Reference and Information Service Section
Conference and Exhibition
6-8 September 1999, Sydney Hilton, Australia
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Reference and Information Service Section
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The Real Y2K Problem: Understanding Libraries in the New Century.
The last half of the 20th century brought about more changes in libraries than the previous millennium. A large force behind many of these changes was the advent of digital technology, which began to transform libraries so thoroughly that they threaten to be unrecognisable in the new century. Another source of change was the appearance of problems so immense that they threatened the library community's ability to preserve the full body of recorded knowledge unless solutions were found. So vast were these changes that even the name of the discipline had to be expanded to include the larger and more diffuse notion of library and information science.
As a result of the scope and speed of change in libraries during this time, librarians have been challenged as never before to redefine their mission and roles as they enter the new century. Based on data relating to the growth of traditional publishing, the rapid development of electronic publishing, the progress of digital libraries and distance learning, and various other factors, this address will project the emerging parameters of the next century library and suggest how the roles of librarians will change.
Jerry Campbell, Chief Information Officer, Information Services Division and Dean of the University Libraries, University of Southern California