These three topics were researched by the committee and discussed with the full Board of Trustees at a special working session of the Board and planning committee. In April 1996, while the committee was beginning to draft the final report, a plan was announced to close the Southeast Regional Library in 1999. This could have major impact on the services Brooks provides. During the past five years, there have been some significant changes in information technology which have affected the use of this technology within our local and national society. As part of the development of this revision of the long-range plan for the library, the Board considered a number of questions relating to information technology.
Information technology can be a useful tool as a means to provide services in a different way.
In 1995, the BARN came online for circulation, cataloging, and card catalog functions in Brooks Memorial Library. This helps to make the library more efficient in basic ways. Over the next several years, the library staff and Board of Trustees will continually assess what other information technologies should be added or expanded to enrich the library reference services. The Board will establish a technology committee to focus on the issue. Now that technological applications and access have become a major component of the library's services budget, the trustees and staff will be faced with a unique challenge.