Library Hi Tech at 30

Seadle, Michael. "Library Hi Tech at 30." Library Hi Tech
30(1)(2012). At: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/07378831211213184

Library Hi Tech was started in 1983 by Ed Hall to introduce new technologies to libraries. In the first decade it focused on introducing microcomputers and software for libraries. From 1993 and on, the focus shifted to providing electronic access to information and assistive technologies. In recent years, major topics covered include user studies, human-computing interaction, and long-term digital archiving. Here are the concluding remarks by the author:

"The future of libraries does not lie with paper. That is increasingly clear as more publishers make information available exclusively in digital form and as more types of information, in particular interactive resources, cannot fully be rendered in static paper versions. ... If this vision is roughly true, then the key issues for the library community include not only how to preserve digital information over long periods, but how humans interact with computers and digital resources, and how the human physical environment – in our case the library buildings – can adapt. When Library Hi Tech first appeared thirty years ago, the key topics involved how to make our work as librarians more efficient. Today the question has become: how do we make it easier for those using our resources. In 1931 Ranganathan's fourth principle of librarianship was to save the time of the reader. Some things do not change."