Public business libraries: the next chapter

Abstract

Traces the history of the provision of business information by Leeds Public Libraries, UK, from the opening of the Public Commercial and Technical Library in 1918 to the revolutionary impact of the Internet in the 1990s. Describes how the Library came to terms with the need to integrate the Internet into its mainstream business information services, with particular reference to its limitations and to the provision of company information, market research, British Standards information, press cuttings and articles from specialized trade and scientific journals, and patents information. Focuses on some of the reasons why the public business library is still needed as a service to businesses, even after the introduction of the Internet and considers the Library’s changing role and the need to impress on all concerned, especially government, the continuing value of these services. Looks to the partnerships formed by the Library over the years and the ways in which these are expected to assist in realizing future opportunities, in particular, the fact that all public libraries in England gained free Internet access at the end of 2001. Offers some useful ideas about how the Library could develop, noting that SINTO, a Sheffield based information network formed in 1938 and originally a partnership between the public library, the two Sheffield universities and various leading steel companies of the time, is being examined as a model for future services in Leeds. Concludes that the way forward can be defined in terms of five actions: redefinition of priorities; marketing; budgets; resources; and the use of information technology (IT).