ERIC Number: ED434676
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1998-Jun
Pages: 7
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The New Library, A Hybrid Organization.
Waaijers, Leo
This paper discusses changes in technology in libraries over the last decade, beginning with an overview of the impact of databases, the Internet, and the World Wide Web on libraries. The integration of technology at Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) is described, including use of scanning technology, fax, and e-mail for document supply, development of a maritime knowledge center, and diversification of products and services. Pricing of new services and products is then addressed, including development of a model that breaks down costs and earnings, as well as the importance of this analysis for policy decisions, benchmarking, and accounting for government subsidies. The relationship between government and the market in the Netherlands is considered, focusing on the possible market role of a governmental body, i.e., the hybrid organization. The Delft Library, a hybrid organization, has chosen organizational sustainability, which blends subsidy and profit. The need to compete and make profit keeps the library on its toes, while a subsidy enables it to maintain an information infrastructure that is available to the community, thus preventing a social division between information "have's" and "have-not's." (MES)
Descriptors: Academic Libraries, Competition, Cost Effectiveness, Foreign Countries, Government Role, Higher Education, Information Technology, Internet, Library Automation, Library Development, Library Funding, Library Role, Library Services, Marketing, Models, Organizational Change, Technology Integration
For full text:
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A