Much more information is now available at the WVU Libraries in electronic form, including the full text of many newer journal articles. According to Calzonetti, a user can access the electronic databases to find a reference to an article, click a button on the computer screen, and read, print, or download the entire text. In the past, users had to find references to journal articles, then hunt for the journal in print form to see the full text. That involved browsing around in the library stacks, making a trip to another campus library, or, if the journal was not available on campus, putting in a request for it through interlibrary loan and waiting. In the recent past, a user might wait two weeks or more to get materials through interlibrary loan.
Books still take a while.
But, using document scanning software, librarians can now get some materials much faster. It might take only a day or two. In an emergency, we can sometimes get an article from another library in less than an hour. Another service made possible by new technology is electronic reserves, which are now available at the Colson Hall Library. The Internet, of course, is revolutionizing information access.