Lessons learned

If anybody wanted to start a library today, the first recommendation would be to learn from the activities of fellow librarians. Astronomy has particularly impressive examples of concepts and projects, some of them being exemplary for achievements of librarians in general. We have been dealing with the paper and, for several years now, the electronic environment which has taught us a few lessons.

• Librarians' mission and rôle
  • New tools - same mission
    Over the course of the years, astronomy librarians have developed, adjusted and improved information retrieval techniques; the range of tools we use has been supplemented by new ones as they became available. Our general mission, however, remains unchanged: we continue to fulfill the information needs of our users by selecting, collecting, managing, preserving, and providing access to distributed resources.

  • Non-database specific, system-independent information retrievers
    This description of librarians, coined by STScI librarian Sarah Stevens-Rayburn, illustrates that we know how to apply available tools most effectively in order to obtain requested information. In doing so, we are not limited to any particular database or computer system, but deliver information in whatever format needed, using all kinds of appropriate information resources.

  • Librarians interact with users
    A major advantage of librarians over mechanical databases is our interacting with users. They often appreciate being able to talk to a person instead of searching computer systems that may or may not interpret queries the way they were meant. Up to now, no retrieval system has been able to substitute for this human component.

  • Librarians as mediators
    As we talk to scientists, we learn about their perception of library services, their requirements for electronic and print publications and their suggestions for improvements. Librarians use this favorable situation to mediate between users and providers of information resources.

  • Recognize the changing paradigm
    In the electronic environment, some traditional library functions will no longer be performed by small libraries. In particular archiving will be taken care of by others, probably national or other large libraries together with publishers; librarians in small libraries will be responsible for locating and providing access to archived electronic publications. We must let go of tasks that are accomplished better elsewhere rather than in our small specialized libraries; this will not put us out of business as long as we recognize the opportunities the electronic era bears. As new technologies become available, we need to consider which of them can and should be used in our libraries to increase efficiency and provide better service. Not everything needs to be applied, but useful improvements must be selected and implemented.

• Electronic publications
  • Electronic journals: good and bad
    When we subscribe to electronic journals, we often would like to be more discriminating than we actually can be regarding "poor" electronic journals - user demand usually dictates that certain e-journals be made available no matter whether or not they meet essential requirements. Particularly crucial features are extensive hyperlinking within as well as across publications, assurance of authenticity and integrity, and system-independent archives which can be transfered into new storage formats for future access. These and other quality standards are yet to be made mandatory for electronic journals.

  • Network of distributed data resources
    The publication paradigm is changing from independent, self-sufficient articles to small interlinked pieces, assembled on demand in "information clusters", and today's journals may develop into a complex network of distributed information (Boyce, 2000). Resources that are not interconnected are in danger of being unaccessible in future. Even if we may struggle with the idea of not owning publications that we can keep physically within our libraries - the future lies in material that is integrated in the network of distributed resources.

  • Protect existing user rights
    The use of electronic journals is no longer regulated by general copyright, but through license contracts. They can change considerably the way readers are allowed to use publications. Some publishers try to establish restrictive licenses, ignoring the fact that publications are different from other goods in that they must be accessible and useable for research, education, and personal purposes by anybody at reasonable prizes. Librarians aim at saving existing user rights regarding accessing, copying, and sharing of publications which have a long tradition in the paper environment. Of particular concern is perpetual access to electronic publications which often is not guaranteed. License agreements therefore require careful scrutiny before they are signed.

• Cooperation: more important than ever
  In a world of interlinked resources, cooperation is more impotant than ever. Among astronomy librarians, networking has a long-standing tradition. Astrolib, our popular mailing list, has been operative since the 1980s, many astronomy librarians know each other personally, and we often collaborate on projects. The series of LISA (Library and Information Services in Astronomy) conferences have become an established event that takes places regularly. Astro librarians are a very welcoming community, always willing to share their experience. In any profession, continued learning is essential these days, and what we can learn from each other does not (yet) appear in any librarian's handbook, even though it should.