We should be expanding these classroom facilities to keep up with, and perhaps slightly ahead of, demand. Information technology can be a magnet for these discussions. The technology should not isolate people or lead to faceless communication exclusively, but rather enhance the personal interactions and mentoring by faculty. Faculty Research and other Scholarly Work Enhancement of options for collaboration with colleagues around the world and access to vital shared information resources should be a high priority. The Internet provides a change in the way we can perceive ourselves in the world.
Physical limitations persist but communication limitations disappear.
These capabilities exist now but are only modestly exploited, though we are seeing examples of ways Colby's faculty become leaders in collaboration. While not abandoning books and printed journals, the library will increasingly incorporate access to electronic holdings located elsewhere in the world on the network. The financial challenge is certainly going to be significant in this area. But we should, perhaps, be expecting that every student and faculty member at Colby can have the same access to the same electronic resources as every student and faculty member at Harvard, Dartmouth, UC Berkeley and Pomona. Administrative Process Enhancements Students, faculty, and staff will be better served by electronic access to information resources and forms submission.