ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries March 1989 / 195 How am I prepared to address these issues? If I am elected to the position of vice-president, president-elect, I will depend heavily on ideas from members for ways in which we can meet the chal­ lenges of the 1990s. I am committed to the concept of a member-driven organization. At any time, I welcome comments and suggestions from members (active or inactive) about how ACRL can address these issues. Because I have participated in every type of unit operating in ACRL, I understand fully how ACRL works. I also understand the im portance of leader­ ship to the organization. I am prepared to provide th at leadership in addressing these issues and repre­ senting ACRL. Patricia A. W and is assistant university librarian fo r public services at the University o f Oregon, Eugene. ■ ■ L ibraries a n d teleco m m u n ica tio n s tech n o lo g ies B y L in d a B ig e lo w Project Consultant Northern Illinois Learning Resources Cooperative a n d A lic e C a la b r e se Project Director Northern Illinois Learning Resources Cooperative A survey of the literature, with an emphasis on networks. W h a t are the new telecommunications technol­ ogies and how well have they been adapted to the needs of libraries? These tw o questions were the fo­ cus of a recent survey of the literature as p art of an LSCA Title III grant project funded by the Illinois State Library. The purpose of the grant was to re­ search the requirem ents for a statew ide library telecommunications network in Illinois. Telecommunications technology The convergence of telecom m unications and technology was frequently cited in the literature as the driving force behind today’s telecommunica­ tions trends. Goldstein (1988) saw this convergence as both “confusion and opportunity” (p.36). Noam (1987) described in detail the resulting shift in the concept of public telecommunications from a cen­ tralized, hierarchical, universally accessible net­ work (characterized by AT&T before divestiture) to “a new one th a t is open and loosely intercon­ nected, resembling a federation of subnetworks much like the system prevailing in transportation” (p.30). The shift tow ard an information-based ser­ vice economy has created great user demands for high-speed, low-cost telecommunications at the same time th at decentralized services have reduced the former economies of scale th a t increased tech­ nological options are available. West (1984) commented on the trend tow ard distributing powerful information processing ca­ pacity to individuals and connected this decentral­ ization to “increasing dem and to link this dis­ persed... power via a digitized, integrated (voice, video, and data) telecommunications network so th a t in d iv id u als can co m m u n icate w ith each other” (p.2). The integration of voice, video, and data was one of the prim ary trends found in the literature. Integration was discussed on several levels. In 1984, West was calling for colleges and universities to w ork to w a rd in teg ratio n of com m unication 196 / C&RL News technologies on campuses and for coordination and consolidation of m anagem ent of those technologies to create a “netw ork of networks.” Apparently, the academic com m unity agreed w ith West. Temple University (Scanlon and Patterson 1984), the University of Michigan (“University” 1985), Vir­ ginia Tech (Blythe 1986; Lilly 1985), Cornell (Paul 1985), B randeis (“ At B randeis” 1985), D allas C ounty C om m unity College D istrict (J.R. Hill 1987/88), and Maricopa County Community Col­ lege District (Doucette 1987) all reported merging their communications systems into integrated net­ works under centralized management. Integration of voice, video, and d ata on a global basis in the form of an Integrated Systems Digital Network (ISDN) has been in the development stage for the past fifteen years. The Consultative Com ­ m ittee for International Telegraph and Telephone (C C IT T ), sponsored by the U nited N ations, is overseeing th e settin g of stan d ard s for ISDN. Blankenhorn (1986), H arper (1987), Miller (1987), and Underwood (1987) described the development of ISDN and the problems faced in implementing such a global network. The m ain problem s facing ISDN are lack of agreement on international standards for the tech­ nology needed and the high cost of putting the net­ work in place. The w orld’s largest telephone com­ panies are taking the lead in trying to im plem ent ISDN. In the U nited States, AT&T and the Bell O perating Companies (BOCs) are beginning to re­ place th eir cen tral office switches w ith digital switches, a necessary step in the implem entation process. This will be a long and costly process be­ cause about 12,000 switches need to be replaced at a cost of $6 million each. Miller predicted th a t ISDN will be in place by the mid-1990s. He also predicted th a t a “prolifera­ tion of so called near-ISDNs is.. .likely to accelerate during the next few years” as systems are designed to take advantage of current technology (p.37). These systems will be upgradeable to C C IT T stan­ dards w hen those standards become available. ISDN has its critics. M any experts do not expect to see a true single ISDN develop. Rather, they “en­ vision multiple ISDNs intersecting in a variety of ways but w ith enough uniform ity to make services possible th a t are now impossible” (Miller, p.38). W hether or not ISDN becomes a reality, several trends are still evident. Rudd (1987) states th a t tele­ com m unications netw orks will be operating at higher data rates and will provide increased con­ nectivity and com m unication capabilities. The networks will provide widespread access to public data networks. There will be user dem and for in­ creased bandw idth. The costs of electronics and basic transmission will decrease, but the new com­ plexity of the networks will require more skilled personnel to m anage and support the networks. Noam (1987) points out th a t transmission facilities will continue to change from analog to digital tech­ nology. One digital transmission facility expected to play a key role for the next several years is fiber optics (Rocher 1987). Fiber optics consists of thin strands of fiber m ade of transparent m aterial such as glass or plastic through which light pulses are transm it­ ted. Each strand is capable of carrying the equiva­ lent of 6,000 voice messages at one time. The signals are not susceptible to electrical noise, lightning, or other forms of electromagnetic inter­ ference, and are im pervious to tem p eratu re or moisture. Fiber optics technology provides high bandw idth, low signal loss, and security advan­ tages (Ohlhaber 1987). Telephone companies are moving to install fiber optic networks in the United States (McCourt and Robinson 1986). As W elter (1987) states, fiber is becoming “the medium of the future for most point-to-point long-distance voice and d ata communications” (p.50). According to T rafton (1987), another trend in technology is th a t “data, text and video are filling an even greater share of the com m unication appli­ cations” (p.38). Satellite technology is playing a sig n ific a n t ro le in serving th o se a p p lic atio n s. Gershon (1987) anticipates th a t satellites “will be­ come the prim ary vehicle for video com m unica­ tions, point-to-m ultipoint com m unications and thin-route applications” (p.25). W elter adds th at “the appeal of bypassing the public switch net­ w o rk , ease of in s ta lla tio n , a n d d ista n ce - independence often make satellites the economical choice for comm unication in rem ote areas” (p.50). Satellites are particularly good for reaching re­ m ote or scattered locations w here it is not economi­ cal to build fiber networks. Satellites have proven to be useful in library and education settings for providing video teleconferencing and for delivery of distance learning (Brumm 1984; Portw ay 1987; “Teleconferencing” 1987/88; W olf 1987). According to W elter, the introduction of VSATs (Very Small A perture Terminals) has considerably reduced d ata communications costs via satellite w hen com pared to costs for leased telephone lines for networks w ith widely dispersed locations. The advantages and disadvantages of fiber op­ tics and satellite networks were thoroughly dis­ cussed in the literature. However, there was a gen­ eral agreement th a t there is a place for both. In fact, a hybrid netw ork designed to take advantage of the strengths of not only fiber optics and satel­ lites but microwave and cable and other existing transmission methods as well as proposed (Castiel 1985; Pelton and McDonegal 1987; Stephens 1986; W elter 1987). According to Pelton, “T here is a growing realizatio n ...th a t the issue is not satellite vs. terrestrial transmission m edia, but rath er how best to combine satellites and terrestrial transmis­ sion m edia in a dynam ic and optimally-designed ISDN netw ork” (p.62). Library services The literature reflects the growing awareness and interest of librarians for integrating telecom­ March 1989 / 197 munications into their services. However, Berry (1986) expressed concern th at librarians have nei­ ther been able to keep up w ith the rapidly changing field of information technology nor developed suf­ ficient tools for evaluating the technologies to make crucial decisions. He urged the establishment of an agency to evaluate new technology, disseminate the information, and report on new developments and current applications of the technology in li­ braries. L .L . Hill (1985) outlined some of the barriers and benefits of corporate library participation in li­ brary networks. Boss (1985) discussed the need for adopting standards for interconnecting health sci­ ences libraries, recommending the Open System Interconnection (OSI) reference model as the most a p p ro p ria te m ech an ism . Boss re fe rre d to th e Linked Systems Project (LSP) as an example of a li­ b ra ry n etw o rk based on th e OSI m odel. T he Linked Systems Project allows the Library of Con­ gress, the Research Library Group, the Western L ibrary Netw ork, and O C LC to share and ex­ change data among their various kinds of computer systems. “W hile the computer-to-computer link will first be used for the exchange of authority data, it will also encourage the later sharing of full catalog records, location and holdings data, the transmission of interlibrary loan requests, com­ m unication w ith vendors, and o th er services” (p.336). Several successful library networks were de­ scrib ed in th e l ite r a tu r e . A m ong th em w ere ALANET (Lee 1986), an electronic information service p ro viding electronic m ail and cu rre n t awareness services as well as gateways to various databases, and the Vermont Automated Libraries System (VALS) (“Verm ont” 1985), a statewide in­ formation system linking separate but compatible computer systems. VALS provides geographically distributed access to library and information data­ bases from any library, office, or home w ithin the state w ith access to an appropriately equipped com puter terminal. The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (CARL) System (Culkin and Shaw 1985) is a com­ puter network am ong Colorado libraries. Octanet (Gadzikowski 1987) is a computer-based telecom­ munications network for the delivery of interli­ brary loan services, electronic messaging, online union lists, and m anagem ent reports to the Mid­ continental region of the National Library of Medi­ cine’s Regional Medical L ibrary network. T he N o rth C a ro lin a In fo rm a tio n N etw ork (McGinn 1987) is an effort on the part of the North Carolina State Library to provide the most up-to- date information possible to all geographic areas of the state. Services provided by the network include a statewide online union catalog and union list of serials, electronic m ail/bulletin board system, and telefacsimile for transmission of documents. The Network also provides an in-state toll-free 800 num ber connecting to the com puter service, Tym ­ net, and Telenet to reduce dial access telecommu­ nications charges. The Oregon Public Access Catalog (Vennison 1988) provides access to databases of interest to res­ idents of the state. Several databases have been de­ veloped including a statewide newspaper index, a directory of government services, and outside ven­ dor files. Users of the network include the state gov­ ernm ent, local libraries, the general public, and education. At a 1985 conference on networking held in Cali­ fornia (Nyren 1985), recommendations for the de­ velopment of a fram ework for m ultitype coopera­ tio n in a n e tw o rk w e re d e v elo p e d . T h e recommendations included providing for: •eq u ity in governance; •voluntary membership; •local control; •n e w sources of funding; •statew ide coordination and communication; •accom m odation w ith other existing networks and cooperatives; •eq u itab le access for all users in all geographic areas; •funding for experimentation; •incentives for networking; •in c o rp o ra tio n of established statew ide sys­ tems; •definition of responsibilities for services, de­ term ination of fees, procedures, and protocols; •definition of criteria for network membership. Doucette (1987) pointed out the need to plan for expandability of a network to avoid obsolescence and the need for broadbased involvement of the us­ ers of the network in the planning process. O ne telecom m unications technology th a t is gaining widespread acceptance in the library com­ m unity is telefacsimile transmission (fax). In a spe­ cial report in American Libraries, several fax proj­ ects w ere described. W ashington state (Moore 1988) completed a large-scale, two-year demon­ stration Materials Delivery Project combining a network of libraries equipped w ith fax w ith a state­ wide ground courier system. Illinois’ facsimile network (Mak 1988), which links over 150 fax sites, was described from the per­ spective of a large reference and research center. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia (Aguirre 1988) developed a fax network for the fast delivery of medical information. A large city/county library in Ohio (Davis 1988) used fax to communicate with its branch libraries. M ontana (Brander 1988) cre­ ated the M ontana Faxnet Project to demonstrate the use of fax for document retrieval for five sec­ tors: governmental, business, legal, medical, and educational. Lynch (1986) summarized the im portance of li­ braries becoming involved in the “telecommunica­ tions landscape” : “If libraries are to survive as viable services, they must not only understand current computing and telecommunications technologies, but they must 198 / C&RL News develop and execute plans to implement these tech­ nologies. This is an issue at all levels: local, state, regional, and n ational. Doing so w ill require money, talent, education, creativity, determ ina­ tion, consensus, management, and most of all, vi­ sion” (p.46). Conclusions The convergence of telecommunications and technology will result in greater decentralization of information processing capacity. The possibility now exists of integrating voice, video, and data transmission networks. Telecommunications net­ works will provide higher speeds and increased bandw idth capacity through the conversion of an­ alog to digital transmission. Fiber optics and satellite technologies will be key components in telecommunications networks. More telecommunications services will be avail­ able to libraries and more libraries will take advan­ tage of those services. Telecommunications will promote greater resource sharing and more net­ working among libraries. Librarians and patrons will increase their computer and telecommunica­ tions literacy. Transmission of full-text documents will become the norm as data speeds increase and telecommuni­ cations costs decrease. New storage and delivery capabilities will be available to increase library ser­ vices. While these trends in technology offer exciting possibilities for libraries, it must be remembered that technology itself is but the means to an end. Kooser (1987) said it well: “The key concept to keep in mind when plan­ ning for new technology is th at the development of an information system is a strategic decision, not a technological one. It should rely on the organiza­ tion’s goals and basic methods of operation, rather than on w hat’s new in the marketplace” (p.66). References Aguirre, Anthony, “Libraries Fast-Fax for Phy­ sicians,” American Libraries 18 (January 1988): 61-62. “At Brandeis, C om prehensive C om m unica­ tions,” American School and University 58 (De­ cember 1985): 29. Berry, John, “High Hopes & Headaches” [Edito­ rial], Library Journal 111 (October 1, 1986): 4. Blankenhorn, D ., “W aiting for ISDN,” Data­ mation 32 (July 1, 1986): 83-88. Blythe, E ., “The C u ttin g Edge of N etw ork Technology,” C ause/E ffect 9 (January 1986): 8-11. Bormann, E .G ., and N.C. Bormann, Effective Small Group Communication. Minneapolis: Bur­ gess, 1972. Boss, Richard W ., “The Open System Intercon­ nection as a Building Block in a Health Sciences In ­ formation Network,” Bulletin of the Medical L i­ brary Association 73 (October 1985): 330-36. Brander, Linda, “Fax Goes far in M ontana,” American Libraries 18 (January 1988): 63-64. Brumm, L ., “A Dish on Every Rooftop?” VocEd 59 (April 1984): 22-24. C astiel, D ., “ H ybrid Networks H old G reat Promise if Designed w ith the Proper Tools,” Data Communications 14 (July 1985): 121-26. Culkin, P., and W. Shaw, “The CARL System” [Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries], Library Journal 110 (February 1, 1985): 68-70. Davis, Eve J., “A City/County Library Tries Intra-F axing,” American Libraries 18 (January 1988): 62-63. Desramaux, R .J., “COMNET: A Broadband Voice, Video and D ata Network for the Canadian House of Commons— (3) The Im pact.” In J.M. Bennett and T. Pearcey (eds.), The New World o f the Information Society: Proceedings o f the 7th In ­ ternational Conference on Computer C om m uni­ cations, Sydney, October-Novem ber 1984. Am­ sterdam: North-Holland, 1985. pp. 375-79. Doucette, D. “Computer Networks in Commu­ nity Colleges,” C om m unity, Technical, and Junior College Journal 58 (O ctober/N ovem ber 1987): 40-44. Expansion and E nhancem ent o f the Library Computer System in Illinois: A Proposal fo r Sup­ port through the Higher Education Cooperation Act. Springfield: Illinois Board of Higher Educa­ tion, November 1987. Final Report o f the Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Illinois Library Systems Study. Springfield: Il­ linois State Library, December 1987. Gadzikowski, C ., “O ctanet—An Electronic Li­ brary Network, the First Four Years: Summary and Evaluation,” Information Technoloy and L i­ braries 6 (June 1987): 138-43. Gershon, R.A., “Satellite and Fiber Optics: Re­ designing the Business of Long-haul Transmis­ s io n ,” B usiness C o m m u n ic a tio n s R e v iew 18 (March/April 1987): 12-25. Goldstein, M .L ., “Telecommunications: Solu­ tions in Search of Problems,” Industry Week 224 (January 1988): 36-40. Harmon, K .R., Telecommunications Study for Colorado Libraries: Executive Summary. Denver: Colorado State Library, February 1986. H arper, M., “New Directions in Telecommuni­ cations,” N ation’s Business 75 (April 1987): 38-40. Hill, J.R ., “Voice, D ata and Video In-house in Dallas,” Teletrends 4 (Winter 1987/88) :4 + . Hill, L .L ., “Issues in Network Participation for Corporate L ibrarians,” Special Libraries 76 (Win­ ter 1985): 2-10. Kooser, W .W ., “Tam ing Technology,” Today’s Office, June 1987, pp. 65-66. Lee, Joel M ., “ALANET: A Multifaceted Infor­ mation Service,” Online 10 (May 1986): 114-20. Lilly, J.L ., “Organization for Communications N etw ork S eries,” C a u se /E ffec t 8 (July 1985): 28-32. March 1989 / 199 Lynch, C.A ., and E.B. Brownrigg, “The Tele­ communications Landscape: 1986,” Library Jour­ nal 111 (October 1, 1986): 40-46. McCourt, J.W ., and R.L. Robinson, “Midwest Fiber-Optic Cable Project,” Telecommunications 20 (October 1986): 116-17. McGinn, H ., ’’Information Networking and Ec­ onomic Development,” Wilson Library Bulletin 62 (November 1987): 28-32. Mak, Collette, ‘“Fax is Integral’—To Center’s Vast O peration,” American Libraries 18 (January 1988): 60-61. M azutis, J ., and J. Philiips, “ COM NET: A Broadband Voice, Video and D ata Network for the Canadian House of Commons—(1) The Require­ ments.” In J.M. Bennett and T. Pearcey (eds.), The New World o f the Information Society: Proceed­ ings o f the 7th International Conference on Com­ p u te r C o m m u n ic a tio n s, Sydney, O cto b er- November 1984. Am sterdam : N orth-H olland, 1985. pp. 364-68. Miller, R ., “Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN): Telecommunications in the F uture,” On­ line 11 (March 1987): 27-38. Moore, M.Y., “Fax it to Me: A Library Love Af­ f a ir,” Am erican Libraries 18 (January 1988): 57-59. Noam, E.M ., “The Public Telecommunications Network: A Concept in Transition,” Journal o f Communication 37 (1987): 30-48. Nyren, Karl, “California Conference on Net­ working: First Steps Taken to Mobilize State’s Li­ brary Communities to Build Statewide Muititype N etw ork,” Library Journal 110 (November 15, 1985): 12-14. Ohlhaber, R., “Fiber Optics: A Technical Tuto­ rial,” Sound and Communications, May 1987, pp. 22-24. Paul, P., “21st Century Telecommunications: Cornell’s New Voice-Data Link Will Serve the 1990’s—and Beyond,” American School and Uni­ versity 58 (September 1985): 55-60. Pelton, J.N ., an d P .J. McDonegal, “Don’t Over­ look Satellites,” Telephone Engineer and Manage­ m ent 9 (March 1, 1987): 61-62. Plan fo r Funding Autom ated Resource Sharing in Illinois Libraries: Revised Draft. Springfield: Il­ linois State Library, May 1988. Portway, P., “Meetings Take on a New Look,” Modern Office Technology Magazine 32 (Septem­ ber 1987): 16-18. Rocher, E ., “Information Outlet: ULAN Versus IS D N ,” IE E E C o m m u n ica tio n s M agazine 25 (April 1987): 18-32. Rudd, S.E., “Interface Equipm ent and Systems in the Next Decade,” Telecommunications, August 1987, pp. 55 + . Scanlon, R .G ., and J.K. Patterson, “Temple University and a Telecommunications Procure­ ment Program ,” Technological Horizons in Edu­ cation 11 (April 1984): 79-81. Stephens, G .M ., “Integrate? or Separate?” Sat­ ellite Communications 10 (June 1986): 20-22. “Teleconferencing,” IT C News 1 (December/Ja- nuary 1987/88): 7-8. Trafton, D .R ., “Gain T hat Competitive Edge Strategically—Through Planning,” Communica- tionAGE, January 1987, pp. 38-41. Underwood, S., “ISDN on T rial,” Datamation 33 (February 1, 1987): 52-56. “University of Michigan Computing Organiza­ tion,” CauseEffect 8 (July 1985): 18-20. Vennison A., “Trends: Oregon Public Access C atalog,” G overnm ent Technology, April/May 1988, p p . 16-17. “Vermont Creates Statewide Information Sys­ tem ,” Wilson Library Bulletin 59 (March 1985): 441. Welter, T .R ., “Fiber Optics vs Satellites: Are They Com peting or Com plem entary Technolo­ gies?” Industry W eek 232 (February 23, 1987): 5 0 + . West, T. W ., “The Development of a Network of Telecommunications Networks: A Contagion Pe­ riod,” CauseEffect 7 (September 1984): 2-3. Wolf, M ., “ Long Distance L earning,” State Legislatures, September 1987, pp. 22-23. ■ ■ Letters The Information Fairy To the Editor: It is a bit disconcerting to read “BI as Theatre” (C&RL News, January 1989) and see the accompa­ nying photograph of the Xavier University (Cin­ cinnati) library’s head of reader services, Vicki Young, dressed as “ Ify, the Inform ation Fairy” prepared to conduct a college freshman orientation program and, in the same month, read Linda W al­ lace’s article in American Libraries, “The Image— and W hat You Can Do About It in the Year of the L ibrarian.” We have little quarrel with Young’s attem pt to refute “six major misconceptions about librarians and libraries,” and we are glad that her presenta­ tio n was “ a big h i t , ” b u t we really question w hether it is necessary for any professional aca­ demic librarian to dress as an “Information Fairy” to “reduce students’ anxiety” and to “present the li­ brary in a positive light.” It has been our experience, after over fourteen