52 Journal of Library Automation Vol. 14/1 March 1981 publishing firm. With a feeling of deja vu I listened to an explanation of how difficult it is to develop a system for the novice; one proposed solution is to allow only the first four letters of a word to be entered (one of the search methods used at the Li- brary of Congress, which does suggest some cross-fertilization ). Whatever the trends, the reality is that librarians and information scientists are playing decreasing roles in the growth of information display technology. Hardware systems analysts, advertisers, and com- munications specialists are the main pro- fessions that have an active role to play in the information age. Perhaps the answer is an immediate and radical change in the training of library schools of today. Our small role may reflect our penchant to be collectors, archivists, and guardians of the information repositories . Have we become the keepers of the system? The demand today is for service, information, and en- tertainment. If we librarians cannot fulfill these needs our places are not assured. Should the American Library Associa- tion (ALA) be ensuring that libraries are a part of all ongoing tests of videotex-at least in some way-either as organizers, information providers, or in analysis? Con- sider the force of the argument given at the ALA 1980 New York Annual Confer- ence that cable television should be a medium that librarians become involved with for the future. Certainly involvement is an important role, but we , like the in- dustrialists and marketers before us, must make smart decisions and choose the proper niche and the most effective way to use our limited resources if we are to serve any part of society in the future. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Electronic Publishing Revietc. Oxford, En- gland : Learned Information Ltd . Quarterly . 2. Home Video Report . White Plains, New York : Knowledge Industry Publications. Weekly. 3. IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electron- ics. New York: IEEE Broadcast, Cable, and Consumer Electronics Soc iety . Five tim es yearly. 4. International Videotex /Te letext News. Washington , D. C.: Arlen Communications Ltd. Monthly . 5. Videodisc/Teletext News. Westport , Conn.: Microform Revi ew. Quarterly. 6. Videoprint. Norwalk , Conn.: Videoprint. Two times monthly. 7. Viewdata/Videotex Report. New York: Link Resources Corp. Monthly. Data Processing Library: A Very Special Library Sherry COOK, Mercedes DUMLAO, and Maria SZABO: Bechtel Data Processing Li- brary, San Francisco, California. The 1980s are here and with them comes the ever broadening application of the computer. This presents a new challenge to libraries. What do we do with all these computer codes? How do we index the material? And most importantly, how do we make it accessible to our patrons or computer users? Bechtel's Data Processing Library has met these demands. The genesis for th e collection was Bechte l's conversion from a Honeywell 6000 computer to a Univac llOO in 1974. All the programs in use at that time were converted to run on the Univac system. It seemed a good time to put all of the computer programs together from all of the various Bechtel divisions into a controlled collection. The librarians were charged with the responsibility of enforcing standards and control of Bech- tel's computer programs. The major benefits derived from placing all computer programs into a controlled li- brary were: 1. Company-wide usage of the pro- grams. 2. Minimize investment in program de- velopment through common usage. 3. Computer file and documentation storage by the library to safeguard the investment. 4. Central location for audits of program code and documentation. 5. Centralized reporting on Bechtel programs . Developing the collection involved basic cataloging techniques which were greatly modified to encompass all the information that computer programs generate, includ- ing actual code, documentation, and list- ings . Historically, this information must be kept indefinitely on an archival basis . The machine-readabl e codes themselves are grouped together and maintained from the library's budget . Finally , a reference desk is staffed to answer questions from the en- tire user community. Documentation for programs is strictly controlled . Code changes are arranged chronologically to provide only the most current release of a program to all users. Historical information is kept and is cru- cial to satisfy the demands of auditors (such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commis- sion). Additionally, the names of people administratively connected with the pro- gram are recorded and their responsibilities Communications 53 defined (valuable in situations of liability for work complete d yesteryear). The backbone of the operation is a stan- dards manual that spells out and discusses the file requirements, documentation specifications, and control forms. This standard is made readily available throughout Bechtel. In addition, there are in-house education classes about the same document. Indeed, the Central Data Processing Library is the repository of computer in- formation at Bechtel. The centralization and control of computer programs elimi- nates the chaos that can occur if too many individuals maintain and use the same computer program .