The role of libraries and information centres in the global forest information service

As the informaton society develops, traditional libraries and information providers are changing: moving from physical `places` to digital `spaces`. Electronic resources supplement and in part replace local holdings, and formerly stand-alone services are increasingly integrated into institution-wide, country-wide or regional facilities. Despite this, there remain huge distributed collections of printed material, not available in electronic format but still of high relevance to forest research and even though electronic publishing is growing fast, so is print: every year sees a further rise in the numbers of printed scientific journals published. The provision of access to non-electronic material is thus a key element of the Global Forest Information Service and this paper examines the role of libraries in meeting that challenge. Libraries have traditionally had both a curatorial and an educational role, which applies as much to electronic as to conventional resources. Digital material poses difficulties in organisation, long-term retention and preservation, just as other media do, and librarians have long experience in devising innovative solutions to these problems. The profession is devoted both to the preservation and dissemination of knowledge, working with educators and researchers to facilitate its creation, sharing and use. The computer and the internet in particular, provide powerful tools in aiding this process, but human input is required in all three of its facets, machine based systems speed up its operation, but also create increasing demands for reliable, well-evaluated resources and high-quality education in their use. Libraries within the GFIS subject envelope can help meet these demands by : - locating, describing and classifying relevant resources in all formats - guiding local and remote users in their most efficient use - providing rapid access to requested material by traditional and electronic means - identifying non-electronic resources for digitisation - organising the creation and maintenance of digital archives - providing local access to electronic resources which cannot be globally networked - developing inter-connected catalogues hyperlinked directly to electronic resources - encouraging IT literacy and the development of electronic publishing - advising on copyright and other intellectual property issues - publicising GFIS in conjunction with local and regional networks of all sorts - offering a `human face` for electronic systems, in a familiar context and local language. This paper reviews how far these and related activities have already progressed, what more can be implemented with current technology and which areas need further investment.