Re: [LIS-Forum] Why INTERNET

I am happy that you put the question this way and not "Why do we needLibraries, when there is Internet? But I expect most of Administratorsand policy makers will be asking this question in next four or fiveyears to come. Humans Species got differentiated from other animals when they firstmade a tool from stone - stone axe. This was the first technology thathuman species used. One species was able to adapt to changingenvironment with the better use of technologies. This species survivedin the form present day Humans. Others could not adapt to changingneeds and technologies and hence became extinct. Humans are today! - Because they could communicate their experiencesand record them on some media. Humans could utilize such recordedexperiences (knowledge) to further co-relate with their ownexperiences and experiments. This process accumulates the knowledge ofthe mankind. One set of professionals – librarians – came forward toorganize such recorded knowledge and serve the mankind so tofacilitate its communication and preservation for future generationsof mankind. Printing Press came as a revolution in human civilization. It changedthe way recorded knowledge was produced and communicated. Librariansmodified their technologies to cope with this knowledge. ModernClassification / Cataloging Schemes were invented to cope up with thisenormous recorded knowledge. INTERNET is another revolution in human civilization. It is changingthe way the knowledge is being produced. WIKIs, Discussion E-Groups,Blogs are just the examples how community based knowledge is beinggenerated. Recorded Knowledge now exits in "Online Only" form as well."Online Only" journals are just one example how Internet is changingthe way in which knowledge is produced. Can libraries afford to ignoresuch knowledge, if not, then how can they Ignore INTERNET? It is afundamental question – let us not go into how Internet can helplibraries these days. Let us keep reminding ourselves, ONLY THOSE WHO ADOPT – SURVIVE others PARISH. --Sukhdev Singh, NIC.http://openmed.nic.in

Date: 12 Nov 2005 18:28:30 -0000> From: "Mukut Sarmah" > Subject: [LIS-Forum] Why INTERNET> To: lis-forum@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in> Message-ID: <20051112182830.23308.qmail@webmail53.rediffmail.com>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1">> Hi everybody> Could you possibly tell me why INTERNET is so important for the Library and Information professionals?>> Mukut Sarmah, Librarian> Pandu College, Assam