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THE SYSTEMS LIBRARIAN
Forty Years of Computers in Libraries: Cycles of Technology and Progress
by Marshall Breeding
| The usual optimistic view of technology supporting the work and missions of libraries was tempered by the dark clouds of recent events. |
The Computers in Libraries conference, held this March in Arlington, Va., covered a wide range of relevant topics—almost all touched in some way by AI. This year’s event also took place under clouds of anxiety and concern about the recent threats to library funding and growing efforts toward censorship. I have had the opportunity to attend and participate in all 40 years of the conference, including a couple that were held virtually. This long-standing event has spanned many cycles of technology and its impact on many aspects of library operations and services.
Evolving With Information Technology
This conference launched in 1986 in Atlanta as Small Computers in Libraries, with Nancy Melin Nelson as its conference chair. The library automation systems of that era mostly ran on mainframe computers and midrange systems, accessed through display terminals. Some of those products included Data Phase, NOTIS, Dynix, Unicorn, Inlex, DRA, and LS-2000. It was also a time when smaller computers were in the early phase of finding use in libraries, filling in many gaps beyond the core library management functions handled by the mainframe systems. Personal computers were gaining ground in educational settings, in business, and in homes. The Apple II (released in 1977) and the IBM personal computer (launched 1981) both accelerated the movement toward bringing desktop computers into the mainstream. By the mid-1980s, many libraries had begun to acquire personal computers, employing them for tasks previously accomplished manually or through much more expensive business equipment.
Personal computers enabled libraries to begin to explore ways of performing their work and providing services beyond the constraints of mainframe computers and dumb terminals. Meckler Publishing, headed by Alan Meckler, seized the opportunity to tap into energy of this new phase of innovation. The conference quickly expanded beyond its initial niche, covering all aspects of technology in libraries. In 1989, it took the name Computers in Libraries, reflecting that library computing increasingly spanned all types of hardware categories, architectures, and networks.
The conference also chronicled the evolution of the internet and the birth of the World Wide Web. When the event began, early versions of the internet (such as ARPANET and BITNET) were coming together, enabling communications among universities and other research organizations. Although Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989, it didn’t gain widespread use until 1995 with the launch of the Netscape browser.
In the pre-internet library world, OCLC offered its cataloging and interlibrary loan (ILL) services through a dedicated telecommunications network that it maintained, traveling over leased telephone lines and accessed through dedicated display terminals. Technologies for access and distribution of information have progressed beyond these early telecommunications networks. Now, the global internet connects all conceivable devices though fiber optics, satellites, and cellular networks with capacity and speed unimaginable in those early days.
In 1995, Information Today, Inc. acquired Computers in Libraries, including both the magazine (now in its 45th year) and the conference, from Mecklermedia. It has just marked the 30th anniversary of stewardship of the event. The organizational stability of the conference has helped it endure through fluctuations in the economy and through the COVID-19 pandemic as a venue for ongoing conversations surrounding the changing realm of technologies and societal trends that impact libraries. Its broad scope means flexibility for inclusion of topics relevant through multiple decades.
Hopes and Fears
Fast-forward to the 40th edition of the Computers in Libraries conference. The usual optimistic view of technology supporting the work and missions of libraries was tempered by the dark clouds of recent events. These overtones were heard not only from the podiums of the many keynotes and presentations but also were prevalent in hallway conversations. Much of the value of these in-person conferences comes through the networking and informal conversations that virtual meetings and events cannot effectively provide.
Libraries are concerned about losses in funding, either directly through actions such as the possible closure of IMLS or indirectly through massive cuts of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and reductions in indirect cost rates. Public libraries especially will feel the pain of the possible loss of initiatives funded through the Library and Services Technology Act (LSTA), through which IMLS distributes funds to libraries in each state and territory. Statewide ILL programs, library services for the blind and visually disabled, E-rate discounts for internet connectivity, and open source software projects are a few examples of the initiatives in jeopardy. Cuts in research grants from NIH and other federal agencies signal difficult times ahead for many academic libraries. Universities cannot absorb the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars of research funding without major budget impacts throughout the organization.
Many conversations revolved around the reversal and withdrawal of initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Such setbacks extend beyond government agencies that are directly subject to executive orders to also include nongovernmental organizations or educational institutions that receive federal grants or funding. Libraries feel the emotional sting of the elimination of DEI initiatives as well as the potential for the loss of positions and programs. In addition, they are increasingly struggling against censorship. This often comes in the form of boards and government agencies shifting control away from libraries regarding what titles can be held in collections or how they should be restricted from access.
The widespread sense of despair among conference attendees seemed to heighten the intensity of the conversations regarding the benefits of technology for the library community. This era of formidable challenges drives interest in finding the right technologies to support the work of libraries. AI, especially generative AI (gen AI), has practically exploded into our daily lives. Almost all business sectors, social networks, and educational institutions have begun to incorporate some aspects of AI into their products and services. Libraries are no exception. Gen AI now dominates the topics presented at almost all library conferences. This is a subject that libraries must reckon with, like it or not. It was interesting to hear a wide variety of perspectives on this topic, ranging from the highly optimistic to the deeply skeptical.
Gen AI has surged faster than any other technology I have encountered in my career. Other tech fads that have held the attention of this conference have included microcomputers, spreadsheets, databases, optical discs, CD-ROM networks, the internet, the web, QR codes, open source software, Web2, and linked data. Most of these technologies that first came on the scene with such hype eventually settled in as a routine part of the technology ecosystem; however, some eventually fell away as irrelevant. Although AI is currently consuming so much attention, it seems that it will eventually be normalized. But much work remains before it can become a routine component of library technology. Gen AI has so much potential to transform library services—either in good ways or bad—that it will probably be at the center of debate for a while.
It’s important to look beyond the current topics of conversation. Even though it’s hard to imagine now, AI will normalize. While it is likely to endure as a useful approach, other new and promising technologies will take their turn on the center stage for upcoming conference themes. Of course, my crystal ball doesn’t yet reveal the specifics. In the meantime, much work remains to assess, develop, and integrate the current hot technologies. Hopefully, the dark clouds will also subside soon. |
