T80 GeoScience Information: Making the Earth Sciences Accessible for Everyone

Monday, 29 October 2007
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

GEOSCIENCE LIBRARIES, STILL IN A TIME OF CHANGE

Paper number: T80-15
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Authors

Abstract

For the past 37 years, the Geoscience Information Society members have been documenting change and prophesizing of the future of our libraries and information centers. The card catalog has become an OPAC, the Bibliography and Index of Geology is now GeoRef, and the reference questions that were once in person or by telephone now come via e-mail, IM, Chat, and occasionally in person.

After an analysis of the subject content of the papers presented to the Geoscience Information Society from 1969 through 1993, Derksen and O'Donnell (1995) made some predictions for the Geoscience Information Center in the year 2000. The analysis of the papers presented after 1993 show some shift in their trends and topics but their predictions have come to pass. This paper presents the new trends and makes new predictions for the Geoscience Library in the year 2017.

Derksen, C. R. M., and O'Donnell, J., 1995, What we did / what we do / what we'll do: Geoscience Information Centers in a time of change, 1970-2000, in Haner, B. E., and O'Donnell, J., eds, Geoscience Information Society Proceedings, v. 25, p. 1-12.