College and Research Libraries The Scholarly Information Center: An Organizational Model Diane J. Cimbala The steady increase in automated functions in libraries and the growing service orientation of computer centers have blurred the distinctions between these two separate academic units. Sev- eral authors have suggested that given the similarities between libraries and computing cen- ters, they be combined administratively, though no institution has yet completely merged the two. This article explores the structural and personnel implications of such a union and pro- poses an organizational model for creating such an information services center. n a 1985 article in Public Admin- istration Review, Harlan Cleve- land outlines his view of the na- · ture of information as a commodity: "The size and scope of 'the information society' are now familiar even in the popular literature. We can take it as read that information is the dominant re- source in the United States, and coming to be so in other 'advanced' or 'developed' countries. " 1 Cleveland describes the characteristics that distinguish information from other commodities: it is expandable; it is not "resource-hungry" (that is, its produc- tion and distribution use little energy and few other resources); it is substitutable, transportable, diffusive, and shareable. 2 He argues that the effects of information on the global economy will differ drasti- cally from those of traditional manufac- tured goods or natural resources and that the unique characteristics of information will force the world's business and politi- calleaders to reorganize their patterns of influence and control. 3 On a level that is closer to home, Patricia Battin, formerly vice-president and direc- tor of libraries at Columbia University, has used Harlan's model to propose a new "scholarly information center" combin- ing the best of the academic library and the university computing center: According to the traditional cliche, the Library is the heart of the University. I think it is time for a new metaphor-and that metaphor is more appropriately DNA. The new process will be a helix-we provide a basic set of services and technical capacities, users interact and ex- periment with the new technical dimensions and develop new requirements which then in- . fluence the evolution of a new shape for the in- frastructure. As the genetic code of the Univer- sity, the character and quality of the Scholarly Information Center will determine .the charac- ter and quality of the institution. 4 Battin's ideas have served her well. Co- lumbia University added to her responsi- bilities the oversight of academic comput- ing, thus making possible the combina- tion she described. Librarians and computing directors throughout the country, since the begin- ning of this decade, have been studying the prospect of building links such as those proposed in Battin's scholarly infor- mation center. As Cleveland asserts, even popular journals have recognized that Diane J. Cimbala is Northeastern Regional Sales Representative for the Faxon Company. She was previously Support Services Librarian at Augusta College. 393 394 College & Research Libraries computer technology has affected li- braries greatly and has expanding poten- tial. An editorial in The Futurist notes that ''libraries that embrace the newer technol- ogies (without neglecting books, of course) should become increasingly valu- able to their patrons.' ' 6 Libraries are becoming increasingly au- tomated and depend more and more heavily on electronic access to informa- tion, more than most patrons realize. Staff in many academic libraries work closely with their counterparts at academic com- puting facilities as they install telecommu- nications equipment, microcomputers, and in-house networks. However, such a link may not indicate a natural or easy transition from two organizations to one. This article will examine the potential dif- ficulties that might be encountered by aca- demic libraries and computing centers as they move from a position of mutual re- spect and frequent interaction, but sepa- rate organization, to a true union of inter- ests · and functions and will propose a model organization that reflects that com- bination. · For years, perhaps unbeknownst to most scholars and computing specialists, libraries have relied heavily on computers to provide easy access to information. At the bibliographic level, two national net- works, the mammoth OCLC and the Re- search Libraries Group's RUN, provide access to nearly twenty-four billion machine-readable records that describe the monographic and selected serial hold- ings of the nation's libraries. 7 From these tapes card, online, and computer-output microform catalogs are created. Through the OCLC and RLIN networks, scholars may confirm bibliographic data and hold- ings and borrow books from other li- braries. The databases are important as both reference and technical tools, and the organizations that provide these services strive to improve and expand them. Libraries have also made extensive use of the online databases that provide com- puterized access to periodical indexes as well as electronically published full-text journals. In addition to the telecommuni- cations-based sources, the advent of com- pact disc technologies has enabled li- September 1987 ~ braries to access, store, preserve, and dis- J seminate enormous quantities of data that would be too costly to purchase and keep . in print form. Archival materials, too, can be made available through the new tech- nologies. Service is a third facet of computing. Li- brarians speak of bringing their libraries to "full automation," meaning that func- tions will be electronically integrated from the point that an item is ordered through payment, cataloging, and circulation. On- line circulation is already common, and most academic libraries have automated at least portions of their acquisitions and se- rials functions. OCLC and RUN are used in-house to catalog materials. Integrated linkages between the two utilities are still being developed but likely to be available within the not-too-distant future. 11 • • • the library's electronic services largely reflect access to externally gen- erated information, while computing centers are concerned primarily with internally produced data . . . " A major difference between the library's and the university computing center's use of computing is that, with the exception of functional activities, the library's elec- tronic services largely reflect access to ex- ternally generated information, while computing centers are concerned primar- ily with internally produced data such as student records, intracampus networks, accounting, word processing, and statisti- cal services-all of which comprise the ar- chival records of a university's daily busi- ness. In addition, computer centers may provide access to raw data used in re- search. Citing Chemical Abstracts as a prime ex- ample of the complex problems facing li- brarians and scholars, Battin describes the maze of information that is accessible via computer. Chemical Abstracts is available first as a printed index, then as Chern Ab- stracts, an online index searchable via the commercial database services. There are, according to Battin, three types of index users: those who are satisfied with print access, those who require professional searching assistance from a librarian in or- der to gain access to the online Chern Ab- stracts, and those specialized scholars who prefer to search Chern Abstracts them- selves, preferably from a home or office computer terminal. 8 The costs for provid- ing all three levels of access are prohibitive for many institutions, as the cost of paper indexes runs in the thousands of dollars, online access is expensive to subsidize, and providing adequate telecommunica- tions equipment for experienced scholar/ searchers can be difficult and costly as well. Similar examples might be chosen from most other disciplines. Battin sug- gests that the scholarly information center should be able to provide online access to machine-readable indexes such as Chern Abstracts in addition to the institution's card catalog, the national bibliographic networks, administrative files such as stu- dent records, and other subject-specific databases. 9 The problem arises when one considers the administrative structure necessary to accomplish such a merger. Setting finan- cial concerns aside, the most logical plan for accommodating sucb: a venture would combine the library and computing center into one unit. Battin asserts that such an organization will have to evolve with tech- nology, that the "Scholarly Information Center does not imply a building and rigid hierarchy of chains of command." 10 Nevertheless, academic libraries and computing centers are parts of a tradition- ally hierarchical organization: the univer- sity. In addition, the two tend to be simi- larly structured. While they can and will cooperate to provide information for years to come, it is entirely conceivable that one day they will form one body within the university structure and that no distinc- tion will be made between the librarians and the computer specialists. Despite the similarities, no institution has yet completely integrated the library with the computing center. Columbia University and California State at Chico have come close, but in both ckses these units still maintain separate identities Scholarly Information Center 395 while reporting to a common vice- president. The potential for combining the units exists, and the logic of such a move may become more apparent as technology unites their services. Eventually, aca- demic administrators will look at the staffs of the library and computing center and see quite a bit of duplication. Ideally then, a scholarly information center would consist of two groups: public or user services and technical services . Staff in the former would be responsible for teaching patrons how to gain access to information, whether in printed or machine-readable form. They would need to be well acquainted with automated sys- tems so that they could assist patrons in selecting sources best suited to their needs. Currently, reference librarians serve this purpose by directing patrons to appropriate sources, and academic sup- port staff in computer centers perform the same function when suggesting the soft- ware packages best suited to patrons' needs. The expertise of the two could be combined into one staff, responsible for teaching computer as well as bibliographic literacy. The technical services functions would support the public services staff. These members would prepare data for input, much as the staffs of cataloging depart- ments now do with OCLC and RUN and as programmers and systems specialists do in computer services. Like acquisitions and collection development librarians, they would make decisions regarding ap- propriate purchases of systems, docu- ments, hardware, software, and other me- dia. They would be responsible for maintaining access to intra- and intercam- pus networks via telecommunications systems, and they would address the pro- vision of system access to scholars who work at home. Several problems are inherent in creat ing such an organization, and several im- portant issues involve personnel. The staffs of existing libraries and computing centers may well resist such a change. Ap- praising and translating academic creden- tials and determining salaries are also con- siderations. At present, only a handful of 396 College & Research Libraries academic libraries will employ anyone less than a librarian holding the M. L. S. degree from an American Library Association-ac- credited institution for a professional posi- tion. Many prefer, even require, addi- tional graduate education, such as a subject master's or Ph.D. degree. Con- versely, the market for computing special- ists has made it difficult for academic insti- tutions to compete for those holding an M.S. in computer science. Consequently, many computing facilities are staffed by people who hold only a bachelor's degree. To complicate the situation, librarianship, as a traditionally female-dominated pro- fession, is still cursed with absurdly low salaries when compared with other pro- fessions requiring a master's degree. Mar- ket conditions present the opposite cir- cumstances for computer scientists. The problem of faculty status must also be addressed. Many institutions view their librarians as instructional personnel in line positions, granting them faculty rank, allowing them voting privileges in the faculty senate, and requiring them to apply for promotion and tenure. Comput- ing center employees, usually considered staff, do not enjoy the rights and responsi- bilities granted to academic librarians. Last but not least will be the image prob- lem: very few computer scientists will wish to be labeled ''librarians.'' 11 • • • like the hybrid scholarly infor- mation center presented by Patricia Battin, a hybrid librarian-computer scientist may be the solution to the personnel dilemmas created by such an organization.'' Indeed, like the hybrid scholarly infor- mation center presented by Patricia Bat- tin, a hybrid librarian-computer scientist may be the solution to the personnel di- lemmas created by such an organization. Some library schools are already anticipat- ing that need by offering degrees in infor- mation science that have a more technical focus than traditional library education September 1987 programs. If they are to educate individ- uals to work in an integrated information center, library schools must keep abreast of technological trends and still provide their students with a strong service orien- tation and a bibliographic base. The goals, focus, and orientation of an information center will also present prob- lems for administrators. Traditionally, li- braries have been service-oriented and have focused on the research and curricu- lar needs of the students and faculty. Computing centers have not needed such an altruistic outlook, as their initial pur- pose was subject-specific: they served computer science majors much as the lan- guage lab serves students of foreign lan- guages. As more and more students and faculty become aware of the opportunities computing offers, and as technology leads more scholars into the use of computers, computing centers will find their focus shifting. Raymond K. Neff, assistant vice- chancellor at the University of Califor- nia-Berkeley, believes that a distinction will have to be made between public and private computing: "public computing [involves] writing programs meant to be used by people other than programmers, and to be maintained over time. . . . Pri- vate computing involves writing pro- grams either for oneself or for a limited au- dience."12 Ability level will also be a concern of the information center staff as they deal with users who are novice, ad- vanced, or highly sophisticated. It will be years before an institution as tradition-bound as the university will be willing to address full integration of com- puting services and libraries/media cen- ters into one body-as Patricia Battin noted, the process may be evolutionary. Still, as technological advances and de- mands bring the functions and services of the two organizations closer together, and as financial constraints prohibit duplica- tion of effort, the work of academic librari- ans and computer services specialists will gradually be transformed into one disci- pline. Librarians who retool to prepare for such change will serve their patrons better now and will find themselves in a more flexible position when integration occurs. Librarians and computer specialists ought to begin now to recogniZe their common purpose and to form relationships that are allied, not adversarial. At the current rate of technological change, the day of the scholarly information center is not far off. Scholarly Information Center 397 Librarians, computer services administra- tors, and upper-level administrators of colleges and universities must anticipate this change and begin long-range plan- ning to accommodate it. REFERENCES 1. Harlan Cleveland, "The Twilight of Hierarchy: Speculations on the Global Information Society," Public Administration Review 45:185 Gan./Feb. 1985). 2. Ibid., p.186-87. 3. Ibid., p.187-95. 4. Patricia Battin, ''The Electronic Library: A Vision for the Future,'' EDUCOM Bulletin 19:34 (Sum- mer 1984). 5. "Columbia U.'s Head Librarian Is Now Managing Academic Computing, Too," Chronicle of Higher Education, Apr. 9, 1986, 39. 6. Edward Cornish, "The Library of the Future," The Futurist 19:39 (Dec. 1985). 7. Battin, p.14. 8. Ibid., p.15-16. 9. Ibid., p.17. 10. Ibid., p.17. 11. William Post and Judith A. Sessions, "Academic Institutions and Information Services: The Posi- tion of the Library," Library Hi Tech News, July/Aug. 1986, 8. 12. Raymond K. Neff, "Merging Libraries and Computer Centers: Manifest Destiny or Manifestly Deranged?" EDUCOM Bulletin 20:16 (Winter 1985). BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOURCES CONSULTED Battin, Patricia. "The Electronic Library: A Vision for the Future." 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