutions offered are determine in part by their commitment to the use of information and in part by traditional concerns about security, costs and staff productivity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barry, Tony

Barsch, Reva 10 top tips of the super searchers,

Green, David

Lynch, Clifford A. "Scholarly communication in the networked environment: reconsidering economics and organizational missions", Serials review 20(3), 1994: 23-30

National Institute of Standards and Technology Putting the information infrastructure to work : a report of the Information Infrastructure Task Force Committee on Applications and Technology, Washington, DC: USGPO, 1994. Chapter 6 "Libraries and the NII"

Neil wha't his name

Weider, Chris and Deutsch, Peter A vision of an Integrated Internet Information Services, Ann Arbour, Mi, IETF IIIR Working Group, 1994 (Electronic paper

5 Reasons to Connect

1) Provision of information services

2) costs - greater efficiency and costing changes

3) responsiveness to clients needs

4) access to information relevant to technical, reference and management functions

5) access to people.

Internet myths

1) Anyone can do it

2) All the information you need is on the 'net

3) You can find resources on the 'net

4) Researchers will use the 'net all the time

5) Libraries will be obsolete

Roxanne Missingham is Assistant Director, Information Resources Section, Department of Human Services and Health, having worked with the Internet as library director/manager in Australian Nature Conservation Agency and Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories. She is also Convenor of the Federal Libraries Information Network and has run Internet training for FLIN members and made submissions to BSEG, Senate and ASTEC on librarians and the Internet on behalf of FLIN. Roxanne has also undertaken a research project on Women and the Internet, winning an award at the University of Canberra.