Annals or Library Science and Documentation 1992,39(3), 106-] 12

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN 21ST CENTURY- NEW TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGY

Twentyfirst century is expected to change the entiresce-nario of information science. It will then bepossible tocommunicate information in voluminous amountswith the help of information technology over longdistances in seconds. The present information ageis going to face much more challenges due (0 rapidtechnologicaladvancements which willcreatenew waveof opportunities for using information in virtually allhuman pursuits. All developments are to be watchedcritically and closely "for information itself ispower"and the power of information takes on evengreater di-mensions inthe information society. Information tech-nology does not consist of only the hardware andsoftware but also the management techniques used tohandle and process information, their application, etc.The rapid advancements in the field of informationtechnology has: resulred into communication revolu-tion giving rise to new social condition which is beingdescribed as Information Society'.

INFORMATION SOCIETY

The credit to develop the concept of informationsociety goes to Japan where the term 'JohokaShakai' or 'informationalised society' was coinedaround 1966 by a science, technology andeconomics study group formed by the JapaneseGovernment. They described information societyas one in which there is abundance of quality andquantity of information with all the necessaryfacilities for its distribution. The information shouldbe easily assembled, quickly and efficiently dis-tributed and converted in the form suitable to theuser. Other common rubrics to 'informationsociety' include 'age of cybernetics' (used widelyin 1960s) 'electronic age' and 'age of intorrna-tion' (both proposed by Marshall McLuhn in1954) 'knowledge society' described by PeterDrucker in 1969 and 'electronic society' sug-gested by Zbigniew Brezezinski in 1970, 'elec-tronic age' etc. The information society has itsmain thrust in information management, theacquisition, processing, provision and instan-taneous dissemination of information.

In order to clearly understand the dimensions of

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A KSINHALibrary & Information ServicesTata Engineering & Locomotive Company Ltd.Jamshedpur-831 01 0

an information society it will be desirable to havea look at the criteria for the development of infor-mation society. Martin [1] has identified thesecriteria which are given the Table 1.

Thus in an information society the key factor is in-formation and its development depends largelyon the application of information technology toexploit the information to meet the needs and sat-isfaction of the end - users. Today concertedefforts are being made by various agencies in thisdirection to develop information products andservices with a suitable provision of their speedycommunication through a wide range of mediasmostly electronic medias and its effective andefficient management.

THE INFORMATION EXPLOSION

A plethora of knowledge is being unfolded everyday. This situation of overwhelming mass ofavailable information is being denoted by 'infor-mation explosion', 'information deluge', 'informa-tion crisis' and even 'information revolution'. It isa common knowledge that during the presentgeneration more science related information hasbeen produced than in the past. This is becauseof the ever increasing specialization and diversifi-cation of knowledge, need of distinguishing one-self in academic circles and increasing numberof printed or recorded information in variousforms.

Today the amount of information available in books,articles, in periodicals, abstracting and indexingperiodicals, conference proceedings, seminarpapers, bibliographic data-bases has grownphenomenally . According to a rough estimate, S& T information now increases 13% per year whichis likely to jump to perhaps 40% per year. There-fore, information in this field will double everytwelve months [2]. Electronic data bases anddata banks have proliferated. It is estimated thatmore than 4000 on-line data-bases are availabletoday containing, at a conservative estimate, over100 millon records and growing at a rate of 8

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million records per annum.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN 21s! CENTURY

Thus the overwhelming mass of available informa-tion and its ever increasing characteristics createreally difficult problem for searching or locatinginformation pin-pointedly and expeditiously.The quality of information rarely improves with thequantity. So the problem further gets compli-cated. The availability and accessibility of massesof information on any imaginable subject is goingto exert tremendous pressure on library andinformation centres to either move with thetechnology or stagnate. The information explo-sion situation, therefore, seems to offer threeoptions for today's information workers, i.e. toexploit, to ignore or to be overwhelmed by it. Aworldwide information and intelligent network isnot far away as the beginning has already beenmade in this direction with the application of com-puter and communication technologies.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: AN OVERVIEW

Currently 'information technology' is the latestbuzzword in the information arena. In fact the ways ofcommunicating available information from vari-ous sources to end-users are among the majorchallenges of present times. Today informationcannot . only be stored, retrieved and dissemi-nated in enormous quantities but also at phe-nomenal speeds. Information technology offersan unprecedented opportunity for storage, re-trieval, manipulation and exploitation of theinformation. Basically "information technology"connotes an ensemble of technologies i.e., thetrinity of computer, telecommunication and micro-electronics. There are three key components ofthe new technology. These are:

a) New ways to store information compactlyand cheaply;

b) New mechanism to manipulate, scanand search such records; and

c) New facilities for cheap and rapidtransmission of information over longdistances.

The important features which affect the quality ofinformation are accuracy, comprehensiveness,freshness and time. Advances in informationtechnology which are being utilised for library andinformation activities are as follows:

a) Computer-hardware and softwareb) Storage technologiesc) Data-bases

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d) Telecommunicationse) Information systemsf) Microforms and micrographicsg) Expert systemsh) Videotex and teletexti) Electronic mail

Computer Technology

Computer technology has undergone tremen-dous change both in its hardware and process-ing capabilities which in computer.terminologyare known as First Generation, Second Genera-tion, Third Generation and Fourth GenerationComputers. Currently using the recent advancesin the field of articifial intelligence, American andJapanese computer manufacturers are compet-ing with each other in developing a 'thinkingcomputer' which could be called as the FifthGeneration Computer.

Currently available computers are classified aspersonal microcomputers, super microcompu-ters, large computers and super computers.Computers are already used for library operationsand information services. The arrival of micro-computers has revolutionalised informationmanagement bringing in speed, effectiveness,efficiency that were previously unthinkable. Theavailable microcomputers are classified into threetypes, viz IBM-PC, IBM-PCXT (extended technol-ogy); 'IBM-PC/AT (advanced technology). Thelatest addition to the family of microcomputer isthe 32 bit 'super micro' having a memory expand-able upto one gigabyte offering a processingspeed of 2 MIPS and supports large disks and avariety of I/O devices.

The impact of computers has permeated allsectors of librarianship and information retrieval.In India, a good number of library and informationcentres have started using computers for acquisi-tion, classification and cataloguing systems, in-dexing and thesauri, circulation system, stocktaking, periodicals control system, CAS (currentawareness service), SOl (selective disseminationof information), retrospective search, etc.

Software

The hardware of computer determines its capacityfor storing and processing information. The soft-ware comprises an hierarchy of programmeswhich intervenes between the users and thehardware.Presently, software is becoming evenmore important than the computer itself.

Software is usually categorised as system

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Table 1Criteria for the Development of an Information Society

TechnologicalCriteria:

Information Technology {Il) as the keyenabling force. Widespread diffusion of IT in offices,factories, education and at home.

SocialCriteria:

Information as an enhancer of the quality oflife, widespread information consciousnessand end - user access to high quality information.

EconomicCriteria:

Information as a key economic factor asresource, service, commodity, a source added value and employment.

PoliticalCriteria:

Freedom of information leading to a politicalprocess characterised by increased participation and consensus.

CulturalCriteria:

Recognition of the cultural value Of theinformation through the promotion of theinformation values in the interest of nationaland individual development.

Table 2Software Packages Develpoed and Marketed in India

Name of the software Organization

WILISYS WIPRO, Bangalore

SALIM Uptron India Ltd., New Delhi

L1BSYS Info-Tek Consultant, New Delhi

GOLDEN LIBRA Golden Age Software Technologies, Bombay

NlLlS Asmita Consultants, Bombay

ARCHIVES (1,2,3)

LIBRARY MANAGER

Minafax Electronic Systems, Bombay

Systems Data Controls Pvt. Ltd., Bombay

ACQAS, ASCAT, ASCIR,SERAS, ASIRE

Ober Information System, Calcutta

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software and application software. System soft-ware consists of programmes that enable acomputer to function and control its own opera-tions whereas in application software its programmesperform some user specified tasks, e.g. chargingbooks or producing reminders for periodicals,etc. Many library and information centres havedeveloped their own programmes. Besides, thereare a number of software packages available forlibrary applications. Some of the widely used andinternationally well known packages are: MINISIS,Mini-micro CDS/ISIS, SUPERDOC IV + V,SCI_MATE, CAIRS (Computer Assisted Informa-tion/Library Retrieval System), INMAGIC, etc.Some software packages (Table 2) are devel-oped in India and marketed.

Seshagiri [2] while considering the efforts putin the preparation of abstracting journals likeCurrent Contents, Electrical Engineering Ab-stracts, tNPADOC Patent Abstracts, MEDLARS,INSPEC and hundred others has suggested tocreate two or three software technology parks inIndia to take up the most of the abstractingservices of the world. If this is taken up in India,it will result into massive employment of library andinformation science degree holders and a hundredenterprises may emerge in the wake of this effortapart from more than one hundred billion dollarearnings.

Computer Networking

Computer application is also facilitating inter-linking of libraries or information centres to form anetwork thereby paving the way for resourcesharing. In this, location of resources and servicesdoes not matter and each participating library inthe network can have access to a pool of re-sources thereby meeting the expectations andsatisfaction of their users.

Storage Technology

The advances in storage technology have a sig-nificant effect in information handling. The tech-nology of digital storage is one of the most rapidlychanging sector of micro-electronics. Over thelast decades operating speeds and reliabilityhave increased substantially along with physicalsize, power consumption and cost per unit ofstorage. Similar improvements are predicted incoming years before physical limitations areencountered. The storage technologies includemagnetic storage like: Tape/ disk storage, floppydiscs, Winchester and removable hard discs,optical storage like compact disk (CD), videodisk, digital optical disk (000), laser card (LC).

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Holography is the other optical system. Amongthese in recent years CD-ROM (Compact DiskRead Only Memory) technology has revolutional-ised the information and publishing fields. Withthe emergence of CD-ROM technology, on-linemarket seems to have received a jolt.

Recently DIALOG, a reputed vendor of severalinternational data-bases has marketed 'Medline'on single CD-ROM disk which holds medicalcitations of five years (1984-88). According to asurvey 80% of US libraries used CD-ROM in addi-tion to computer and other technologies for infor-mation retrieval. The number of data-bases onvarious subjects in CD-ROM is estimated to beover 350. University Microfilm Inc (UMI) offers fiveCD-ROM products. 'Dissertation Abstracts' ondisk contains bibliographic citations of over1,000,000 dissertations from 1988 back to 1861with some 30,000 new citations added each year.ABI/INFORM on DISK is a bibliographic data baseof over 800 business periodicals from the last fiveyears. 'Periodical Abstracts on disk' covers 300general reference periodicals. Other productsare Newspaper Abstract on disk and Resource/one[3].

In the case of bibliographic data-bases the usersare required to look for the copies of the neededarticles. So the producers are now engaged indevelopment of information product on CD-ROMthat will contain digital page images. It is estimatedthat about 5,000 typical magazine paqes can bestored on CD-ROM. Earlier, sharing of CD-ROMdrive was not possible but recent research andexperiments have shown partial success. MicroMedex has succeeded in experimental stage andhas announced a next generation system in theform of multi user dial-up system which will beattached to a variety of hosts, i.e. mainframecomputer system. Median Data Inc. has CD-Netand CD-Server systems that make CD-ROMdrives available as network resources. CompactDisk Interactive (CD-I), Compact Disk Video (CD-V) and Compact Disk Interactive Video (CD-IV) aswell as WORM type disks are being produced asstorage media.

Data-bases

The. phrase data-base can take two meanings inliterature of L&IS. First of all there are data-baseswhich are bibliographic or inventory in natureand are nothing more than a collection of relatedlogical records and typified by the sequential typefiles of LC-MARC, COMPENDEX, NTIS and so onwhereas a computer scientist and the Data-BaseManagement System (DBMS) expert refer to a

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data-base as a logically consistent structure ofinterlinked records.

While bibliographic data-bases have been on thescene for more than two decades. on-linebibliographic data-bases are a most recent phe-nomenon. The following developments have takenplace in the field:

a) Computer communication.b) Public Data Networks.c) Use of computers in text processing.

abstracting and indexing.d) Data-base management systems and

distributed data-base management.e) Inexpensive communication equipment

such as terminals and modems.f) Data storage system [4].

The major components of an on-line search serv-ice are shown in the following chart.

Data-base Network On-LineProducers ~ Services ~ Search ~ Users

Service

The important data-bases. currently used by theresearcher. are COMPENDEX. INSPEC. MEDLlNE.ASI (Statistics). MATADEX (Materials Science).METADEX, FSTA (Food), CA-SEARCH NTIS,CANCERLINE. etc.

Telecommunication

Telecommunication is concerned with the transferof data over distances by means of communica-tion links where communication among a largenumber of information sources is desired. Directconnection between any two of the large numberof sources would obviously be uneconomicaland technically difficult. Therefore, the sourcesmust be organized into some form of a networkconsisting of inter connecting links betweenlocations at which both the transmission and thereception usually occur. Today the links may beimplemented in many ways e.g by cable, terres-trial microwave or via earth satellites. For trans-oceanic communications newer forms of subma-rine cables using optical fibre are being devel-oped.

Certain applications of microprocessors haveopened whole new vistas for the transfer- ofinformation by telecommunications. The develop-ments of micro-electronics have led to somemicro-computers and television based informa-tion terminals. Recently there has been consider-able activity in evaluation of potential for docu-

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ment delivery systems based on satellite commu-nication. New developments in communicationtechnology such as fibre optics. packet switch-ing and direct/live telecast of satellite transmis-sion are bound to stimulate greater use of com-munication technology in library and informationcentres. In India. we are familar with NICNET andINDONET. Research institutes through INDONErsinternational gateway can get access to a vastelectronic library of scientific. technical. financialand commercial information stored in data-baseslike MEDUNE. NTIS. INSPEC. COMPENDEX.CLAIMS etc. [5].

INFLIBNET

UGC has worked on a project proposal to havecomputer communication network in the EighthFive Year Plan linking libraries and bibliographicinformation centres all over the country calledINFLIBNET (Information and Library Network). Ithas recently been endorsed by the concernedMinistry of the Government of India. Major institu-tions of higher learning and national organiza-tions are participating in the project, viz. CSIR,ICAR, DRDO, ICMR, DAE, DOE, DOT, Indira GandhiCentre of Arts. etc. The project is to be imple-mented in two stages. The first and the secondphase. i.e. (April 1990-March 1992) and (April1992 to March 1994) are estimated to cost Rs.551.645 and Rs. 955.2 million respectively.INFLIBNET is a multi-service network offeringcatalogue based services. data-base services,document supply services and communicationbased services. It will operate at different levels,national, regional, sectoral and local. There will bea national centre for managing and coordinatingthe affairs of the network. It will use a hybrid versionof satellite and terrestrial networking as its commu-nication system [5].

CALIBNET

For the first time in the country 42 major libraries ofvarious scientific institutions, research laborato-ries, medical colleges and universities in Calcuttawould be brought under a computer networkcalled CALIBNET for mutual sharing of informa-tion. The feasibility report has already beensubmitted by the Computer Maintenance Corpo-ration (CMC) to NISSAT which is funding theproject.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

The ultimate aim of the information system in thelibrary and information centres is conceived asa network of different information facilities includ-

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ing bibliographical retrieval, data-base manage-ment, data analysis, indexing and text process-ing system. etc.

There are a number of information systems bothat international and national level which aim atproviding information services in various subjectfields, viz. INIS,AGRIS, DEVSIS,etc.

MICROGRAPHICS

Micrographics is a powerful microforce for recordsmanagement and information control. It encom-passes techniques and methods for compactstorage of voluminous information records forhigh speed searching and retrieval. Today it ispossible to record microimages in various micro-forms such as microfilm, microfiche, ultraficheand COM ( Computer Output Microfilm). In COM,data on magnetic tape are translated into read-able text produced on cathode ray tube andprinted as films which can be viewed on terminalsor used to produce hard copies. Today some-thing about 20% of current periodicals pub-lished in hardcopies are available on microfilm.

EXPERT SYSTEMS

Expert systems (ES) are the best knownmanifestations of Artificial Intelligence (AI).Thedirect application of ES to information work hasbeen primarily in the area of on-line bibliographicdata-base searchlnq. Expert system use AI prob-lem solving and knowledge representation tech-niques to codify the knowledge of human experts.Some of the ES developed for on line searchingare: Answerman, CANSEARCH,Expert Consulta-tion System, ORA, PLEXUS, Ready ReferenceThesaurus System, RUBRIC,etc. [7].

VIDEOTEX AND TELETEXT

Basically videotex (Vtx)and Viewdata are interac-tive systems for transmitting text and graphicsstored in computer data-bases via the telephonenetwork for display on television screen. Referralservices, Reference Information, SOl type ofsubject oriented literature reference cum copying(document delivery) services can be more com-fortably used over Vtx [8].

Teletext is a pseudo-interactive information re-trieval system using one way telecommunicationline to carry digitally encoded textual, graphicor computer readable information. Itsmain advan-tage is the ability of the system to be updatedcontinuously for a large viewing audience.

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ELECTRONIC MAIL

It is a message service using electronics and tele-communications to deliver hard or soft copy ofinformation. The concept of electronic mailcovers a wide spectrum of systems and serviceswhose main common feature is that the messageare converted to electronic signals for thepurpose of transmission. I/O from electronic mailsystems can be via video terminal or wordprocessor with printer, a facsimile machine orindeed any data terminal including computervision and voice communication system.

INFORMATION INDUSTRIES

The Information Business

Today all those who are concerned with informa-tion are over-whelmed with the availability ofinformation and are facing difficulty in tapping theright information at the right time. People haverealised the concept of selective buying andaccessing information through a computer andtelecommunication link. It has given scope forentirely new type of industries having informationbusiness which are called as 'information indus-tries'. An information industry may encompassproduct, services and related technologies whichare used to create, store, retrieve,manipulate anddeliver the information. Diebold [9] has describedinformation industries constituting various combi-nations of information providers and deliverysystem providers as follows:

Information Providers are enterprises and organi-zations that develop and/or control data-bases,libraries and audiovisual programmes.

Delivery System Providers are enterprises andorganizations that develop/or control path ways or'conduits' for information flows or that offerhardware and software systems for delivery ofinformation services.

Information Services are perceived economicvalues to the user is based upon the delivery ofinformation.

There are many organizations both in India andabroad which have engaged themselves in theinformation market. To name a few of them areMcGraw-Hili, Reuters, Dun & Bradstreet, Institutefor Scientific Information from Abroad and Infor-matics (Bangalore), Technology InformationForecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC)set by DST and ICICI subsidiary Technology De-velopment and Information Company of India in

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(TDICI) in India.

In India the information industry is still in its infancyand it requires proper marketing of its productsand customer education. It should build productawareness among early adopters such as re-searchers, businessmen and policy makers anduse heavy sales promotion to entice trial. To startwith, these industries should spend 12 to 15% ofrevenues on marketing and customer education.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

The purposeful and systematic acquisition andapplication of information with the help of suitableinformation technology are the core ideas behindthe concept of information management. Infor-mation management comprises disciplines con-cerned with the study and the effective andefficient management of information resources,products and services as well as the understand-ing of the involved technologies and the peopleengaged in this activity. The function ofinformation management today are comparablewith those of business management. The skillsand the competency required to manage this isasfollows:

Managerial skills/expertise: Strategic planning,financial planning and management, human re-source management, communication skills, lead-ership skills, project management, marketingand marketing research.

Technical skills/expertise: Computer hardwareacquisition and management or data-base de-sign and management, telecommunication sys-tem and management, system auditing, systemanalysis, information service management,application development and management.

Only by perfecting the skills/expertise in the abovementioned areas it would be possible to manageeither the 'information industries' or 'informationcentres' in the coming century.

CONCLUSION

Today almost every subject field is scrambling tofind ways to harness the power of informationtechnology. This is no longer a technological

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phenomenonbut a socialone. Inthe comingcenturyit would be possible to communicate volumi-nous amount of information in a variety of formsover long distances in seconds. Standard tele-phone lines and advanced cellular radio technol-ogy will provide access to high speed networksthat willwhisk data, text, graphics and informationfrom one part of the world and send it to anotherinstantly. Expert Systems will be widely used foron-line searching. The Indian Information Indus-tries should aim to emerge as national retailerof selective foreign bibliographic data bases andsimultaneously work with close liaison withINFLIBNETand other networks mentioned earlier.They should also engage themselves in the cus-tomer needs research and analysis and accord-ingly go for service development activities. Furtherthe information workers engaged 'in informationindustries or information centres should sharpentheir skills in information management to operateeffectively and efficiently in the new environment.This would also require to make a balance be-tween 'demand' and 'supply' of information.

REFERENCES

1. MARTINWJ: The Information Society - idea orentry? Aslib Proc. 1988, 40 (11-12).

2. SESHAGIRIN: Computer software and officeautomation, policies and perspectives. Com-puter & Communication 1990, 4 (2).

3. The future of CD-ROM an interview with DonWillis of U.M.I. IMC Journal 1989, 25 (2).

4. SADANANDAN P: Bibliographic data-basesand the Indian researcher; The EconomicTimes 1988, September 29.

5. VERMAK: Missing links in data links.Comput-ers Today 1989, 58 (5).

6. VIDYANETfor national and overseas linkage.INICAEt989, 8 (2). 7. HAWKINS,DT:Applica-tion ofAIand ExpertSystem for online search-ing. Online 1988.

8. DIEBOLDJ: Business in the age of informationN.Y., AMCOM,1985.

Courtesy "Proceedings of the seminar on Management of Information Industry in twentyfirst century" heldat Jamshedpur in 1990."

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