The IRC soon became the place to find out more about the Internet. The staff became Internet advisors and trainers, they offered web server space to other departments, and generally acted as Internet champions at National. As a result, the Information Resource Center is now responsible for NSC s main intranet home page. A team of IRC staff, including a Web Content Manager and a Graphic Designer, organize and maintain the site. They are working on an Indexing and Classification system as well as a subject directory to guide users through National s intranet.
Several staff are also involved in technical development projects such as search engine selection.
Because Holland understands information, end users, and technology, she knew how to bring them together in a manner that has become invaluable to her company. Mary Holland and Janell Picard have written an excellent article about their work entitled, Librarians at the Gate. Intranet development projects are often the work of several, cross-functional groups. Networking, data processing, visual design, and information management expertise are needed to create successful web sites. As networking infrastructure proliferates, content creation and management skills are in high demand.