CNI Task Force Meeting cont...

Conclusion

As seems to be the case with CNI Task Force Meetings, the strength of the programme is secondary only to the 'networking' which gets done outside the formal programme. CNI is certainly a bringing together of the great and the good of the networked information community - not quite the LIS Academy Awards but close. Despite the unofficial focus on the extra-programme activity, the programme itself provides ample variety and depth of coverage to satisfy even experts. The way in which the event is structured around plenary sessions and project briefings is both effective and very informative. For the attendant projects, it is also an excellent opportunity for disseminating to an audience of considerable experience and scope. I hope the selections above provide a 'taster' for these meetings.

In information networking, it is no longer desirable (or even possible) to work in isolation. The representation at CNI is a testimony to the commitment and enthusiasm there is for network technology and its potential to relax the constraints of space, time and distance (geographical, administrative, sectoral etc.) Despite this fact, we continue to feel impeded by local constraints in the face of advancements on a truly international scale. Through work in the eLib programme I am increasingly aware of the tension between local and global developments. It is crucial to keep our heads up to ensure our local work is in line with similar work elsewhere. There is a clear and ever present danger that our overall understanding of network technology and its potential will begin to lag behind the technology itself (to an extent it already does.) If we are to realise the potential of network communications we will need to see the road ahead and ensure that decisions we make will not become barriers later on. A principled understanding of new technology and its implications is only possible through international co-operation and awareness. CNI offers a valuable focus for a growing community of librarians, computer scientists, academics and researchers who will need a clear vision for the future in order to realise the potential of network technologies.

References

[1] http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/projects/mru.html

[2] http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/

[3] http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/elib/background/pressreleases/summary2.html#preservation

[4] http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/elib/background/pressreleases/summary2.html#hybrid

[5] http://www.cause.org/

[6] http://www.educom.org/

[7] http://www.cause.org/page2/con_vote.html

[8] http://www.wipo.org/eng/diplconf/distrib/94dc.htm

[9] http://www.dfc.org/

[10] http://www.doi.org/

[11] http://www.oclc.org/oclc/menu/eco.htm

[12] http://www.swetsnet.nl/

[13] http://www.isinet.com/prodserv/citation/wosprev.html

[14] http://highwire.stanford.edu/

[15] http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/SICI/

[16] http://www.elsevier.com/homepage/news/1996/esi/identify.htm

[17] http://www.cimi.org/

[18] http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/resource/vcuc

[19] http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue12/metadata/

Author details

Material on this page is copyright Ariadne/original authors. This article last updated/links checked on 28-Jul-1998