LIBRARY from Page 3
Hendrickson agreed, but said
he was optimistic that laws
would be changed to promote
the use of technology rather than to
hinder it.
There’s a lot of thought going into
changing it (copyright law) in the
next five to 10 years,” he said. The
laws certainly “will have an impact
on how tast some forms of informa
tion are being made available.”
“I think there will be some bend
ing of rules to accommodate elec
tronic access.”
In the next centuiy, the libraiy
may even make house calls. The
Strategic Plan for the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln that was pre
sented to the regents in December
called for expanded document deliv
ery services on and off campus.
“Faculty will expect us to deliver
the materials to their offices,” Hen
drickson said. Eventually, so will
students, he added.
One step toward that library of the
future would be the introduction of
electronic publications.
Hendrickson said 20 to 25 percent
of scholarly journals, a mainstay for
the academic library, will be avail
able electronically by the year 2000.
However, a futuristic scenario of
computerized magazines is not to be
expected, at least not by the 21st
century. A large number of journals
will remain available only in print,
Hendrickson said.
However, if the use of electronic
journals does become widespread, it
may help solve, or at least lessen, the
budget crunch libraries across the
country are feeling and, indirectly,
help the academic world in the
process. /
Davis said the skyrocketing
costs of periodicals have forced
many libraries to cut sub
scriptions. As a result, scholars who
publish in those serials are not
reaching the audience they need to —
chiefly, fellow scholars.
“Pioneering efforts” in developing
electronic journals may enable a
wider dissemination of those materi
als, she said.
Both Hendrickson and Davis
agreed that climbing prices of serials
and other materials would create the
need for more sharing of resources,
through technology, between all
academic libraries.
“Ownership will be less important
in the years ahead,” Hendrickson
said.
Such sharing would take up less
space than actual ownership, but
Hendrickson said the library would
continue to buy volumes, as well as
pursuing electronic materials.
“We are going to celebrate the
two-mill iontn volume this month,”
he said. “Well probably reach three
million in 15 years.”
[
To house those materials, ex
pansion of current library
facilities is needed. To further
that goal, plans for additions and
renovations have been proposed.
Under the plan, two stories would
be added to Love North, one floor to
the Link and a partial addition under
the Link.
Love South also is targeted for
renovation. Better access for handi
capped users is planned, as is a better
ventilation system to control heat,
humidity and dust. The current
system dates back to about 1941,
Hendrickson said.
Although Hendrickson said the
library desperately needs the space,
plans are not yet concrete.
'T ' ~
Ken Johnaon/Daily Nebraskan
“It has to get through the bu
reaucracy,” he said. “The problem is
obviously funding. Changing the air
system alone is projected to cost
several million dollars.”
When the additions finally are
made, he said, they must
be constructed with new forms of
technology in mind and be adaptable
to progress.
“It’s impossible to predict what
new technology will
bring us,” he said.
But that technology will not mean
the death of the book and the library.
Davis predicts a long life for both.
“Until they make a computer you
can kind of curl up with and read, I
think people are still going to want
some kind of print output.”