By CARRIE WILLIAMS
The Harold B. Lee Library is implementing new systems to keep it on the cutting edge of efficiency and ease.
The goal of the library is to become completely electronic by the year 2000, said Randy Olsen, deputy university librarian.
“The library is moving aggressively to make resources available outside of the library,” Olsen said.
“A library without walls” is a phrase used to describe the ability of students and faculty to access the library resources from home, the dorms, open labs and offices, Olsen said.
Eventually Gateway as it is today will become obsolete, said Julene Butler, library use instruction coordinator. Gateway, LAN, Netscape and other library tools will be merged together on one system, couched in a Windows environment instead of DOS. This should help students feel more comfortable using them, Olsen said.
To access the resource from off-campus, people will need an Internet account. Those who do not have a BYU account will not have access to all the available links, Butler said.
To become electronic by 2000, the infrastructure and electronic resources are being evaluated and improved, Olsen said. The new wing of the library will be wired for the use of lap-top computers with Internet access, and older parts of the library will be rewired.
There are now about 50 computers in the library where students can access their Internet accounts and use AIM. One goal is to open two labs with a total of 300 work stations, Butler said.
Digitizing special exhibits is another goal, Olsen said. It is now difficult for students to gain access to rare documents and photographs. But with scanning and digitizing technologies, students could view them with the click of a mouse.
The library hopes to provide broad support to faculty and students, Olsen said. Linking all of the Church Educational System libraries will help create a “virtual library.”
To keep up with the changes taking place, one can access the library’s homepage at www.lib.byu.edu.
