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A~IDIC newsletter

ASSOCIATION OF INFORMATION AND DISSEMINATION CENTERS

Election Results

As mandated by the ASIDIC Constitution, elections were held at the Fall meeting. Two positions on the Executive Committee, Presi- dent and Member-at-Large, were up for re- election. The Nominating Committee, consist- ing of Bill Bartenbach (Engineering M o m - tion, bartenbach@einet . ei . org), Tom Hogan (Learned Wormation), and Miriam Chall (Sociological Abstracts), recommended that the two mcumbents, Maureen Kelly (BIO- SIS, biosis@cerf .net) for President and Randy Marcinko for Member-at-Large, be re- elected. No nominations were received at the meeting, so Maureen and Randy were unani- mously re-elected and congratulated.

Committee Reports

Executive: ASIDIC President Maureen Kelly reported the formation of a committee to study and update ASIDIC's Constitution and By- Laws. In particular, the qualifications for mem- bership have become dated. Tom Hogan will chair this committee. Treasurer: ASIDIC Treasurer Randy Mar- cinko reported that an excellent return was achieved by the recent record-settmg Spring meeting in Albuquerque; as a result, ASIDIC has received an income of approximately $10,000 so far this year, and reserves have grown to about $45,000. (The Long Range Planning Committee has been asked for recom- mendations as to appropriate uses for the re- serves.) Because of ASIDIC's excellent financial condition, meetmg fees have been capped at $200 for Members, $250 for Non- Members, and $85 for Guests. Membership

- The ASDIC Newsleiter is publ&ed by the Associatim of Infmnatim and Diseminaticn Centers, P. 0. Box 8105, Athens, GA 30603, phme (706)-5426820, Internet: jwebb@uga.cc.uga.edu, and edited by Dcnald T. Hawkins, AT&T, 55 Corporate Drive, Room 34B03, Bndgewata, NJ 08807,phme (908)658-2450, Intanet: dthkeattmail .con The opinicns eqresed herein mend to be ccnstrued as those of ASIDIC nor ofAT&T.

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dues will not be raised m 1995. Some h d s (up to $2000 per meeting) will be allocated for promotional activities in an effort to increase meeting attendance. Membership: Tom Hogan reported that five new members have joined ASIDIC since the last meeting, bringing the total to 57 Full Mem- bers and 24 Associate Members. The new members are listed m this Newsletter. Standards: Revisions to the 239.50 standard are m process, and balloting will occur soon. ASIDIC Members interested m this standard should contact Bruce KeiseL

Future Meetings

The Fall 1995 meeting will be held m San Fran- cisco, CA on October 1-3. Randy Marcinko will be local host. Orlando, FL is being consid- ered as the site for the Spring 1996 meeting.

President's Column by Maureen Kelly

Change and its impact on the information m- dustry continue to be important concerns for us. Of course, there's nothing new about this; mankind has always had to deal with change. Typically, we codkont change with ambiva- lence. Since what's known and familiar to us can be comfortable, we are sometimes inclined to avoid change, either by ignoring it, attempt- ing to thwart it, or simply waiting it out, hoping things will quickly get back to normal. On the other hand, we are fascinated by the unknown. Our curiosity drives us to explore and predict the future. We are eager to be the ones in the know. We seek out respected soothsayers and retain them to consult for us. We employ tech- nological Tarot cards and tea leaves to forecast business risks and opportunities. And we travel to seats of wisdom to listen to and learn iiom industry sages.

I've done my share of learning from industry sages and prognosticators this fa and I haven't even scratched the surfice of possibilities. I am overwhelmed by the breadth and scope of po- I t m t ; n l h r nenG.1 m - t L n m +hnt h-m L A A CWU-J UDWALU u w ~ u u f j ~ u l a L LUG U G U ~ UGIU

these days. Even USA TODAY (November 10) has warned me that rm "likely to fall behind on this information highway thing" if I did not keep up with the new boom m information highway-related conferences and trade shows.

Actually, I thought ASIDIC provided a very good opening for my fill meeting marathon, by cofionting change from a variety of

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perspectives. Here is a miscellany of advice I've picked up along my travels on how to man- age for change:

1. The electronic world cannot be dealt with as a linear expansion of the print world.

2. The Internet is more like an epidemic than a highway.

3, Valuable information can be found in unexpected places.

4. Be watchlid. Find time to read the comics.

5 . Examine the surprising success stories of others. Ask: "Who would have thought?" and 'What does it mean for me?"

6. Competitive intelligence should not be limited to competitor intelligence.

7. We are surrounded by insurmountable

8. Idonnation is the predator; the users are the prey.

9. Beg, borrow, and steal good ideas from other contexts and industries.

10. Get out of a "best case, worst case" mindset. Think of robust strategies for success in any fiture scenario.

11. Listen to your customers, especially the wacky ones.

OPPOrtUnity.

I plan to stay put for a while and try to make some sense of it all. If any of you manage to attend the Virtual Reality Expo or the Digital Hollywood Awards, please let me know what I missed.

Maureen

David Grooms and his wife Lois have retired From Federal service after a combined service h e of 50 years. Dave was with the Patent and rrademark Office, and for many years, he was a frequent attender at ASIDIC meetings. (ASI- DIC meeting attendees who enjoy outings to the golfcourse knew Dave especially well!) He served on the Executive Committee in several capacities, chaired several meetings (both the technical program and the local arrangements), and was ASIDIC President from 1983 to 1985. Dave and Lois have moved to 102 Dominion Circle, Goose Creek, SC 29445; it is rumored that they plan to attend the Spring 1995 meet- ing m Wilmington, NC.

Rita G. Lerner 1929 - 1994

On July 16, 1994, ASIDIC lost one of its most ardent supporters when Dr. Rita Lerner died of Fallopian tube cancer. She was in the fourth year of treatment for this disease, which has no known cures on record.

Rita and her husband Arnold had two sons, She received her undergraduate degree fiom RadcWe College and her Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Cohunbia University.

Rita began her career as a StidYphysiCiSt and in- formation scientist with the American Institute of Physics (AP). After a short period at Co- hunbia University, she returned to AIP to hold a series of positions including Manager for Planaing and Development, Manager of Special Projects, Marketing Manager, and Manager of Book Sales.

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Rita was very active professionally, not only in the American Physical Society, but also ACS, AAAS, ASIS, the New York Academy of Sci- ence, Sigma Xi, and ASIDIC. In spite of these many activities, she still found time to co-edit the Concise Encyclopedia of Solid State Phys- ics, published by Addison-Wesley.

Rita was a very active member of ASIDIC until her retirement fiom AIP. She served on nu- merous committees and hosted several meet- ings. She was a member of the Executive Committee and was President fiom 1981 to 1983. Those of our members who had the op- portunity to know and serve with Rita found her to be extremely professional and conscien- tious. She was very committed to ASIDIC and gave strong support to all our activities. We have indeed lost one of our strongest members.

Those who knew Rita as a personal fiend will honestly say that she was a true gentleperson. She always had time to talk and took a very sincere interest in those that worked with and for her.

--by Daniel Wilde, NERAC, Inc. (duw@nerac.com)

m. Note: I was personally saddened to hear of Rita's death, for it was at her urging that I undertook to edit the Newsletter. Not only was she a strong support, but she was always a ready and willing source of help and inspiration. -DTH]

New Members

ASIDIC welcomes the following new members:

Mead Data Central 9443 Springboro Pike Dayton, OH 45401 Representative: Coralee Christou

(5 13)-865-7762

American Petroleum Institute 275-7th Ave. New York, NY 10001 Representative: Roy Greenberg

(212>366-4040

SEMATECH 2706 Montopolis Drive Austin, TX 78741 Representative: Beverly Isackes

(5 12)-356-3276

Thomson Business Information (ISI) One Station Place Stamford, CT 06902 Representative: Jerrell W. Shelton

(203) 969-8705

The Library Corporation 1807 Michael Faraday Court Reston, VA 22091 Representative: Robert Asleson

(703) 904-1018

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS

The Internationalization of the Information Industry Marjorie Hlava Access Innovations, Inc. tnaccessi@technet.nm.org

The participants and players in the information industry and their products are:

AUTHORS Raw material, digests, new thoughts

PRIMARY Journals, Books,

SECONDARY Abstracts and Indexes,

DISTRIBUTORS Serials vendors,

PUBLISHERS Proceedings, Newspapers

PUBLISHERS Library catalogs

clearinghouses, online vendors

USERS Writers, researchers RELATED Associations,

ORGANIZATIONS Standards bodies, Document delivery

vendors

In 1993, the types of data processed by the in- dustry were mainly text and numeric.

The industry continues to show healthy growth rates. From 1985 to 1993, percentage growth of the various types of information was:

Full text 300 Online 51 Bibliographic 50 Others <20

Many mternational companies are m the infor- mation business, and there is much vertical integration in all sectors. Many of these com- panies have subsidiaries in the US. The largest

mternational player m the industry is Reuters; the most vertically integrated is Thomson. Even some of the non-profit organizations are vertically integrated, and some information companies own software companies as well. The RBOCs once played a si&cant role in the industry, and they are returning to it; for ex- ample, Ameritech now owns two library auto- mation companies. Other major players include newspaper publishers (Knight-Ridder), maga- zine publishers (ZB Davis), and the Federal government (Congress, NTIS, Department of Energy, etc.). (The Federal government plays a particularly active role in information distriiu- tion with over 250 systems and databases available.)

The information industry has experienced a pe- riod of strong growth, as shown by the follow- ing data:

- - 1975 1991 Annual Growth

Rate (%)

Databases 301 7,637 25 Database 200 2,372 12

HostsNendors 105 933 9

No. OfRecOrds 52M 4.6B 88

Online Searches 800,000 34.5M

Producers

Online

Baud rates have risen fiom 12 to over 9,600 so searches can now be done much more rapidly. In the same approximate time period, the aver- age search cost has increased only slightly; it was $14.80 m 1978 and $18.70 in 1990. Many information sources are global; of the 7040% of &/tech literature covered by online data- bases, 35% is foreign owned, and of the books and journals covered, 80% are foreign owned.

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There are many %bottom feeders" in the indus- try, as these data show.

No. of Aggregated Aggregated Usage Producers Revenue @./Quarter)

(%of industry total)

3 68% 100,000 8 14% 10,000

22 12% 67 2% 223 4%

33 producers have revenues over $

1,000

200 475

Wquarter.

Some miscellaneous data points: STN is currently loading many databases (about 5/month). Sdtech sales continue to grow about lO%/year. $8.2B is spent annually in support of in- formation for engineers. Multimedia will be a $39B industry in 1998. New natural language interfaces are be- ginning to appear. Many CD-ROMs are being sold to the newly independent countries of Eastern Europe by European companies; US companies seem reluctant to enter this market. Foreign sdtech users use English to search for data, but Americans cannot use data in foreign language databases. The number of hiraries mounting data- bases locally is expected to triple in the next 18 months. In public libraries, networking of CD- ROMs is increasing 50%/year. Users prefer 111 text over citations and images over 111 text. Abstracts and in-

dexes are only a means to an end and must be linked to 111 text databases.

Problem areas:

. Lack of a national information policy and support for its establishment. Danger of government regulation of the information industry. The "free information" debate and the difticulty that information companies ex- perience in obtaining credit. Lowest bidder contracting leading to low UXUginS. Heavy foreign government involvement in information. Huge US appetite for information. Limited investment opportunities abroad.

Industry trends:

.

Tape sales will increase geometrically. Natural language fiont ends will increase. Multilingual fiont ends will increase as the need to access foreign literature grows. Government R&D changes and cutbacks will shrink the market. Internet domain names will be used up as many producers publish on the Internet. Online distriiutors will become publish- ers, and publishers will become online distributors. Corporate mergers and alliances will increase. Document delivery will become inte- grated with online databases. Complex regulations will continue to increase. Content consolidation into megafiles will lead to seamless searches. Exclusive arrangements will become more rare.

THE PLAYERS: CHANGING ROLES

Media, Form, and Content - When the

Richard Kmer NFNS

Media Becomes the Message

The information distribution channel is taking on its own life, and the medium is becoming the message, which is particularly shown by the In- ternet. Everyone is talking about it, and some have the view that if information is not on the Internet, it cannot be considered as part of the message. One paranoid view is that there are 20 million potential authors lurking on the Internet.

Internet publishing today fills mto four majox categories:

"Great Minds E-mail, Newsgroups,

Self-publication Documents, files,

Joint publication Newsletters, compilations,

Electronic Coordinated catalogs,

At Work" Listservs

directories

directories

libraries references, directories

Scientists and researchers communicate m a va- riety of ways. One-to-one communication k informal and occurs during research. It may be in-depth and leads to mvkiile colleges. One to-many communication is more formal and oc- curs after research is completed. It is often a p pears m summary form and leads ta publications. Communication by e-mail is in- formal, but it often leads to "content". Typez of e-mail include discussions and ta&, informa- tion exchanges, referrals and references, coop- erative deliierations, and "soap boxing.' Paradigm of communication are shifting; old paradigms are being adapted to new media:

Traditional Internet Letters E-mail

Meetings Electronic conferences

Books Electronic books Journals Electronic journals

Abstracts (in electronic journals)

Indexes Gopher, WAIS, Veronica

One example of an old paradigm adapting to a new medium is television which started with formal programs between 1947 and 1950. Public speaking, theater, etc. then was broad- cast on television. However, the old media were not eliminated; we still have newspapers, magazines, cinema, radio, and spectator sports, but they had to adapt and change to survive.

The following three questions relating to the Internet are appropriate today:

1. Is the Internet altering the definition of

2. Are any new forms of content emergiug

3. Will the publication process switch back

scientific communication?

on the Net?

to idiormation creators?

The following case study illustrates some of the problems of obtaining idiormation today and allows some conclusions to be made about the Internet. In 1991, a sample online search took about one hour of online time, three weeks to obtain copies of all the articles retrieved, and cost around $300. Another search done on the Internet (accessed via America Online) and us- ing WAIS, Gopher, and FTP took 6 hours total time online, retrieved about 500 kB of (unre- viewed) data, and was essentially fiee. (It cost $12.95 for the America Online subsaiption, plus the cost of the paper it was printed on.) Note that the two searches were not equivalent, nor was their output. The 1991 search re- trieved pointers to peer reviewed articles vs. "credentialed" output fiom the Internet. The

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subject of the Internet search was one appropri- ate to the medium.

Some of the same problems of the 1960s and 1970s are occurring agah:

The Internet is not indexed. There is a large overlap and much unnec- essary duplication among sources. It is difficult to refine searches. Precision fiom the Internet is poor, and it is hard to get "real" information. Recall is unpredictable. The searcher must expend considerable time to find Internet resources.

But--the Internet search was "free!"

Most of the traditional functions and processes of consuming information are possiile on the Internet: monitoring a field of interest, search- ing the literature, seeking facts and data, h d - mg expert advice, and iden-g peers.

We must not assume that the traditional pub- lishing model is sacrosanct! The Internet is fdl of idormation contributors and creators; we cannot be either smug or naive about it. It is important to remember where we came fiom and consider the lessons of television. Old m e dia will have to ad&st to changing conditions.

Some Internet realities: The Internet is not a very good online searching service. Internet content is neither primary or secondary. 25 years of inter-networking has not changed the journal publishing paradigm. Electronic journals are still few; published journals still abound. It would take much more than 20 years to duplicate the body of knowledge

available online today through traditional sources, and there is no bacme on the Internet. Unnecessary duplication of that magnitude would be unreasonable, wasteful and would not save any money. People use information they can access easily. If an alternate source is available on the Net, it will probably be used for casual research. Sophisticated literature searching still requires vheadded serv- ice and comprehensive coverage. Information providers wiu be better off on the Net than on the sidelines.

From a Multinational to a Global Company Barbara McCoy Dun & Bradstreet Information Services

D&B is a primary publisher and secondary host with investments in related companies, all of which are separate businesses. Within D&B, D&B Idormation Services (DBIS) is organized geographically. DBIS is making some of its in- formation available through the Internet. Con- siderations and issues m this move were:

.

It presented a chance for D&B to move m a new direction and reinvent itseK There were opportunities with associated risks. Access through the Internet is fast, cheap, and out of controL There is no security. Bandwidth is lacking. D&B's worldwide audience is being driven by local initiatives. Some of the regions were unwilling to participate m an Internet service because they thought they would be ovenvhelmed, and they were not used to the rapid development cycle. Many product managers took a proprie- tary outlook and wanted to offer their

own product (and only their own prod- uct) on the Internet. Many of D&B's products are not avail- able m all markets, and pricmg varies by country, which made a traditional D&B offering unsuitable for Internet distniution. No department wanted to take responsi- bility for customer support.

D&B's Web server went active on September 7, 1994, with access through CommerceNet and Mecklerweb. Development took only three months in a democratic team environment. Mosaic was chosen for the platform, but this meant that high bandwidth to accommodate it was necessary. Content offered is educational information (how to manage vendors, handle direct mail, or interpret a hancial report) and does not emphasize D&B's traditional products. A survey will collect statistics on users.

Current activities mchde publicking the offer- ing and collecting usage statistics (most access is fiom commercial accounts so far). A bulletin board and newsgroup will be developed, as well as partnerships. Technical demands will be monitored, and education of customers and suppliers will occur.

Next steps will be to involve all parts of D&B, especially international locations. A new Home Page will allow for rapid changes and expan- sion of international offerings. Product details and samples will be added, and free usage on a limited basis will be offered (which is a big change for D&B). Appropriate products fox many micromarkets will be developed and implemented.

Interconnectivity and Interoperability Patricia Harris NISO

The major standard on interoperability and in- terconnectivity is 239.50 which came fiom the bibliographic style community and which has been under development since the 1970s. It was originally a US standard but is now inter- national. 239.50 supports information retrieval and clienthewer environments and can be im- plemented on any platiiorm. It specifies how different hardware, operating systems, search engines, etc. work together. The user interface is separated fiom the server, database, and search engine, allowing a consistent view of the information. A wide range of information sources and servers can be integrated together m a 239.50 environment, and they can be used on the Internet. There are over 20 imple- menters of 239.50 today, including Dialog, Chemical Abstracts Service, TRW, and SherPlatt er.

The standard is maintained by an implementa- tion group (contact person is Ray Denenberg, Library of Congress, phone (202)707-5795, Internet: ray@rden. loc . gov.) NISO plans to publish a booklet with basic informa- tion on the standard and a list of further r e sources. The text wiIl also be available on a server at the Coalition for Networked Informa- tion. Draft standards will soon be available electronically, and "IS0 is working to become involved m the World Wide Web. Anyone can use standards or serve on committees, but only NISO members can vote on dr& standards.

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Toward a Dynamic Global Information Marketplace: A ConsultadEditor's View on the Potentials and Challenges for the Information Industry Ching-chih Chen Simmons College cchen@vmsvax.simmons.edu

Events in the information community are not immune fiom effects of world events, so infor- mal networks are sometimes needed to commu- nicate. Many countries consider information and liiraries unimportant. Education and train- ing of professionals are the most needed areas; others of importance to the international infor- mation community are hardware and software support, integrated liirary system, consulting and expert support, support for CD-ROM col- lections, and desktop CD-ROM publishing sup- port. Many countries are valuable sources of unique content. Multimedia is growing in interest, but there are few beta sites and pro- jects at present.

Many companies think the Newly Independent States are poor and do not have resources. This is not true, and those who get there first will find them a good source of business. The Internet is a real opportunity for delivering quality content m a user fiiendly way. Data compression and storage technologies are needed to transmit large databases through the networks to individuals. There is currently much movement to electronic liiraries; will they be able to satis& users' needs?

Major challenges are images and multimedia; using them, the information highway may be- come an entertainment highway. Most of the money is not in education but m entertainment; a challenge is to make content available as d- timedia and in a user friendly way. Many or- ganizations in developing countries have suitable content and want to make it known and available, so there are many opportunities.

THEFUTURE: CHANGING PARADIGMS

Surviving Our Assumptions Dr. A. John Ladman Hahnemann University Medical School

Many changes and rapid growth are occurring in the information industry. Breakthrough thinking is needed, and assumptions must be challenged. An assumption is defined as "tak- ing anything for granted as the basis for argu- ment and actions.'' Using assumptions, actions can occur with little or no data. Risks are in- versely proportional to the amount of available data, but in an environment of change, doing nothing may be riskier than taking some action. Failure rates may be high, but successes can be dramatic.

Paradigms are examples or patterns in parts of speech as well as sets of rules and regulations that are used to set boundaries and instruct us how to achieve success inside the boundaries. Paradigm ShiRs result in a major alteration m behavior. New paradigms are often created while old ones still succeed; shifters are usually outsiders because inside players will act to pro- tect their investment. Innovations enhancing existing paradigms are usually read& accepted, but those changing a paradigm are fought vig- orously. We often need to step outside fjlmiliat. paradigms to find sohtions to our problems. Reasons for re-engineering inchde 50% des- peration (we have hit the wall), 40% foresight (we see the wall), and 10% ambition (we are ahead and want to build the wall behind us).

Rules for a changing mindset are: Maintain the customer's viewpoint. Think hard about added value. Always ask why. Keep it simple. Envision the optimal and ideal situation.

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Treat problems as design issues. Avoid the f d a r and comfortable.

Following his talk, Dr. Ladman conducted an illustrative mind stimulation exercise in which meeting attendees were asked to provide mar- ketplace examples of paradigm shifts and risk-taking.

TECHNOLOGY TOOLBOX. CHANGING CAPABJLXTIES

Network-Centric Computing Doug Sweeney IBM

IBM is an international company; “Interna- tional” is the first word of its name! It has r e cently gone through considerable turmoil and self-examination; its new Chairman is empha- sizing emerging nations as investments.

In the 1970s7 computing became centralized, with terminals connected to hosts. Since then, it has progressed to a distniuted environment m the 1980s with LANs and has become network-centric m the 1990s with WANs. The next wave will be public networks; it is just starting. The environment and market drivers include:

Communications i&astructure Broadband/wireless performance Seamless reach Reduced communications costs Reliability and quality

P o w e m and parallel microprocessors Personal, portable, and usable Reusable software objects Intelligent agents

All types Public and private information

Computing capability

Content digitization

Governmentstimuli Deregulation of communications Promotion of electronic commerce

2u these effects drive both business and mdi- idual customer needs. Businesses want cus- .omer contact, re-engineering, and extended .each. Individuals want mob&@, access to in- Formation, and workgroups.

Network-centIic computing provides major d u e to customers who want to exchange in- Formation among communities of interest. At [BM, services account for $1 1 billion of reve- nues annually. The next wave will be network- ing. Value to customers lies in the areas of

Content Multimedia capabiltty Real-time access to information sources Online idomation exchange among

industry groups Strategy and organization

Global reach Accelerated time to market

Cost reduction and improvement of asset management Focus on core business Communities of interest

Seamless environment and virtual

Direct customer contact Skill and staffimprovements Elimination of mefficiencies Flexiile access to specialized skills Improved productivity Freeing up of internal resources

Technical improvements

work teams

IBM is not generally thought of as a network- ing company7 but it has become a leader. It in- vented the SNA, token ring, and CDPD (cellular digit packet data) protocols, and it has played a leading part m network services such as Prodigy and People (a Japanese network). It

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was the principal architect of the Internet, and it operates the IBM Global Network, the world's largest data network connecting 700 cities in 94 countries using TI lines. Among its applications, IBM offers idormation hostiflg and distxiiuting. It is developing an in- telligent communications services network for mobile sales people (the initial target market), information providers such as America Online, Dow Jones, as well as links to various other communications channels such as fax, tele- phone, and e-mail. Users of this network will have complete flexibility in the access devices they wish to employ. Initial target markets are managers and executives and professionals in the health, sales, and technical fields.

User fiustrations with current communications are a lack of integration (too much time spent checking mail, too many numbers, and too many devices needed), remote access ties (inconvenience in receiving messages, com- plexity of accessing databases, and inconvenience of using clients' lines), problems getting messages to appropriate recipients (lack of efficient filtering, phone tag), diflimlties us- ing facsimile (time spent monitoring fix ma- chines, busy lines), and no direct access to information (wasted time requesting informa- tion fiom others, delay m information retrieval, complex requests often misunderstood). The solution is to put users in control and exploit the unique capabilities of each device, scale to large numbers of users, and add v&e through intelligence. Features of IBMs network undeI development will do this by incorporating a universal mailbox, agents, directory services, and firewalls for security. This network is al- ready in place; work is now in progress to make it seamless. Network-centric computing will usher in the information age around t h e globe.

New Rules - New Media Deborah Baker Redgate

Redgate is a new media marketing company €armed m 1985 and merged with America On- line m 1994. It has seven offices and about 100 employees. It develops multimedia content, digital delivery systems, international applica- tions, and interactive marketing services. The new media opportunity could reach $1 trillion by 2010 which includes computers and soft- ware, technology and data communications, content/information services, and consumer products. Some companies are already begin- ning to blend and enter new markets. Accord- ing to Nicholas Negroponte, in the next 20 years, television and telecommunications will exchange roles as primary means of communi- cation. Already, computers are competing with TV as character interfaces (text, monochrome) evolve to GUIs (color, windows), then to d- timedia (color, audio, and video) and haUy in- telligent mterfices (111 motion interactive multimedia). Content, distriiution, enabling technologies, and interactive services all are part of the new media landscape. Some com- panies concentrate m only one of these areas; others play m several or all of them.

Characteristics of traditional vs. new media:

Traditional

communication Static and

Broadcast Unaccountable M a S S

Feels good

One-way

one-dimensional

Nearing end of life cycle

- New Tvm-way comunication

Interactivdmultimedia

Targeted/narrowcast Accountable Personavgranular Transactional, focus

on consumer Alive and well

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New opportunities: Fax will disappear as e-mail becomes in- tegrated with voice, text, and images. CD-ROM will incorporate online inter- faces for time-critical information. We will be m a 500-channel Universe. Distributed learning will come to the desktop. Commercial knowledge repositories will be developed. Electronic transaction services will be- come widespread.

It is important to think about multimedia in all content decisions. All content will enter multi- media databases and then produce products for other platforms such as broadband, cellular, audiotex, online services, cable TV, etc.

Redgate's new rules of marketing: 1. Market digitally. 2. Tell, don't sell. 3. Content has a large value. Own your

4. Forget mindshare and think timeshare. 5. Hide nothing. 6. Create services as if purchases are im-

minent. People are ready to buy when they shop electronically.

data.

7. Create electronically. 8. Get to know the customer well. (Know

9. Forget fax numbers. Know e-mail nicknames!)

addresses. 10. Generate reality, not images. 11. Make acquiring knowledge fun. 12. Make accessing knowledge easy. 13. Be ready to transact. 14. The customer is still right.

15.Respect the earth.

16. New media is a new revolution.

(New media will help eliminate paper and polhution.)

Worldwide Access to Compute Models of Biological Systems for Research and Education. MeryZ Wastney Georgetown University Medical Center mwastnOl@gurnedlib.dml.georgetown.edu

Models are mathematical descriptions of sys- tems that allow one to get data after perturbing the system. Because nature is so complex, we must use models to derive theories. In prac- tice, this is done by studying different sites and various populations. Models allow descriptions of systems to be generated and distrr'buted. They are interrelated-everyone must know what others are doing, and it is easy to be un- aware of related research.

Unfortunately, there is no online access to most models and modeling tools yet. We need to collate, catalog, and provide access to models. Georgetown University is proposing a liirary of models which would contain not only biblio- graphic references to them but access to actual equations and modeling software. Users would be able to locate, use, and download models for their own use. The benefits of this approach are more efficient use of resources and devel- opment of interactive teaching tools.

The New Adobe Acrobat: A Tool for Digital Pages. Gary Cmirnini Adobe Systems gcosimin@adobe.com

Adobe Acrobat allows computers made by dif- ferent manufacturers and having Werent oper- atmg systems to communicate. Formatted

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information is shared between systems using Adobe's Postscript or a similar communication language. Viewers for various types of fonts are created, and documents exist in a "portable document format" (PDF) Be. PDF is an open format and may become an industry standard. Using PDF, one can create electronic docu- ments that are searchable, can be displayed any- where, and transmitted on any medium.

Acrobat Version 2 has just been released. It does not force the use of the Adobe Type Man- ager as Version 1 did and fiees the user to transmit documents over the Internet, Com- puServe, or on floppy disks. Hypertext links can be embedded m documents. A search tool based on Verity's Topic engine is included in Version 2; it allows the user to search regard- less of how the documents were created. Fonts are stored m outline form and can be trans- formed to any platform and printed. Anything that can be printed can be rendered into PDF.

The Macintosh version of Acrobat Version 2 is available now. Windows and UNIX versions will follow. Acrobat is envisioned to drive many applications within companies as well as outside them.

THE USERS: CHANGING EXPECTATIONS

Changing Customers Jane Kelly Consultant

What is happening with traditional customerz (the ones with whom we have built a relation ship)? Many of them are under significan~ stress fiom changes m technology and manage ment, as well as information overload. Infor- mation is still a key resource m the globa marketplace. Customers are changing as we1 as the market; maybe we should help then

ihange. Dialog has developed their Quantum Irogram to help customers in a changing envi- onment. It deals with the following areas:

Turnover. Sometimes an entire depart- ment may be gone, and vendors may be dealing with a new team. Members of the new team may or m y not believe in information, and new relationshqs may have to be built. It is good ifthere is an information champion on the team. Changing customers. Customers have new requirements, and their expectations of coverage of information are changing. Very high quality information is needed to serve companies m the global market- place. It is important for champions to be leaders; the Quantum program coaches customers to become leaders in the face of change and builds a partner- sllip with them. Many customers need help; everyone cannot stay ahead of change.

Dialog's Quantum program is a management development program. It looks at hibrariaus as revenue generators for their companies and helps them get the commitment of theh com- pany and contribute value to the whole com- pany. Specific segments are:

1. Creating value. Teaches leaders to be proactive on teams and function as a consultant providing solutions such as value-added products using information services.

2. Measuring value. Tracking the cost of time, conducting surveys, preparing re- ports, and q u a n t w g v&e to the project.

3. Communicating value. Protect jobs and show value to organization. 'Warm and fuzzy" feelings are not enough. Everyone does not have the skills li- brarians have.

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4. Gaining commitment. Selling skills and value of service. May be hard to pre- sent to management.

The program helps participants develop action plans they can take away with them. Results are not known yet because the program has only been m place for a year. Some people have made changes; others are still affected by downsizing.

Dialog has made a major commitment to its major customers. It anticipates value-added products and is prepared to support them.

Internationalization of External Information Access Requirements for a Global Pharmaceutical Company John Chu Wyeth-Ayerst Research

Wyeth-Ayerst is a global and diversified phar- maceutical company with two divisions (Ameri- can Home Products and American Cyanamid) that are expected to merge by the end of 1994. The merged company will be about no. 30 on Fortune's list. It has a global user base and is involved m R&D, patents, sales and marketing, regulatory matters, and medical affairs. Infor- mation service functions provided to employees include traditional liirary services, external m- formation retrieval, and internal database main- tenance. External and internal Services are blurring as external data is brought into in- house systems.

In 1993, Wyeth-Ayerst had 950 journals, proc- essed over 34,000 photocopy requests, con- ducted over 2,000 online searches, and ran 220 SDI profiles. It spent $250,000 on mterhirary loans, $623,000 online searches, and $224,000 on internal databases. Its biggest expenditure was for copies of the Physician's Desk Refer- ence. In 1994, information access was

enhanced by expanding end-user searching. A major project for 1995 is document delivery to the desktop using ADONIS and Artemis (Chemical Abstracts Service). Wyeth is beta testing ISFs Electronic Library and AT&Ts RightPages services. Impacts of mternationali- zation include the need for multi-site access to information, shorter decision-making cycles, hster information dissemination, and increased need to share information, and increasing pres- sure for cost containment.

Wyeth's Holy Grail of information services is:

A single vendor covering all relevant peri- odicals having rigorous quality control pro- cedures and perfect indexing to ensure absolutely accurate information backed up by periodic and regular internal audits while updating the database at least weekly (more fiequently for important information) and charging a reasonable flat rate with detailed usage reports allowing unrestricted access regardless of methods of media and grant- ing an unlimited reuse license.

CRYSTAL BALL GAZING: WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

A Miscellany of Thoughts on Internationali- zation: A 40-Year Old Theme Eugene Gar$eld IS1

The information business is pervasive; the "in- formation conscious society'' was considered futuristic 24 years ago! Scientific information was international even before the 1950s, and in 1958, the National Academy of Sciences organized an international conference on scien- tific information.

IS1 started m 1954 as a consulting senrice and the international nature of its products soon

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became apparent. (The first bulk order for Current Contents came from Japan!) Two years ago, IS1 was acquired by International Thomson and shares an office in Japan with other Thomson companies.

Sales of information wiU increase further when undeveloped countries can afford information products. Over 100 companies in India have bought Chemical Abstracts for decades, and centralized facilities have impacted sales of the print product. Electronic product sales will in- crease when the common infrastructure im- proves. Piracy is a major problem in China and other countries; the market will increase when international copyright laws are enforced.

Scientists are willing to spend maney for mstm- mentation and tools (even if they are only used sporadically) but not for information. Such ar- chaic purchasing policies must be overcome to increase the market. (Maybe IS1 should put Current Contents in a metal box and sell it as an instrument!) Researchers will buy informa- tion services when they provide real-time ac- cess; they do not want to wait for lengthy connection times, search protocols, etc. Real- time access is a key factor in the end user market.

Many Third World countries have long used ISFs products to satis@ research or educational needs; the funding comes &om various founda- tions or educational institutions. These coun- tries need he4 to build their information Mastructure. Satellite communications and the Internet have a significant potential. For $112 million, a satellite Internet station can be installed anywhere in the world; $50 million to $100 million would pay for all Third World countries. UNESCO is studying implementa- tion of this strategy in Afiica, but hardware is not enough. Access to information and the ability to deliver it to practitioners in real time is necessary.

Many information companies are now part of conglomerates (Thomson, Reed-Elsevier, etc.) which have brought book publishing and data- base development together. The border b e tween hardware and information is now bhuring as Microsoft, AT&T, and IBM con- sider entering the information business.

Most foreign language material of any signifi- cant interest is available through some online service. Costs to cover it are still high. OCR improvements are needed for Japanese, Span- ish, and other languages. A major technology barrier is that most people still want to read pa- pers and journals in print. The Internet is be- coming suitable for retrieval of information using Gophers, WAIS, etc.

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+ , M a m e . e s # e l l y , a n d B i l l ~ Randy- h bach at tbe Sequoia 4th the Watergate

the background

Harry Allcock (Spring 1995 Local Host) with his wife Marilyn

Dan and Helen Wilde

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Access Innovations, Inc. American Economic Association American Institute of Physics American Petroleum Institute American Psychological Association American Society of Hospital Pharmacists AT&T BIOSIS CAB. International Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Canadian Institute for Scientific &

Technical Information CD PLUS Technologies Chemical Abstracts Service CLASS Dataware Technologies Defense Technical Information Center Department of Energy Of€ice of Scientific &

Dement, Inc. Dialog Information Services, Inc. Dynamic Information EBSCO Publishing Engineering Infonnaton, lnc. Fachinformationszentnun Karlsruhe Forbes, Inc. Georgia Institute of Technolopy Library IBM Corp. Skill Dynamics IFI/Plenum Data Corporation Information Access Company Information Express Information Sources, Inc. INSPEC Institute of Paper Science & Technology Learned Information, Inc. Library Corporation, The

Technical Information

MarJorie M. K. Hlava Drucilla Ekwurzel Taissa T. Kusma Roy Greenberg Dennis Auld Dwight R. Tousignaut Donald T. Hawkins Maureen Kelly Andrea Powell Ted Caris

EdwardKipp

Janice Kirkwood Frey Suzan Brown Robert Drescher Christojher G. Pooley Barbara Lesser William L. Buchanan

Jeremy Sergeant Connie Zuga Randy h4arcinko Tim Collins Bill Bartenbach G. F. Schultheiss Anne h4intz Miriam A Drake Valerie C. Wiggins Harry Allcock Linnea Christiani Bruce Antelman Ruth K. Koolish Jim Ashling Robert G. Patterson Thomas H. Hogan Robert Asleson

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Materials Information - ASM International Mead Data Central National Library &Medicine National Science Council-Science and

National Technical Information Service NFBAC, Inc. Newsbank, Inc. Newsnet, Inc. NIOSH OCLC, Inc. Ohio Resource Center LISH Orbit/Questel Inc. Public Affairs Information Service SilverPlatter Information, Inc. Sociological Abstracts, Inc. Sport Information Centre-Canada Thomson Business Information (ISI) University Microfilms Int’l. University of Georgia Libraries University of Iowa Drug Idormation Service University of PittsburghMTAC University of Tulsa - Petroleum Abstracts U. S. Patent 8c Trademark office

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Mark Furneaux corilee christou Lois Ann Colianni Tao-Hsing Ma

Walter Finch Daniel U. Wilde Daniel S. Jones Andrew S. Elston Vivian Morgan Larry Olszewski Julia Todd Richard Kurt Barbara Preschel Nancy Knight Miriam Chall Gilles Chiasson Jerrell W. Shelton Brenda Vreeland John Yelverton Hazel H. Seaba Jan P. Miller Rafael E. Ubico Edward M. Johnson

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American Sterilizer Company Aubergine Mormation Services Bedford Advisors Caruso Associates Inc. Copyright Clearance Center Database Services International Eagle Communicatons Elsevier Science Publishers ERIC Processing & Reference Facility Information International Associates Inforonics, Inc. Japan Association for International

Chemical Information LSSI Subscription Agency MITRE Corporation Moline Biotechnology Resources National Liberty Corporation SEMATECH Super Bureau, Inc. University of California Library Automation University of California Berkeley NISEE Virtual Microsystem, Inc. Wilmer Cutler & Pickering Xerox Corporation

Janis M. Ruben Reva Basch John C. Harned Nicholas Caruso Isabella Hinds Fran Spigai Margaret Russo H. V. Ainscough Ted Brandhorst Bonnie Carroll Lawrence F . Buckland Soichi Tokizane

Amy Beitzel Celia Shaplro Gloria Moline Suzanne Levitas Beverly Isackes Ned Fleming Clifford A Lynch Jeanette Zerneke William A Thomasmeyer Michael P. Pergola Leslie A Krieger