Jim_Day.XSIS@xerox.com (02/23/91)
Unfortunately, automation of information storage and retrieval doesn't always improve its general accessibility. Yesterday, I visited the main library of one of the local universities for the purpose of checking some bibliographic references. Specifically, I wanted to look at Library of Congress card catalog data for several hundred books published between 1984 and 1990. The library had this kind of information, in book form, up to about 1982. I asked the reference librarian if there was anything more current. "Oh yes, " he replied. "We have it on machine-readable media." I then asked whether this information was available to students and other users of the library. "I`m sorry," he said. "That's just for the librarians." [This just goes to show that there's no technology that can't be abused, and will be, generally by those who are claiming most loudly to help you. Something we chould keep in mind as we develop more powerful technology... --JoSH]