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COMMUNICATION IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
to their peers critical, in-depth indexing and synthesis of information.
Similar considerations apply to other specialized information centers, e.g.,
in toxicology, vascular disease, and human genetic pedigrees. A single
national computer network is, as yet, rather remote, and the interim growth
of specialized information centers to meet clearly defined and societally
significant needs is strongly encouraged.
LIBRARIES
Libraries are overwhelmed by the abundance of scientific literature. Pur-
chase, bibliographic, and maintenance costs and sheer physical shelf space
make it almost impossible for any single facility to house all the available
material. The increasing gap between production and acquisition of mate-
rials, bibliographic deficiencies, and the mechanical obstacles to sharing
resources among libraries are also handicaps.
Improved technology for inexpensive reproduction and dissemination
of literature could greatly facilitate the sharing of resources among libraries.
The New York Public Library and the National Library of Medicine main-
tain their reference collections intact and allow no interlibrary loans, to
ensure availability of documents. Other libraries have indulged so freely
in interlibrary loans that their own shelves are seriously depleted of refer-
ence material. Inexpensive copying, coupled with clarification of copyright
laws in relation to such reproduction, could solve many problems. Better
dissemination of information concerning the availability of bibliographic
materials would be quite helpful.
A most useful development would be agreements to assign specific re-
sponsibilities to particular libraries, each of which would acquire extensively
in its designated areas, organize and publish bibliographies, and provide
lending or photocopy services, patently an extension of the specialized
information center concept. The national libraries of agriculture and medi-
cine are successful examples of this approach. If major academic libraries
concentrated individually on agreed-upon subdivisions of the life sciences
(plant physiology, taxonomy, environmental biology, ecology, etc.) while
maintaining their general collections, the needs of the scientific community
could be much more adequately served than at present.
Most importantly, while new forms of communication are evolving and
the nature of the science library is in transition, existing libraries are
facing grave financial difficulties. All but a few urgently require funds for
construction, for acquisitions, shelving, computer systems, desk consoles
for use with microfiche, staff, and related necessities. We recommend that
the three primary federal agencies that must accept responsibility for the
Representative terms from entire chapter:
information centers
