College and Research Libraries Bibliographic Instruction: Planning for the Electronic Information Environment Harold B. Shill Movement toward an increasingly distributed, electronic information environ- ment places new demands on library instruction programs. Thus, bibliographic instruction should figure prominently in the strategic planning efforts of aca- demic libraries so that it will continue to provide knowledge and skills for lifelong learning in a changing setting. In addition to anticipating new technologies, in- structional planning should reflect projected changes in the following: student population, curricula, academic-industrial relationships, scholarly communica- tion, information industry, governmental information activities, schools, public and special libraries, home, work, and income. Ongoing environmental scanning will permit the modification of instructional goals, as necessary, to meet the chal- lenges ahead. cademic research has been en- riched in recent years by the use of insights, findings, and models crossing traditional dis- ciplinary boundaries. Similarly, new per- spectives on the electronic information en- vironment can be acquired outside the literature of librarianship. Several exam- ples from higher-education literature, air- line in-flight magazines, and professional conferences will serve to underscore the differences between librarian and nonli- brarian perceptions of the fast-changing information environment. In a recent Change article, ''Educating for the Information Society," a prominent academic dean observed, People who do not educate themselves-and keep educating themselves-to participate in the new knowledge environment will be the peasants of the information society. 1 Nowhere in Harlan Cleveland's thought- ful discussion of problem solving with computer and telecommunications tech- nologies, however, is the word library mentioned. The only reference to libraries is a photograph of a crouching student searching the bottom drawer of a card cat- alog. This scene offers a vivid contrast to others of enthusiastic, stimulated stu- dents using computers. Cleveland's article, like many others on the social impact of new technologies, is not so much "antilibrary" as "alibrary." The crucial skill for lifelong learning in a fast-changing information environment, he suggests, is "integrative thinking," which he defines as "the capacity to syn- Harold B. Shill is Evansdale Librarian and Associate Professor of Library Science, West Virginia University, Morgantown. This paper was originally presented May 15, 1986, at the annual spring conference of the Pittsburgh Regional Library Center (PRLC), held at Chatham College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The author gratefully acknowledges the thoughtful comments of Mary Ellen Larson, Pamela Snelson, and Dorothea Thompson on earlier drafts of this paper and the meticulous care taken in manuscript preparation by Karen Retzer and Donna Paes. 433 434 College & Research Libraries thesize, for the solution of real-world problems, the analytical methods and in- sights of conventional academic disci- plines."2 Computers, in his view, permit cross-disciplinary analyses of complex phenomena that were impossible with print media. 3 Though few librarians would quarrel with Cleveland's emphasis on "integrative thinking," his neglect of information-retrieval methodology is a major omission. Airline magazine articles reach a busy, affluent, mobile audience of corporate, governmental, and educational decision makers, leaders who have little time for in-depth reading on any topic. Though seldom cited in scholarly publications, such articles are excellent examples of in- formative "trend pieces" that bypass the organizational and professional commu- nication channels normally used by these individuals. Given the breadth and power of the audience they reach, such articles have a great potential for shaping elite perceptions and opinions, including views of the emerging electronic informa- tion environment. " 'Why make that trip to the little corner library,' wondered Shea, 'when you can tap into an infinitely vaster store of information from your home?' " A good example of this genre is a 1984 article, "The Information Explosion," by free-lance writer George Shea. "Why make that trip to the little corner library,'' wondered Shea, "when you can tap into an infinitely vaster store of information from your home?'' 4 As evidence, he exam- ined in depth the potential uses of home computers for accessing large data banks. 5 Shea identified CompuSe!Ve, Source, and Dow-Jones Information Retrieval Service as the ''big three'' online purveyors, then noted that Dialog, Mead Data Central, SDC/Orbit, BRS, and the BRS/After Dark service were "worth looking into" for ''encyclopedic'' access to bibliographic September 1987 data. 6 He also encouraged consumer ac- cess from personal computers to Informa- tion on Demand customized research, vi- deotex, and electronic mail, bulletin boards, and shopping services and sug- gested using computer conferences rather than professional journals for access to the latest research developments. In a similar in-flight magazine article, William Kutik favorably contrasted online searching with manual searching of printed bibliographic tools: many people have had occasion in high school or college to use the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature or the New York Times Index for maga- zine or newspaper research about a subject too current to be in an encyclopedia. That experi- ence usually included tedious searching ... followed by the frustration of making a list of the references, locating the appropriate maga- zines or microfilm reels . . . laboriously finding the articles, and finally taking notes .... The whole process-including getting the full text of the articles-can now be performed automati- cally with on-line databases, which can hold the equivalent of a traditional, large library. 7 Though he exaggerates the holdings of online files, particularly full-text data- bases, Kutik advises potential end-users that electronic searching can be costly: On any service, you're liable to run up a big bill very quickly. It's important to read all the ser- vice handbooks, plan your search before sign- ing on, then swiftly get on and o££. 8 Otherwise, like Cleveland and Shea, he fails to address either the intricacies of Boolean searching or the social implica- tions of electronic information systems. Predictably, no mention is made of inter- mediary searching or search-strategy con- sultation with librarians or other, disinter- ested third parties. Yet many influential citizens are forming their initial impres- sions of the electronic information envi- ronment from precisely such articles. Access to information in a more complex environment is a frequent topic at profes- sional conferences as well. Daily show- ings of the film Goodbye, Gutenberg, based on Anthony Smith's influential book about videotex, 9 were featured at the 1983 American Association for Higher Educa- tion (AAHE) annual conference, a meet- I j ing structured around the theme "Com- puters and Telecommunications." Only one session on library roles in the elec- tronic environment was on the conference program. Finally, at the 1985 Research Libraries Group (RLG) conference, the director of Stanford's data resources group noted that "users are connected to many differ- ent sources, of which the library is only one. ''10 Observing that ''computers are ri- valing books as information-storage and dissemination devices," he further warned, "Libraries might disappear through disuse-through a shift of schol- arly research away from libraries toward other places and other media. ''11 Though drawn from widely differing sources, these observations on computer- based information systems contain impor- tant implications for the academic li- brary's instructional mission. First, the information environment is changing rap- idly and independently from the adaptive efforts of libraries. It is increasingly clear that in an era of electronic media and dis- tributed access, the library will not be the primary information resource for many technologically literate individuals. Second, as a result, libraries of all types face crucial decisions about their role in the new environment. Whether libraries anticipate change and adapt to it or em- phasize traditional services through tradi- tional formats, the electronic environment will have a profound impact upon their function as information sources within ac- ademic institutions. Third, the instructional mission of the academic library must be reassessed as we advance into the electronic environment. Librarians must decide whether they will provide bibliographic instruction as tradi- tionally defined or a broader set of skills and knowledge relevant for lifelong self- education in an increasingly electronic en- vironment. The selection of the latter ap- proach will require that they present a compelling case for the expansion of hu- man, material, and financial resources to academic administrators in the near fu- ture. This article has a twofold purpose. First, it is intended to convey the importance of Bibliographic Instruction 435 strategic thinking and planning for devel- oping bibliographic instruction programs that will provide information-retrieval skills relevant to future work and personal needs. Second, it is designed to demon- strate to administrators the importance of including patron instruction programs in libraries' long-range planning activities. To pursue these aims, the article exam- ines current library responses to techno- logical innovations, scans environmental factors influencing the instructional mis- sion, and discusses ways of increasing the relevance of instructional efforts for future information environments. Emphasis is placed on the total information environ- ment, rather than on current applications such as online catalogs and database searching. Findings from the environ- mental scan are presented in order to sug- gest general directions for an expanded in- structional effort, issues to be addressed by instruction librarians, and a planning perspective for electronic information in- struction. ''V sing learning theories and addi- tional knowledge from education, psychology, and other disciplines, instruction librarians have devel- oped sophisticated user-education programs." BIBLIOGRAPHIC INSTRUCTION AND ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES Bibliographic instruction has emerged to enjoy widespread, though not univer- sal, acceptance in academic libraries in the last twenty years. Using learning theories and additional knowledge from educa- tion, psychology, and other disciplines, instruction librarians have developed so- phisticated user-education programs. Ad- vancing beyond an earlier emphasis on li- brary orientation and individual research tools, these new approaches focus on con- cepts such as information structure and research strategy and use innovative learning approaches such as guided de- 436 College & Research Libraries sign. 12 Course-related and course- integrated instruction has displaced the li- brary tour as the preferred form of presentation. Most instructional pro- grams, however, still focus on the use of research tools in the library, whether in print or in machine-readable format. Efforts to incorporate electronic media into instructional programs have focused on three areas: online catalogs, online databases, and computer-assisted instruc- tion. Academic libraries have also be- come, in some cases, repositories for mi- crocomputers supporting educational activities not conventionally viewed as part of the library's mission. 13 A signifi- cant literature has emerged in the last six years to document these applications. Instruction librarians have sought to make use of online public access catalogs (OPACs) as easy as possible through for- mal instruction, reference encounters, and use aids. Northwestern University has been particularly innovative in plan- ning for patron use of the online catalog, articulating specific learning objectives and systematically monitoring patron searching behavior. 14 Most OP AC users will need specialized training to take ad- vantage of all the capabilities of an online catalog and to succeed in their searches. 15 Online database searching has been in- tegrated into many bibliographic instruc- tion programs through lecture/ demon- strations and direct end-user training. While intermediary searching is still the predominant delivery mode for this form of online activity, many academic libraries now provide public access microcom- puters with user-friendly software. 16 Oth- ers train faculty members and graduate students to perform searches from their . homes or offices and rna~ advise patrons on software selection. 7 Whether per- formed by end-users or intermediaries, online searches have become an increas- ingly accepted part of the research pro- cess. What has not been extensively recog- nized, however, is the great contrast between interactive, online searching and the conventional research process. Rather than merely compiling a bibliography, end-users are able to explore new leads and generate new ideas from citation September 1987 printouts. 18 This capability is highly con- ducive to the "integrative thinking" ad- vocated by Cleveland. Computer-assisted instruction (CAl) has been used in libraries to train both pa- trons19 and employees, 20 to cover both par- ticular subject resources and general li- brary orientation. Good CAl can provide consistent, high-quality, interactive in- struction at any time of the day, night, or weekend. At the University of Delaware, for example, all freshmen complete PLATO instruction modules on the card catalog, periodical indexes, newspapers, and the university library system. This al- lows librarians to focus their efforts on as- sisting advanced undergraduate and graduate students in specific disciplines and on developing enhanced CAl mod- ules.21 A fourth, more controversial response to campus computerization has been the provision of library space and personnel for computer-related instructional activi- ties. At Texas A&M a large microcomputer lab, staffed by library personnel, has been built within the library. 22 At the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, librarians teach students spreadsheet, word processing, and file management applications. 23 At West Virginia University, librarians have been active in university planning for computer-based education. 24 This ap- ( proach has been defended as a way for the library to demonstrate its continued rele- vance in the electronic environment. 25 Some, however, criticize in-library micro- computer labs as an unwise diversion from the library's primary responsibili- ties.26 Academic libraries have made signifi- cant investments in these four areas, yet there are other electronic technologies for which delivery and instructional commit- ments have been narrowly focused, mini- mal, or nonexistent. These include access to consumer utilities, nonbibliographic databases marketed directly to profes- sional end-users, statistical databases, electronic publishing, optical disks, and electronic document delivery. Although a few libraries provide access to the major consumer utilities such as The Source, CompuServe, and the Dow-Jones Infor- mation Service, v these utilities, for the most part, focus their promotional efforts . on end-users in the home or office. They have subscriber lists that exceed 500,000, yet formal and systematic instruction in the use of their services by librarians is vir- tually nonexistent. Specialized database providers also tar- get the end-user. AGNET, for example, provides daily weather, commodity prices, livestock production, and other current information to farmers through- out the country. The EdNET system, through home computers, offers more than forty home-study courses, including testing and direct interaction with instruc- tors. The National Materials Property Data Network (NMPDN) has begun to provide engineers with direct access to numeric data on ,,the mechanical and other properties of materials. 1128 In all these cases the focus of the marketing ef- . fort is the end-user rather than potential intermediaries. Access to numeric databases on campus has usually been provided by a nonlibrary unit such as the University of North Caro- lina, s Institute for Survey Research. These organizations maintain magnetic tapes, codebooks and manuals; search and ma- nipulate data files; and instruct end-users in searching and processing aggregate data. Although there is growing aware- ness among librarians of the need to ac- cess numeric data files, 29 such as those maintained by the Inter-University Con- sortium for Political and Social Research (IUCPSR), the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), and pollster Lou Harris, 29 actual searches of statistical/numeric files have been conducted primarily in data- bases provided by such familiar online services as Dialog and BRS. A recent sur- vey of fifty-five ARL libraries found that in-library searching of numeric databases was done almost exclusively by librarians, not by users. 30 In addition numeric files re- ceive little mention in online service pub- licity.Jt In the library literature, electronic pub- lishing has largely been viewed as posing problems, e.g., of cataloging and access, rather than opportunities. 32 The implica- tions of electronic publishing for techno- Bibliographic Instruction 437 logically sophisticated end-users have re- ceived minima~ attention, except in the writing of futurists. 33 Instruction librarians appear to be making little effort to provide basic end-user orientation and training in searching full-text databases and elec- tronic bulletin boards and knowledge databases such as New Jersey Institute of Technology's Electronic Information Ex- change System (EIES). "The professional end-user is clearly the chief marketing target of compan- ies developing CD-ROM and CD-I products." Nor does the literature contain adequate discussion of patron training for searching databases stored on optical disks. This vacuum should be filled: the professional end-user is clearly the ultimate marketing target of companies developing CD-ROM and CD-I products. 34 Proponents of opti- cal disk technology argue that the predict- ability of its cost, because there are no tele- phone and database connection charges, should stimulate searching activity. The National Agricultural Library, s current ex- perimental distribution of the Agricola database, on laser disk, to land-grant li- braries may provide evidence of CD- ROM' s long-term viability. 35 Whether par- ticipating libraries opt for intermediary or end-user access to optical disk databases, this technology clearly has potential for widespread use in a variety of settings. Finally, electronic document ordering and delivery systems such as UMI's Arti- cle Clearinghouse and Artifax services and lSI's Genuine Article tear-sheet ser- vice have been perceived by librarians pri- marily as an enhancement of document delivery through the library. It is not, how- ever, predetermined that libraries will re- main the sole point of access to these ser- vices. Advanced workstations such as the UMI prototype and Rosenberg's self- contained scholar's workstation will have the capacity to download data, text, and citations from remote online databases, access local area networks (LANs), search 438 College & Research Libraries . databases stored on optical disk, and re- ceive telefacsimile transmissions from dis- tant sites. 36 Commercial vendors will ag- gressively pursue the end-user market once such workstations are fairly com- mon. Some document delivery services, including Information on Demand and the Report Store, already focus their mar- keting efforts on the information con- sumer rather than on the library. Indexing services and professional societies such as the Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS) and the American Mathematical Association have also entered the docu- ment delivery business. Instruction librar- ians, however, generally emphasize the li- brary's ability to secure in a few weeks documents that are not available locally. PLANNING FOR THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES Notwithstanding their positive re- sponses in some areas, e.g., online catalog design and CAl, academic librarians' in- structional stance toward new technolo- gies has, on the whole, been reactive rather than anticipatory. Instructional im- plications are generally addressed after a new technology has been selected, rather than before. Seldom are efforts made to integrate new technologies into a larger conception of instructional plans and pri- orities. This reactive posture is reflective of a tendency to plan according to the annual-report cycle and to project past ex- periences into the future, rather than look- ing beyond to long-term, strategic plan- ning for bibliographic instruction and other services. The argument often heard is that change is so rapid and unpredict- able that planning more than two to three years ahead is futile. Undoubtedly, predictions become in- creasingly fuzzy as we project further into the future. A refusal to plan for the long haul, however, both dooms libraries to a permanently reactive posture and en- hances vendors' ability to manipulate the information environment. Providers of in- formation technologies perform extensive market research before investing heavily in a new product and work actively to cre- ate a market for their products. Accord- ingly, major database vendors now dem- September 1987 onstrate their products to potential customers at major disciplinary (Modern Language Association, American Psycho- logical Association) and professional (American Medical Association, Ameri- can Association for the Advancement of Science) conferences. Marketing staff present both intermediary and end-user searching options to these audiences. Pro- spective customers, however, could still come away with an overoptimistic impres- sion of their immediate searching poten- tial and would benefit from library guid- ance regarding system capabilities and shortcomings. Popular articles, including those in airline magazines, promote such a sanguine perspective. Instruction librar- ians have a responsibility to educate mem- bers of the academic community in both the opportunities and pitfalls of new infor- mation technologies. There are many models for strategic planning, but library literature on the sub- ject is sparse. 37 Little long-term, across- the-board consideration of instructional choices can be found in the library plan- ning, automation, or bibliographic in- struction literatures. The focus of most future-oriented articles is on teaching the use of individual access systems, such as online catalogs or personal computers, rather than on systematic treatment of evolving information-access needs in an \ . increasingly electronic, distributed-use environment. Two notable exceptions are the Tennessee and Texas A&M studies of information needs and user services in the electronic environment. 38 Strategic planning models vary in con- tent, but all normally include a definition of organizational mission, a statement of goals, and a list of objectives. A planning exercise will help to move the organiza- tion from its current situation to a ''de- sired future" by identifying opportuni- ties, competition, environmental trends, and cHentele needs and then devising strategies for reaching objectives and moving toward long-range goals. Environmental scanning, which should be a key component of every strategic plan, can be described as the monitoring of the environment outside the immediate organization for new developments that ''External, nontechnological devel- opments must be addressed if in- struction for future information needs is to be adequate." present threats or opportunities. A taxon- omy is usually ~mployed to structure the scanning process. At the University of Minnesota, for example, institutional scanning efforts are divided into political, economic, social/life-style, technolo~ical, and demographic/manpower areas. 3 Par- ticipants in each area meet regularly to re- view and modify the plan in response to internal and external developments. In the academic environment the scanning function is usually performed by an office of institutional research. The most promi- nent strategic planning examples in the li- brary community are the efforts of ALA, ACRL, and the Public Library Associa- tion. SOCIAL CHANGE, NEW TECHNOLOGIES, AND THE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT It is widely recognized that evolving in- formation technologies will have a pro- found effect upon academic libraries in the next ten to fifteen years. However, less at- tention has been given to other social, eco- nomic, institutional, and political forces in forecasting the future of academic libraries in the electronic information environ- ment. It is a central argument of this article that external, nontechnological develop- ments must be addressed if instruction for future information needs is to be ade- quate. In order to illustrate the potential impact of external variables, a rudimen- tary environmental scan has been per- formed. The implications of this scan are considered at the end of this section, and appropriate instructional responses to the scan are suggested in the conclusion. For present purposes, an academic li- brary is conducting the scan. Ten environ- mental factors pertinent to the library's in- structional mission will be examined in this section-population, home, schools, Bibliographic Instruction 439 work and income, governmental support, information industry, public libraries, higher education, scholarly communica- tion, and new information technologies. The scan illustrates the range of external factors that may affect library instruction. It is not exhaustive, so such low- probability, high-impact factors as ther- monuclear war, desertification, depletion of Earth's ozone layer, and rapid melting of the polar ice cap have been omitted. The selected factors have a real, if not an obvi- ous, impact upon the information envi- ronment. Technology is treated as one among many environmental influences in order to emphasize the importance of the other social forces, often neglected in the library literature, in determining the shape of the coming information environ- ment. Factor 1: Population In Academic Strategy, George Keller pro- jected a 25 percent decline in the tradi~ tional college-age population between 1979 and 1994. 40 The magnitude of this de- cline will vary from state to state, but it will be greatest in the Northeast and Midwest. Rhode Island will experience the largest drop, projected to be 49 percent. 41 Growth in this age group, as in the general popula- tion, will be greatest in the Sun Belt states ranging from Virginia to California. More recently, John Budd and David Robinson used National Center for Educa- tional Statistics data to predict that higher education enrollment would decline 5.4 percent between 1984 and 1993. They an- ticipated the greatest change at the under- graduate level, where a 7 percent decline would follow an increase of 42 percent in the 1970s. Slight increases were projected in the over-twenty-five, part-time, first graduate degree, and professional catego- ries.42 The United States is also experiencing a significant change in the ethnic and racial composition of its population, with new immigrants coming p~imarily from Third World countries, while existing Hispanic, black, and Asian groups are growing faster than the Caucasian population. With 4.3 million legal immigrants and 7 440 College & Research Libraries million illegal aliens entering the country in the 1970s, colleges will be accommodat- ing a more heterogeneous group of stu- dents with diverse cultural, linguistic, and social backgrounds. 43 The implications of these demographic trends have not been lost on academic ad- ministrators, who have escalated their re- cruitment campaigns. These efforts have been successful, and total enrollment has stabilized at approximately twelve million students. 44 Though some institutions have lowered admission standards, enrollment stabilization has been achieved primarily through student recruitment outside the traditional college-age population and concentrated efforts at student retention. Assumptions about age-group homoge- neity will become less valid as a more cul- turally diverse student body enters col- lege. Factor 2: Home Environment Domestic life has changed profoundly in the past twenty-five years. Most nota- ble is the sharp increase in single-parent families and in families in which both par- ents work outside the home. Day-care centers have brought structure to the lives of many children, but the long-term effect of contemporary child-rearing practices upon the social and educational develop- ment of children is still an unresolved question in educational research. 45 1t is an- ticipated that an increasing percentage of freshmen will be former latchkey children and children from single-parent homes. The invasion of the home by visual en- tertainment media is likewise a major de- velopment in childhood socialization. Re- searchers have consistently found that children today read less and watch televi- sion more than did their counterparts twenty years ago, and a specialized jour- nal (Television and Families) has been de- voted to this subject. The rapid penetra- tion of home and school environments by the videocassette recorder (VCR) in recent years will reinforce this preference for pas- sive, visual entertainment. A third revolution in the home environ- ment is the presence of the microcom- puter. As ofJanuary 1986, 19 percent of all September 1987 American homes had a niicrocomputer, and an increasing number had acquired a modem. 46 However, computing resources are distributed inequitably. Although tele- vision commercials have exaggerated the impact, there will probably be a widening technological literacy gap between stu- dents who have home computers and those who do not. The potential for a sig- nificant gender gap also exists, because 93 percent of current home-computer users are male. 47 Factor 3: Schools and Learning During the past twenty years, elemen- tary and secondary schools have experi- enced steady decline in the quality of in- struction due to low teacher pay and prestige, retirement or resignation of many excellent teachers, higher-paying careers opening for women and increased discipline problems. One result of deterio- rating school performance has been an in- crease, to twenty-seven million, in the number of illiterate adults in the United States. This is a social problem with grave long-term implications in a country where basic literacy, not to mention technologi- cal competence, will be a sine qua non for effective participation in the information society. 11 Growing societal dissatisfaction with the schools' direction crystal- lized in 1983 with the publication of A Nation at Risk." Growing societal dissatisfaction with the schools' direction crystallized in 1983 with the publication of A Nation at Risk, the report of the National Commission on Ex- cellence in Education. Five "new basics" were emphasized in this blue-ribbon pan- el's report including instruction in com- puter science enabling high school gradu- ates to (a) understand the computer as an information, computation and communication device; (b) use the computer in the study of the other ba- sics and for personal and work-related pur- poses; and (c) understand the world of com- puters, electronics and related technologies. 48 In fact, the schools had already antici- pated the need for computer competen- cies, and the number of schools with at least one microcomputer had increased from 18.2 percent in 1981 to 92.2 percent in 1985.49 Thus, academic institutions will ex- perience a corresponding rise in the com- puter competencies of entering freshmen in the next few years. Frequently, school libraries are becom- ing repositories for microcomputer labora- tories, and many have acquired online cat- alog and/or circulation systems. Many school libraries have also introduced on- line database searching. This activity has increased geometrically since librarian in- termediary searching was introduced in Mon~omery County, Maryland, in 1976. The first reported end-user training for high school students occurred at Rad- nor High School (Pennsylvania) in 1980.51 As of April1987, nearly 1,600 educational institutions, approximately half of them high schools, had enrolled in Dialog's classroom instruction program. That total represents an increase of 700 participants since January 1986. 52 BRS and Wilsonline also have active classroom pro~ams for instructional access in schools.5 Students graduating from schools with online cata- logs and database services will have higher expectations for information tech- nologies than many of their classmates. Factor 4: Work and Income In the best-selling book Megatrends, John Naisbitt observes that we are moving from an industrial society to a knowledge- based, information society. 54 For workers in many basic industries, this shift has meant that high-paying jobs lost to auto- mation and foreign competition have been replaced by lower-paying service jobs, in- cluding some in cottage industries. The physical barriers between work and home have also become blurred with the rise of telecommuting. On the other hand, and paradoxically, a trend toward a shorter work week offers more time for leisure activities. While the average employee may have more time to engage in personal information seeking, Bibliographic Instruction 441 he or she will have fewer resources to pay for fee-based services. These services, in turn, 1:1re expected to proliferate and in many cases will replace print products. Factor 5: Information and Government The future role of government in infor- mation dissemination remains uncertain. It is clear, however, that the Reagan ad- ministration has created a political agenda that emphasizes shrinking the federal government and shifting many govern- mental activities to the states or the private sector. The American Library Association has repeatedly opposed administration initiatives to eliminate funding for major library programs; reduce government publication activities (OMB Circular A- 130); "privatize" government informa- tion; create a ''sensitive but unclassified'' category for some federal documents; end revenue sharing and the deductibility of state and local taxes (a prime financial sup- port for local education); limit data collec- tion and access; contract out federal li- braries to private firms; and discourage development of a national information policy. Although the long-term impact of the Reagan "revolution" upon the infor- mation environment remains to be seen, it is likely that the federal government will be less active in this area as efforts to meet Gramm-Rudman-Hollings' deficit reduc- tion targets continue and the administra- tion's antigovernment bias lingers. The impact of reduction in federal sup- port for education and libraries will vary by state. In low-income, low-tax base states such as West Virginia, where fed- eral revenue sharing dollars have ac- counted for 22 percent of local contribu- tions to public library funding, the effect will be profound. One West Virginia county has lost public library service alto- gether, while others have closed tempo- rarily, as limited funds are dedicated to police and fire protection and other ''ba- sic" services. 55 Unless alternative sources of funding are developed, students from poorer states will become increasingly dis- advantaged in exposure to both tradi- tional library resources and new informa- tion technologies. Other states, such as Minnesota, have saturated their schools 442 College & Research Libraries with computers, while Tennessee has pio- neered in the use of teacher merit pay to upgrade the quality of elementary and secondary education. The support of education and libraries by local government will vary according to local tax bases, community income, voter support for bond issues, and local elite preferences. Although many school li- braries have benefited from Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 2 funds, direction of these federal monies to library/media centers has been very uneven since block grants replaced thirty-one categorical grant pro- grams in 1982. ECIA will need to be reau- thorized by Congress in 1987, and the amount of funds reaching school libraries will depend on the disbursement provi- sions set by Congress. 56 Intrastate differ- ences in preparing students for the infor- mation society will continue to grow as students from affluent, education- oriented districts receive the best precol- lege training in information retrieval skills. Factor 6: Information Industry Structure The most significant trend in the infor- mation industry, in addition to the devel- opment of consumer-oriented informa- tion services, such as The Source and CompuServe, has been its inexorable movement toward economic concentra- tion. For example, Canada's International Thomson Organization has acquired Car- rollton Press (producer of the REMARC database), Gale Research Company, and Utlas, giving it a firm foothold in the pro- duction of machine-readable biblio- graphic records, reference materials, and online library systems. Aggressive private publishers, such as Elsevier and Perga- mon, are taking over society publications, university presses, and database vendors such as SDC while actively denouncing federal information programs as "unfair competition.'' Conventional publishing houses such as McGraw-Hill and Macmil- lan have developed electronic publishing divisions that produce computer software in addition to books and journals. Bell and Howell, a major producer of microform September 1987 readers, has taken over University Micro- films, a major producer of microform products, which in turn, has acquired Data Courier, an important vendor of · business and pharmaceutical databases. Reed Publishing, which has advocated privatization of the National Technical In- formation Service, has purchased Cahners, the new publisher of Library Journal. These trends toward both horizontal and vertical integration of the information industry are harbingers of reduced com- petition, higher prices, increasing reliance on fee-based services, and the domination of the information sector by organizations - whose primary concern is profit, rather than dissemination of knowledge. 11The overarching technological question in the information industry is the long-term result of the shake- out between print and online pub- lishing.'' Factor 7: Technology and Access The overarching technological question in the information industry is the long- term result of the shakeout between print and online publishing. Reporting on a Delphi study, F. Wilfrid Lancaster pre- dicted in 1982 that 25 percent of all refer- ence books would be available only in electronic form by 1990, that 50 percent of all technical reports would be accessible only in machine-readable form by 1995, that 25 percent of all journals would be published exclusively in electronic form by 2000, and that fully 50 percent of all ab- stracting/indexing services would be un- available in print by 2000. 57 He also pre- . dieted that the "migration from print" would occur first in the literatures of sci- ence and technology, followed by the so- cial sciences, the humanities, and finally, popular literature. 58 In 1985 he contended that many of his earlier projections about the "paperless" society were already be- ing confirmed by technological develop- ments. 59 Other developments that will affect ac- cess to information are library automa- tion, telecommunications advances, im- provements in computer hardware, links between computer systems, "intelligent" searching software, direct document de- livery, optical disk technology, desktop publishing, and electronic document databases. Given the extensive coverage of new technologies in the library, com- puter, and higher education literatures, and the overview purposes of this envi- ronmental scan, in-depth consideration of individual technologies is not needed · here. Factor 8: Public Libraries The public library has long provided ac- cess to both materials and information for most adults who have completed formal education. It can be anticipated that well- funded, innovative public libraries will thrive as they meet new demands and adapt to the electronic environment. The Pike's Peak Library, which serves as an online information center for the Colorado Springs community, may be regarded as the prototype of the future. 60 Less-affluent public libraries, on the other hand, may be forced to reduce hours, acquisitions, and services while confronting a new set of demands Bener- ated by the electronic environment. Such libraries will become increasingly mar- ginal for their technologically literate pa- trons, and private vendors may step in to fulfill unmet needs. As their visibility re- cedes, private-sector competitors emerge, federal support diminishes, and pub- lishers challenge government's informa- tion activities, many of these public li- braries may disappear. Factor 9: Higher Education Academic libraries must be sensitive to changes in the institutional environment and in the teaching, research, and service missions of their parent institutions. De- mographic and curricular change, university-industry partnerships, the "wiring" of the campus for local area net- works (LANs) and remote computer ac- cess, and possible library/computer center mergers are the most sign~icant areas for Bibliographic Instruction 443 library administrators and instruction li- brarians to monitor. Keller reported that 40 percent of all col- lege students in 1980 were enrolled part- time, while 36 percent of the student body was over the age of 25. 62 Extension ana evening/weekend instruction, whether delivered on campus, by traveling faculty members, through computer-assisted in- struction, or via satellite and microwave links, is likely to become increasingly im- portant for reaching nontraditional stu- dents. The number of international students in American institutions has increased dra- matically, from 145,000 in 1970 to 321,000 in 1982. Their impact has been especially noticeable in applied disciplines such as agriculture and engineering. In 1980 for- eign students accounted for 33 percent of the enrollment in these disciplines. 63 Since 1981 more than 50 percent of all U.S. doc- torates in these fields were awarded to for- eign students. 64 It should also be noted that the number of students from China is likely to rise. Thus, nontraditional stu- dents, whether older or of foreign origins, will comprise an increasingly large pro- portion of enrollment as we move toward the 1990s. Curricular change in recent years has re- flected societal perceptions of opportunity and educational need. Disciplines that provide knowledge directly relevant to postcollege employment, such as busi- ness administration, computer science, and engineering, have experienced signif- icant growth. A shift toward cultural con- servatism by students has also stimulated enrollment growth in most applied disci- plines. Federal sponsorship has long been a vi- tal stimulus to university research. 65 Col- leges have also benefited from federal support, which expanded into other disci- plines and academic environments after the war. The current recession of federal involvement in higher education, how- ever, has underscored the importance of academic relationships with private in- dustry and business funding sources. Though Robert Rosenzweig and others have written extensively about emerging university-industry relationships in re- 444 College & Research Libraries cent years, only a few writers address library-business relationships. 66 Progressive academic institutions have adopted campus computing strategies, in- cluding automation priorities and vendor purchasing guidelines. Some such as Carnegie-Mellon, Drexel, and Drew, have also mandated that incoming students ac- quire a specific make of microcomputer. 67 In addition to library databases, many files are already maintained by campus com- puter centers, research institutes, aca- demic departments, and university ad- ministrations. The IAIMS (Integrated Academic Information Management Sys- tem) concept advanced by Nina Matheson and Patricia Battin directly addresses the issue of decentralized databases in a wired campus environment. 68 Provision of cam- puswide access to local information sys- tems · offers many opportunities for library-computer center collaboration. The wired campus can provide en- hanced access to both local online and ex- ternal databases and electronic messaging systems. 69 Computer centers already make connections to outside systems through Telenet, Tymnet, Bitnet, Compu- Serve, The Source and other services, as do academic departments and individual faculty members. Factor 10: Scholarly Communication Patterns A final environmental factor that influ- ences the instructional mission is the evo- lution of scholarly communication sys- tems in the electronic environment. Academic libraries have traditionally provided access to the formal communica- tion systems of academic disciplines through catalogs, abstracting and index- ing services, and bibliographies. These print-based services are now comple- mented by a multitude of online files whose users are developing a whole set of new information-seeking behaviors. Informal communication systems such as Price's "invisible colleges" have been largely neglected by instruction librarians, though they are well-documented in stud- ies of scholarly communication. 70 Informal communication systems have flourished in the past through conventional channels September 1987 such as letters, telephone calls, and face- to-face discussions at professional confer- ences. Advances in computer and tele- communications technologies will profoundly influence the future structure and importance of invisible colleges. 71 In fact, preliminary evidence of this transfor- mation is already available. Scholars can now submit manuscripts to publishers on flexible disks, and there is no reason to assume that telefacsimile, electronic file transfer, and other technol- ogies will not be used similarly in the fu- ture. Electronic manuscript delivery is merely a format change at one stage of the publication process, not a radical depar- ture from existing scholarly communica- tion systems. However, computer con- ferencing, electronic publication data- bases, and desktop publishing will pose formidable problems for bibliographic control in traditional systems. "Computer conferencing should greatly streamline the scholarly com- munication process.'' Computer conferencing should greatly streamline the scholarly communication process, as both ideas and manuscript drafts can be reviewed interactively with colleagues at distant sites prior to their submission for publication. The primary drawback of this method will be the con- tinued insulation of these communica- tions from colleagues outside ·the invisible college who might offer useful sugges- tions on work in progress or benefit from the ideas themselves. Electronic databases mounted by indi- vidual institutions or consortia will also permit scholars to examine research in progress. 72 If depositing finished docu- ments permanently in such systems be- comes an academically acceptable form of publication, important new databases will be created outside existing bibliographic control systems. Desktop publications, finally, may prove to be the most elusive documents of all, since their existence will not be known until they are incorporated into standard bibliographic sources, such as the OCLC Union Catalog. As new technologies are used more widely, information overload is likely to affect scholars and students, and quality control will be difficult to maintain, given both the capability for searching remote databases and the cur- rent completion rate of 7,000 scientific arti- "' des per day. 73 Summary While not necessarily exhaustive, these ten factors illustrate the breadth and im- portance of environmental scanning for future instructional planning efforts. De- " velopments in these areas carry enormous implications for higher education. and aca- demic libraries and for society at large. They must be actively addressed in in- struction programs if we are to prepare our students and faculty for effective life- long functioning in the electronic informa- tion environment. Instruction for lifelong learning must convey the fluidity of the information en- vironment; cover key institutional sources of information, e.g., public library, private vendors, and government; and suggest strategies for maximizing retrieval while minimizing cost. Perhaps most impor- tantly, instructional planning must take into account changes in scholarly com- munication and in the higher-education environment itself. As electronic and in- formal communication channels gain im- portance, it will be the librarians' task to promote these systems and teach users how to access and manipulate them. Higher education will be transformed significantly by four factors: (1) rise in nontraditional and foreign student enroll- ment; (2) growing use of computer and telecommunications technologies for re- search, teaching, and service; (3) expan- sion of vocational curricula to attract an employment-conscious student body; and ( 4) development of academic- industrial partnerships. Meeting the instructional needs of non- traditional students will require flexible scheduling to permit instruction during evening and weekend hours. Instruc- Bibliographic Instruction 445 tiona! delivery to off-campus sites requires librarians at Central Michigan University and the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies to travel extensively. Another op- tion is the development of instructional packages for remote delivery via satellite, microwave, or computer-assisted instruc- tion. The needs of foreign students may best be met by early contact, preferably in small groups, during campus orientation programs. Such students will be an in- creasing target of university recruitment efforts during the next decade, and both imagination and a certain amount of spe- cialization will be required to meet their needs. With the growing use of new technolo- gies, librarians need to know the uses of these technologies and educate campus administrators and faculty on their poten- tial. The new technologies can deliver in- struction to remote sites (on and off cam- pus), search local and distant databases, transfer files electronically, and transmit discrete bits of data or whole documents directly to the library or the end-user. It is important that key decision makers do not perceive the library as a self-contained warehouse when LAN and off-campus delivery decisions are made. Library/com- puter center mergers give one indication of how libraries may evolve. 74 The shift in curricular emphasis is par- ticularly important for diverse groups of students, such as freshman English classes, where academic major-related in- struction may be more effective than liter- ary or general fact-finding exercises. Es- tablishing the library's relevance to personal information needs is particularly ~portant at this stage of a student's ca- reer. If the habit of systematic online searching is not established early, it is likely that the student will rely on informal contacts or be misled by the potential of electronic database searching after gradu- ation. Finally, two slightly different aspects of industry/higher education relationships have significant implications for academic libraries and their instructional mission. First, because access to private funding depends heavily on the quality of a uni- versity's faculty and its research, libraries 446 College & Research Libraries should develop local collections to sup- port industrial-academic research ven- tures and expand faculty instruction in the identification and use of appropriate ac- cess tools. Second, publicity about library re- sources should be sent to both corporate and small business representatives. Li- brary resources permitting, this effort could include publicity about fee-based in- formation delivery programs, such as the Michigan Information Transfer Service or Carnegie-Mellon's PLAID. This type of in- structional effort will solidify industry- university relationships and contribute to local, state, and regional economic devel- opment. In addition to strengthening the institution in its quest for private sector support, it will also enhance the library's position within the university or college and may stimulate private financial sup- port for the library. ELECTRONIC INFORMATION, PATRONS, AND THE ACADEMIC LIBRARY: TOWARD A 11DESIRED FUTURE" The advent of distributed, electronic ac- cess to information presents enormous opportunities and significant risks for the information consumer as well as the li- brary. Among the benefits are greater ac- cess for some (the technologically literate and affluent), the ability to exert greater control over one's own searching, 75 computer-age receptivity to innovative uses of technology, and the chance to ex- pand searching skills over time as computer-based systems are used regu- larly. The risks of the electronic environment may be less apparent to patrons, though librarians should be acutely sensitive to them. These risks include (1) erosion of the formal communication system and its supporting bibliographic apparatus, with increasing reliance on informal, electronic communications; (2) emergence of signifi- cant gaps in the information structure of various disciplines; and (3) user ignorance of relevant databases, the content of such databases, and the shortcomings of their search strategies. Artificial intelligence and generalized "front ends" may allevi- September 1987 11lnstruction librarians should also be aware of the long-term social con- sequences of Lancaster's 'migration from print on paper.' '' ate some of the technical problems of end- user searching, but instruction librarians have an ongoing responsibility to educate their patron~ in the deficiencies, as well as the capabilities, of the new information technologies. Instruction librarians should also be aware of the long-term social conse- quences of Lancaster's ''migration from print on paper.' ' 76 Wl1ile some types of in- formation will certainly remain available in print, others will be produced in elec- tronic form only from the outset and still others will be available in both formats (parallel publishing) during a transitional period. Electronic information services will normally be fee-based. Librarians should obtain search subsidies, instruct patrons in cost minimization, and teach them to use print alternatives. Patrons should be made aware of the potential for gaps in long-maintained data files and the existence of alternative sources for data that have been collected but not published. Data gaps will become an increasingly significant instructional concern as academic libraries provide ac- cess to machine-readable files. A third potential development is the substitution of computerized file brows- ing for conventional reading or scanning of books and journals by affluent and tech- nologically sophisticated information us- ers. Concern has been expressed that by relying on electronic database searches, students may miss the enriching educa- . tional experience of browsing through bibliographies, footnotes, printed in- dexes, and library stacks. 77 However, as Joseph Raben has noted, online files pro- vide the opportunity for a broader and more focused form of browsing: In the existence of online encyclopedias, for ex- ample, lies a possibility for encouraging stu- dents to follow individual lines of inquiry, not only within subjects but across them. Such stu- dents, truly browsing and selecting informa- tion that links with already required knowl- edge, may not be only educating themselves in particular subjects, but also learning the most important skill-how to acquire knowledge. 78 Studies are needed to determine the effec- tiveness of selective online browsing and SDI services versus conventional scan- ning or reading, but we can anticipate that new, more powerful types of online browsing will refine and enhance the ex- perience of ''learning the literature.'' The process may change, but the idea- generating potential of online searching is far greater than that of print indexes with- out any real sacrifice of the potential for serendipitous discovery. Studies of actual use of all types of elec- tronic information systems are also needed. Knowledge of how users interact with online systems will enable us to iden- tify areas where instructional refinement is needed and learn alternative search methods from patrons' coping strategies. Findings from such studies should be in- corporated into instructional methods for online information consumers. Feedback from use studies should also be given to system designers. In defining the appropriate library re- sponse for the transition to the electronic information era, we must first ask the fun- damental question, What is our business? Naisbitt cites the railroad industry, which belatedly recognized that it is in the trans- portation (not railroad) business, as a prime example of institutional failure to adjust its mission statement as new trans- portation technologies evolved. 79 In their book In Search of Excellence, Peters and Wa- terman advise businesses to ''stick to the knitting,'' to focus on activities they know best rather than diversifying beyond their span of knowledge and competency. 80 A good definition of academic libraries' business would incorporate both sets of advice. It is tempting, in an era when computer use is increasing rapidly and is at least tac- itly linked to organizational relevance in popular understanding, to seize every op- portunity to acquire and use microcom- puters in support of higher education ac- Bibliographic Instruction 447 tivities. Appealing as these opportunities may be for pursuing institutional goals and altering traditional perceptions of the library, they ultimately divert human and material resources from the library's cen- tral mission. The mission can be defined quite simply as the provision of intellectual and physical access to information and knowl- edge. Instructing users to access informa- tion, both inside and outside the library and regardless of format, is a goal whose achievement is central to the library's con- tinuing mission. Instruction in microcom- puter use, however, is analagous to in- struction in writing and reading skills, two tasks libraries have properly avoided de- spite their obvious relevance to the use of printed materials. With the pervasive ex- citement over computer and telecommu- nications technologies, however, we may forget that new technologies are merely instruments for attaining that larger goal and not ends in themselves. If we are to provide relevant instruction for the elec- tronic age, we must retain that distinction and not make long-term commitments to roles peripheral to the library's mission, such as microcomputer instruction. In addition to focusing clearly on the li- brary's mission, goals and objectives, in- struction librarians must also develop reg- ular channels of communication with school, public, and special librarians. The recent Carnegie Commission report, Col- lege: The Undergraduate Experience in Amer- ica, has emphasized the transition from high school to college as a major '' discon- tinuity" adversely affecting undergradu- ate education. 81 The report also directly addresses the library's instructional role: All undergraduates should be introduced care- fully to the full range of resources for learning on a campus. They should be given biblio- graphic instruction and be encouraged to spend at least as much time in the library-using its wide range of resources-as they spend in class. 82 Contact with school librarians is essential for knowing the information retrieval background of incoming freshman. As secondary schools rapidly add database searching services, provide extensive ex- posure to microcomputers, and acquire automated catalog and circulation sys- 448 College & Research Libraries terns, the information retrieval sophistica- tion of incoming freshmen will be chang- ing significantly from one year to the next. Similarly, school librarians should be aware of the information environment awaiting their college-bound students so that appropriate preparatory training can be given. However, we must also be pre- pared to address the needs of students from ''have-not'' districts and to maintain a dialogue with their librarians as well. "Communication with public librar- ians is vital in preparing students for postcollege information retrieval and in understanding the post-high school information background of many returning, nontraditional stu- dents." Communication with public librarians is vital in preparing students for postcollege information retrieval and in understand- ing the post-high school information background of many returning, non- traditional students. Whether they even- tually settle into an affluent, progressive community like Colorado Springs or a poorer town with an underfunded public library (or none at all!), our students will need to be aware of the public library as a vital, evolving alternative to fee-based ser- vices marketed directly to the end-user. Knowledge of public library services is also essential for comprehending the post-high school information experiences of nontraditional students, whether or not they have actually used public libraries. Nontraditional students are also likely to appreciate the information potential of the public library, having experienced real-life information dilemmas. Familiarity with trends in special li- braries is likewise imperative, since many students going into a corporate, govern- mental, or legal environment will have ac- cess to their unique (and often proprie- tary) resources. Appreciation of change in the information environment, the services September 1987 provided by special libraries, and the value and ease of access to information for decision making will be particularly useful for both traditional and nontraditional students anticipating careers in these ar- eas. The other nontraditional cohort, the in- ternational group, presents a more diffi- cult long-term planning problem. In addi- tion to having language and cultural difficulties, foreign students come from national information environments rang- ing from very advanced to primitive. Be- cause most international students in the United States come from Third World countries that represent an increasingly important institutional market, it is appro- priate that instruction librarians acquire at "" least a general knowledge of library ser- vices in the less-developed countries (LDCs). This knowledge may be acquired through courses in comparative librarian- ship, programs at library conferences, or through individual study. While familiar- ity with 130 + national library systems is clearly not a realistic expectation, some knowledge of general patterns in Third World library systems, including present and future access to major database and document delivery services, is imperative if we intend to prepare foreign students as well as their American peers for lifelong learning. ! Implicit in this discussion of communi- cation with nonacademic libraries is the assumption that environmental factors must be scanned not as discrete, isolated phenomenon, but as elements of a larger, holistic information environment. Just as it is essential that our response to change include linkages with other types of li- braries, it is also vital that we appreciate the complex interrelationships among so- cial, political, and economic changes in the information environment. Too often we assume that technology is the sole driving force behind developments in the information sector. By ignoring other en- vironmental influences, however, we can · neither anticipate and understand changes in the information environment nor give our students a truly adequate conceptual preparation. Viewed from this perspective, an effec- tive, evolving instruction program is an essential objective for achieving the strate- gic goal of user training appropriate for the information age. Such a program should ideally be progressive and cumula- tive. It should build on prior experience and initial instruction for local information systems eventually to impart: (1) an un- derstanding of formal and informal com- munication systems; (2) familiarity with the tools and strategies needed to access those systems; and (3) awareness of the inevitability of change and its likely direc- tion as new technologies emerge and so- cial, political, and economic conditions evolve. The learning outcome should be a thorough grounding in information or- ganization/retrieval concepts and print/ online searching skills appropriate for life- long learning in varied work and living en- vironments during an era of constant, rapid change. If such a program is to be developed, it is essential that instructional objectives be incorporated explicity into the long-range planning process of the library. Specific information competencies, such as the Colorado Library Association's ''informa- tion literacy'' goals, should be adopted as program targets. 83 Administrative sup- port, both human and material, must be increased if instructional aims are to be achieved. Program performance should be reviewed regularly through post- testing and long-term feedback. Learning objectives should be modified as informa- tion technologies and institutional curric- ula change. The adoption of an activity name more reflective of the new environ- ment, such as ''information instruction,'' could direct academic librarians toward a new set of objectives. The form and scope of the library's plan- ning for information instruction will sig- nificantly affect its future role on the wired campus as well. At best, it can become a thriving communication node, respond- ing to changing information needs and an- ticipating new social and technological de- velopments. The Pike's Peak Library and the !AIMS concept can be regarded as trailblazing efforts in that direction. At worst, the library may become a print re- Bibliographic Instruction 449 pository, abdicating responsibility for pro- viding and teaching access to machine- readable files and other online, ''non-library'' information to departmen- tal data libraries, consumer utilities, and campus computer centers. These organi- zations are the library's natural competi- tors in the electronic environment, our fre- quent and desirable collaboration notwithstanding. If a passive stance is adopted, the traditional library will sink slowly into the post-Gutenberg obscurity predicted by Lancaster. 84 By adopting ''information literacy'' as one of its strategic goals, the library will encourage a significant redefinition of its role on campus. First, it will enhance cam- pus perceptions of the library as a perma- nent, indispensable resource whose mis- sion is to provide access to information and knowledge in any format. Second, by focus- ing upon lifelong information competen- cies as an instructional goal, the library will demonstrate a clear capacity for useful adaptation to environmental change. Third and most important, the library will gain visibility on campus by proving its ef- fectiveness in providing access to informa- tion and may, as a result, command a larger share of institutional resources. If librarians do not apply their biblio- graphic and instructional skills to training for electronic era information retrieval, their institutions and patrons will suffer. As Bob Dylan observed in a somewhat dif- ferent context, ''He who gets hurt will be he who has stalled. " 85 The first step to- ward effective instruction for the elec- tronic environment is to recognize infor- mation literacy as a central goal in the long-range planning process. A clear statement of instruction objectives for a ''desired future,'' one far broader than de- velopment of course-related and course- integrated instruction, must also be for- mulated. Our students are preparing for a future in which change will be constant and often unsettling. It is our responsibil- ity, as academic librarians, to provide them with the conceptual framework and skill base they will need to exploit the in- formation environment and thus avoid becoming its ''peasants.'' 450 College & Research Libraries September 1987 REFERENCES AND NOTES 1. Harlan Cleveland, "Educating for the Information Society," Change 17:21 Ouly/Aug. 1985). 2. Ibid., p.21. 3. Ibid., p.20. 4. George Shea, "The Information Explosion," USAir, 6:42-44, 51-54, 71-79 Ouly 1984). 5. Ibid., p.51, 72. 6. Ibid., p.51. 7. William M. Kutik, "The Knowledge Network," Eastern Review: The Magazine of Eastern Airlines, May 1986, p.97. "' 8. Ibid., p.99. 9. Anthony Smith, Goodbye Gutenberg: The Newspaper Revolution of the 1980s (New York: Oxford Univ. Pr., 1980). 10. Judith Axler Turner, "Campus Libraries Seen Threatened by Other Sources of Information," Chronicle of Higher Education 31:30 (Dec. 4, 1985). 11. Ibid., p.30. 12. Elizabeth Frick, "Information Structure and Bibliographic Instruction," Journal of Academic Librari- anship 1:12-14 (Sept. 1975); Thelma Friedes, Literature and Bibliography of the Social Sciences (Los Angeles: Melville, 1973); Sharon Rogers, "Research Strategies: Bibliographic Instruction for Un- dergraduates," Library Trends 29:69-81 (Summer 1980); Cerise Oberman and Rebecca Linton, "Guided Design: Teaching Library Research on Problem Solving," p.111-34 in Cerise Oberman and Katina Strauch, eds., Theories of Bibliographic Education (New York: Bowker, 1982). 13. Dorice L. Horne, "Teaching Microcomputer Applications in the Library," Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science 12:23.,..25 (Oct.-Nov. 1985); Wayne Wilson, "Computer-Assisted In- struction in an Academic Library," Information Technology and Libraries 2:389-93 (Dec. 1983). 14. Betsy Baker, "A Conceptual Framework for Teaching Online Catalog Use," Journal of Academic Librarianship 12:90-96 (May 1986); Brian Nielsen, "What They Say and What They Do: Assessing Online Catalog Use Instruction through Transaction Monitoring," Information Technology and Li- braries 5:28-35 (Mar. 1986). 15. Evan Ira Farber, "Catalog Dependency," Library Journal 109:325-28 (Feb. 15, 1984); David R. Mc- Donald and Susan E. Searing, ''Bibliographic Instruction and the Development of Online Cata- logs," College & Research Libraries 44:5-11 Oan. 1983). 16. Fern Brody and Marilyn Whitmore, "Microcomputer Searching Laboratory: An Experiment in End-User Searching," Poster session at American Library Association Annual Conference, New York, June 28, 1986. 17. Susan Swords Steffen, "College Faculty Goes Online: Training Faculty End Users," Journal of Aca- demic Librarianship 12:147-51 Ouly 1986); Linda Friend, "Independence at the Terminal: Training Student End Users to Do Online Literature Searching," Journal of Academic Librarianship 11:136-41 Ouly 1985). For a discussion of the librarian's role as search consultant, see Abigail Hubbard and Barbara WUson, "An Integrated Information Management Program ... Defining a New Role for Librarians in Helping End-Users," Online 10:15-23 (Mar. 1986). 18. Connie Miller and Patricia Tegler, "Online Searching and the Research Process," College & Re- search Libraries 47:370-73 Ouly 1986). 19. Fred F. Hofstetter, The Ninth Summative Report of the Office of Computer-Based Instruction (Newark: Univ. of Delaware, 1984)., p.122-24; Mitsuko Williams and Elizabeth B. Davis, "Evaluation of PLATO Library Instructional Lessons," Journal of Academic Librarianship 5:14-19 (Mar . 1979). 20. Susan M. Rawlins, "Technology and the Personal Touch: Computer-Assisted Instruction for Li- brary Student Workers," Journal of Academic Librarianship 8:26-29 (Mar. 1982); Louise Garraux Glo- goff, Barbara C. Dean, and Anne L. Highsmith, "Computer-Based Training Program for Catalog- ing Department Staff," Journal of Academic Librarianship 10:23-28 (Mar. 1984). 21. Patricia D. Arnott and Deborah E. Richards, "Using the ffiM Personal Computer for Library In- struction," Reference Services Review 13:69-72 (Spring 1985). 22. Susan S. Lytle, "Instructional Use of Microcomputers in a University Research Library," Poster session at American Library Association Annual Conference, Los Angeles, June 25, 1983. 23. Horne, "Teaching Microcomputer Applications"; see also Linda J. Piele, Judith Pryor, and Harold W. Tuckett, ''Teaching Microcomputer Literacy: New Roles for Academic Librarians,'' College & Research Libraries 47:374-78 Ouly 1986). Bibliographic Instruction 451 24. Harold B. Shill, "Computer-Based Education and the Academic Library," West Virginia Libraries 37:23-28 (Winter 1984). 25. Horne, "Teaching Microcomputer Applications"; Piele and others, "Teaching Microcomputer ,. Literacy''; Shill, ''Computer-Based Education.'' 26. Pamela Snelson, "Microcomputers in Academe: Challenges and Opportunities for Libraries," West Virginia Libraries 38:6-13 (Winter 1985); Lee David Jaffe, ''The Role of the Academic Library in Campus Microcomputer Services," Small Computers in Libraries 6:27-29 Gune 1986). 27. Roger Phillips, "A Public Access Videotex Library Service," Online 6:34-39 (Sept. 1982), describes contracting for and use of The Source, CompuServe, and Dow-Jones News Retrieval Service in the Wheaton College Library. 28. Kathryn W. Hickerson, ''Computer Network to Aid Engineers in Specifying Materials,'' Engineer- ~ ing Times, Feb. 1986, p.7. 29. See Ching-chih Chen and Peter Hernon, eds., Numeric Databases (Norwood, N. J.: Ablex, 1984) for an excellent overview of the statistical/numeric databases available and their importance to li- braries. 30. Trudi Bellardo and Judy Stephenson, "The Use of Online Numeric Databases in Academic Li- braries: A Report of a Survey," Journey of Academic Librarianship 12:152-57 Guly 1986). 31. Ibid., p.154. 32. Edwin Brownrigg, Clifford Lynch, and Mary Engle, "Technical Services in the Age of Electronic Publishing," Library Resources & Technical Services 28:59-67 Gan./Mar. 1984). Planning consider- ations for integrating print and electronic materials in library collections are addressed in Karen A. Schmidt, "Electronic Publishing and the Academic Library," Paper presented at the Library and Information Technology Association Conference, Baltimore, Sept. 19, 1983. 33. F. Wilfrid Lancaster, Libraries and Librarians in an Age of Electronics (Arlington, Va.: Information Resources Pr. 1982); F. W. Lancaster, "The Paperless Society Revisited," American Libraries 16:553-55 (Sept. 1985). 34. John C. Gale, "The Information Workstation: A Confluence of Technologies Including the CD- ROM," Information Technology and Libraries 4:137-39 Gune 1985). 35. Pamela Q. J. Andre, "Evaluating Laser Videodisc Technology for the Dissemination of Agricul- tural Information," Information Technology and Libraries 4:139-47 Gune 1985). 36. Victor Rosenberg, ''The Scholar's Workstation,'' College & Research Libraries News 46:546-49 (Nov. 1985). 37. Donald E. Riggs, Strategic Planning for Library Managers (Phoenix: Oryx, 1984); Elizabeth J. Wood, "Strategic Planning and the Marketing Process," Journal of Academic Librarianship 9:15-20 (Mar. 1983). 38. Robert J. Bassett and others, Report of the Study Group on Electronic Access to Information (Bethesda, Md.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 254 250, 1984); Colleen Cook and others, Future Information Services at the Texas A&M University Library: Background and Recommendations (Bethesda, Md.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 252 242, 1984). 39. James L. Morrison, William L. Renfro, and Wayne I. Boucher, Futures Research and the Strategic Planning Process: Implications for Higher Education, ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Research Report, no.9 (Washington, D.C.: Association for the Study of Higher Education, 1984), p.22-23. 40. George Keller, Academic Strategy: The Management Revolution ~n Higher Education (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Pr. 1983), p.12. 41. Ibid., p.12. 42. John M. Budd and David G. Robinson, "Enrollment and the Future of Academic Libraries," Li- brary Journal111:43-46 (Sept. 15, 1986). 43. Keller, p.13 . . 44. Carol Frances, "1986: Major Trends Shaping the Outlook for Higher Education," AAHE Bulletin 38:3 (Dec. 1985). 45. Deborah Burnett Strother, "Latchkey Children: The Fastest-Growing Special Interest Group in the Schools," Phi Delta Kappan 66:290-93 (Dec. 1984). 46. Constance Holden, "Will Home Computers Transform Schools?" Science 225:296 Guly 20, 1984). 47. Ibid., p.296. 48. U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educa- tion Reform: A Report to the Nation and to the Secretary of Education, U. S. Department of Education (Washington, D.C.: Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983), p.26. 49. Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1987, 107th ed. (Washington, D. C.: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 1987), p.132. 452 College & Research Libraries September 1987 50. Carol Tenopir, "Online Searching in Schools," Library Journal111:60 (Feb. 1, 1986). 51. AnneS. Caputo, "DIALOG in the School: Use of DIALOG's Classroom Instruction Program in Secondary Schools," Education Libraries 11:6 (Winter 1986); Bev Smith, "Student Searchers: Are They Out There?" Information Today 1:1-3 (Mar. 1984). 52. Telephone conversation with Anne Caputo, Dialog Information Services, Apr. 17, 1987. 53. Tenopir, p.60-61. 54. John Naisbitt, Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives (New York: Warner, 1982), p.11-38. 55. Legislative Report of the ALA Washington Office, January-June 1986 (Washington, D.C: American Li- brary Assn., 1986), p.22. 56. For a good discussion of the Chapter 2 program, see Anne F. Henderson, ''Chapter 2: For Better of Worse?" Phi Delta Kappan 67:597-601 (April1986). 57. Lancaster, Libraries and Librarians in an Age of Electronics, p.61. 58. Lancaster, "The Paperless Society ~evisited," p.554. 59. Ibid., p.555. 60. Kenneth Dowlin, The Electronic Library: The Promise and the Process (New York: Neal-Schuman, 1984). 61. Carlton Rochell, "Telematics-2001 A.D.," Library Journal107:1809-15 (Oct. 1, 1982). 62. Keller, p.14. 63. Ibid., p.13-14. 64. Elinor G. Barber and Robert P. Morgan, "The Impact of Foreign Graduate Students on Engineer- ing Education in the United States," Science 236:33-37 (Apr.3, 1987). 65. Charles Osburn, Academic Research and Library Resources: Changing Patterns in America (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1979), p.3-38. 66. Robert M. Rosenzweig with Barbara Turlington, The Research Universities and Their Patrons (Berke- ley: Univ. of California Pr ., 1982); Ellen McDonald, "University-Industry Partnerships: Premoni- tions for Academic Libraries," Journal of Academic Librarianship 11:82-87 (May 1985); Herbert S. White, "Public Libraries and the Political Process," Library Journal 111:49-51 Gune 15, 1986); W. Randall Wilson, "Partners in Economic Development," Library Journal111:32-34 (Mar. 15, 1986). 67. See John W. McCredie, ed., Campus Computing Strategies (Bedford, Mass.: Digital Pr. 1983). See also "The 'Star Wars' Universities: Carnegie-Mellon, Brown, andM.I.T.," inMarcL. Tucker, ed., "Computers on Campus: Working Papers," Current Issues in Higher Education no.2:3-24 (1983-84). 68. See Nina Matheson and John A. D. Cooper, "Academic Information in the Academic Health Sci- ences Center: Roles for the Library in Information Management, Part 2, '' Journal of Medical Educa- tion 57:1-93 (Oct. 1982); Patricia M. Battin, "The Library: Center ofthe Re-Structured University," in "Colleges Enter the Information Society," Current Issues in Higher Education no.1:25-31 (1983-84). 69. Linda Friend, "Access to External Databases: New Opportunities to Interface," Wilson Library Bul- letin 60:24-26 (Nov. 1985). 70. Derek J. de Solla Price, Little Science, Big Science New York: Columbia Univ. Pr. 1963); see also Diana Crane, Invisible Colleges: Diffusion of Knowledge in Scientific Communities (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 1972); and William D. Garvey, Communication, The Essence of Science: Facilitating Infor- mation Exchange among Librarians, Scientists, Engineers, and Students (New York: Pergamon Pr., 1979). 71. Lancaster, p.198; John Shelton Lawrence, The Electronic Scholar: A Guide to Academic Microcomput- ing (Norwood, N.J.: Ablex, 1984). 72. Starr Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Turoff, The Network Nation: Human Communication via Computer (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1978); Priscilla Oakeshott, "The 'BLEND' Experiment in Elec- tronic Publishing," Scholarly Publishing 17:25-36 (Oct. 1985). 73. Several years ago Naisbitt (Megatrends, p.24) estimated that 6,000-7,000 scientific articles are writ- ten daily. Fortunately, not all of them are published. For a discussion of user behaviors for avoid- ing information overload and of potential assistance librarians can provide, see Joel Rudd and Mary Jo Rudd, "Coping with Information Overload: User Strategies and Implications for Librari- ans," College & Research Libraries 47:315-22 Guly 1986). 74. Battin, "The Library"; Pat Molholt, "On Converging Paths: The Computer Center and the Li- brary," Journal of Academic Librarianship 11:284-88 (Nov. 1985); Raymond K. Neff, "Merging Li- braries and Computer Centers: Manifest Destiny or Manifestly Deranged? An Academic Services . Bibliographic Instruction 453 Perspective," EDUCOM Bullet.in, 20:12-16 (Winter 1985). 75. Smith, p.15-23. 76. Lancaster, Libraries and Librarians in an Age of Electronics, p.109-24. 77. Stephen K. Stoan, "Computer Searching: A Primer for the Uninformed Scholar," Academe 68:10-15 (Nov.-Dec. 1982). 78. Joseph Raben, "Advent of the Post-Gutenberg University," Academe 69:25-26 (Mar.-Apr. 1983). 79. Naisbitt, p.85-86. 80. Thomas J. Peters and Robert A. Waterman, In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies (New York: Warner, 1982). 81. Malcolm G. Scully, "Study Finds Colleges Tom by Divisions, Confused over Roles," Chronicle of Higher Education 38,no.1:1,16-21 (Nov. 5, 1986). 82. Ibid., p.21. 83. Patricia Senn Breivik, "Putting Libraries Back in the Information Society," American Libraries 16:723 (Nov.1985). 84. Lancaster, Libraries and Librarians in an Age of Electronics, p.151-67. 85. Bob Dylan, "The Times, They Are A-Changin'," (New York: M. Witmark, 1963). Computer& Mathematics Search~ W hen you log · on to Com- puter & Math - ematics Search, you can search nearly 400 key jour- nals in mathematics, com- puter science, statistics, operations research, and related fields. And you can locate hardware, software, and database reviews, along with articles on computer science and mathematics applications appearing in more than 6,000 additional journals in sci- ence, medicine, business, the social sci- ences, and the arts & humanities. Computer & Mathematics Search makes searching this literature fast and easy by offering a variety of access points to each item. Search by author name, author affilia- tion, title words, or cited references. Or search by Research Fronts to find the core literature of many research areas--even if you have no. specific author or title information. And because the file is updated biweekly, Computer & Mathe- matics Search gives you the most current computer and mathematics information available. Approximately 2, 100 items are added per biweekly update! For retro- spective searching, the file covers the lit- erature back to 1980. Log on to Computer & Mathematics Search. 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