Putting Knowledge to Use - Evolving Global Information Infrastructure and Information Transfer - page 125

The cultural function of libraries and other information agencies provides clien-
tele the best examples of a society's cultural heritage as represented in literature,
history, music, dance, and various art forms. In corporate or special libraries, the
culture may be that of a profession (medical, law) or an organization (IBM).
The challenge of library and information professionals is to select the “best”
available information resources representative of the culture. In a corporate or in-
stitutional setting, the clientele may be instrumental in determining which are the
best journals, databases, Web sites, blogs, and topics to procure for the collection.
Law librarians consult their primary clientele of attorneys and other legal practition-
ers regarding the electronic and print topics and journals that are considered the
most reputable and useful, and they weigh that input with their professional as-
sessment of new resources that are challenging the traditional resources in terms
of content and price.
The cultural function includes the sharing of cultures of various ethnic
groups—the stories, music, videos, motion pictures, literature, and customs of im-
migrants and of other international cultures. Increasingly we are citizens of a global
society, and libraries are repositories for representative artifacts of the cultures of
our world.
The cultural function includes a variety of formats: topics, periodicals, audio re-
cordings of various formats, Web sites, and video recordings. Consequently, in-
formation professionals must be aware of the technologies, current and emerging,
that record various cultural products.
Recreational Function
The recreational function is synonymous with “enjoyment” and is concerned
with the use of information resources for leisure. A variety of formats are made
available for recreation, including novels, poetry, periodicals, and nonfiction topics,
as well as audio and video recordings and games.
The rationale often given is that the recreational function is a way of reaching
people who may not otherwise use the library, or who cannot afford to buy the re-
sources, or simply don't want to pay for them if they are “only” recreational. The
librarians may steer clientele, once they are in the library, to other resources and
services that will benefit them. Our point is that recreational use of information and
knowledge resources is still a viable type of utilization.
The Internet has transformed all information functions, including the recreation-
al function. Information users access the Internet for games, music, movies, and
other sources of entertainment that can also be educational, leading to the term