The Changing Role of the National Library in the New Information Environment

Abstract

The new information environment is a combination of technical advances and cultural attitudes; both of these have major implications for the role of the national library. As part of a Unesco-funded study in 1990, a survey was carried out to determine how national libraries were coping with the present situation; the situation varies, but there is cause for concern. The three basic characteristics of a national library – that it is publicly funded, gives access to the public, and acts as the national archive of material published in the country – are all called into question. Functions such as collection building, exploitation of the collections, and creation of the national bibliographic record need to be rethought. The new information environment has much to contribute to the handicapped, and national libraries should ensure the development of services for those with special needs. They need to respond to the changing situation rapidly by taking the lead in their respective countries; failure to take the initiative will leave it to be taken by people who will make decisions on purely technical, economic or political grounds.