Search

A survey of 9 machine-readable data base processing centers was carried out under a National Science Foundation grant by the Northeast Academic Science Information Center. The basic issues considered were: the appropriate role of the library in the processing of computer-based searches; the effect of this form of bibliographic access on traditional library services; the costs to the library of providing these services; the means of paying these costs; the special staff skills needed to provide these services; the relative advantages of off-line and on-line services; and the implications for the library of avoiding the issue altogether. The survey results indicate that after an initial period of uncertainty, computer-based bibliographic searching has become a viable and effective research tool for increasing numbers of library users. Academic and research libraries have recognized the potential value of these services, but they have also recognized the add-on nature of these activities and the new pressures these activities apply to relatively static human and financial resources. (Author/PF)