Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
To decrease the rising cost of publishing scholarly journals with small circula-
tions, an increasing number of scholarly journals are published only in electronic
format. The review process can be retained, but an accepted research report can
be posted on a journal Web site, accessible only to those who have subscribed,
or an electronic journal can be e-mailed to subscribers. Many universities have es-
tablished repositories where faculty and students can publish their work following a
review process. The scholar typically retains rights to the work and may negotiate
publication by a scholarly or commercial publisher.
Newspapers usually distribute via both printed and electronic formats. The dis-
tribution is fast and to a large audience, including individuals and institutions. Tele-
vision news also is usually disseminated both during live newscasts and on a sta-
tion Web site, which may provide additional background information to a current
story or additional information that was deemed of limited interest to a mass audi-
ence.
Through the application of technology, individuals now have the ability to create,
record, mass-produce, and disseminate information as never before and without
the intrusion of an editor or censor. The author or creator has immediate access to
a wide audience.
Bibliographic Control
The organization of information for accessing is referred to as “bibliographic
control.” Downs (1975, 124) defined the term as follows:
In its broadest sense, perfect bibliographical control would mean a complete
record of the existence and location of every topic and of all other materials
of concern to libraries. It is doubtful that we shall ever reach such a utopia.
Throughout the history of the library profession, bibliography has been central
to the profession. The result of this professional focus has been the creation of
such societal mechanisms as national libraries, the copyright law, and national bib-
liographies. In the early days of the library profession, the focus was on organiza-
tion and preservation of the information sources; librarians were sometimes called
“bookmen,” and their knowledge base was bibliography. When the concentration
of the profession was on bibliographic control, the term “bibliographic paradigm”
has been used to describe this value system.
Bibliography is the conceptual foundation for library science. The dominant
value of the bibliographic paradigm is with the physical document, not the user. A
library that embraces the emergent paradigm must incorporate this value but also
embrace the new paradigm of user-centeredness. A library that embraces both the
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