Automating Idaho's Libraries (original) (raw)

1994, Resource Sharing & Information Networks

The history of library autorrmticm in Idaho is iilustrative of the come of library automation throughout the United States. Idaho's effort to automate Its libraries is the stmy of cooperative ventures designed to help libraries work: together to further their own interests. The role of LSCA, the Idaho State Library, the geogaphy, and other unique chri~acteristicx of the state, as well as the role of WLN, are examined. The history of library automation in Idaho is not so much the story of individual projects in the state as it is the story of the work that has been done to automate Idaho's libraries<ooperative ventures that have helped connect different libraries in the huge and sometimes isolated state of Idaho. Again and again, automation turns out to be something libraries are doing together, with the underlying goal, perhaps not of cooperation, but of fairly benign self-interest. A major part of the story of library automation in Idaho has been the story of work done by the Idaho State Library and of money from LSCA. HOW LONG IS THE HISTORY? When taking a historical perspective, the first question to ask is, how long is history? The history of library automation in Idaho, and