Libraries and machines—A Review

Burton W. Adkinson and Charles M. Stearns

American Documentation, 1967, vol. 18, issue 3, 121-124

Abstract: The application of computers to library operations is discussed in broad terms. Three phases in automation of libraries are identified: the mechanization of conventional operations such as bibliographical control processes and administrative monitoring systems; the automation of search processes based on subject matter; and the move toward new and different kinds of services that computer technology may make possible. We are in the second phase, and snagged by the difficulty experienced by computers dealing with natural language and subjective ambiguities. To move forward through phase two will require a better dialog capacity between man and machine than presently exists. Before progressing into the third phase a better identification of the purposes that our files of information are to serve will be needed. Practical considerations affecting computer adoption by libraries are identified as: the need to stay in business during conversion to automated modes; the necessity for demonstrating in advance the economic advantages of conversion; the difficulty of proving in advance that conversion will meet real user needs; and the standardization and compatibility problems that will have to be solved to make the various automated libraries able to use one another's services efficiently.

Date: 1967
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.5090180303

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:amedoc:v:18:y:1967:i:3:p:121-124

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1936-6108

Access Statistics for this article

American Documentation is currently edited by Javed Mostafa

More articles in American Documentation from Wiley Blackwell
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().