Such heterogeneity strains past assumptions about what they know, what they can be expected to know and even how they learn. At the same time, however, the rapidly changing face of our libraries is a clear sign of the shifting paradigm that governs our work patterns. The abandonment of card catalogues is a symbolic symptom of the threat faced by our paper and print-based civilization. The incorporation of Information Technology into the Teaching and Learning equation poses several problems, not the least of which is its very considerable volatility. Not surprisingly, the difficulties we have in pinning down such dizzying growth leads to a myriad of extravagant, often contradictory claims.
Information searches on the information highway are a joke.
They are slow, use incomprehensible search techniques, and are ludicrously incomplete. Most communication is mindless babble. The true costs in time and money are enormous, and are largely hidden. The majority of you have completed the transition from typewriting to word processing. The changing nature of demands being made on university secretarial staff confirms this.