Factors Influencing the Use of Technical Standards in a Nationwide Library and Information Service Network

James L. Wood, Director, Bibliographic Operations, Chemical Abstracts Service, Columbus Ohio

6/27/2008
(Original Publish Date: 10/1/1982)

The April 1970 Issue of Library Trends contains an article by Wigington and Wood describing the standardization requirements of a national program for information transfer. In their article, the authors drew an analogy between the national telephone network and a concep- tualized national information transfer system. In doing so, they identified a significant distinction between the two. For the “national telephone system there existed a single management-planning and decision-making authority for most of the system involved.” For a national information transfer system there will be “many centers of influence."