Abstract: University libraries in Malaysia, as elsewhere, are always in a constant state of change. The application of computers, the adoption of CD-ROM and other on-line databases, the emergence of multimedia technology and the expansion of the information highway following rapid developments in IT have made the working and information environment in these organizations very different from that before computerization in the 1970s. These changes, under the impact of IT, have opened up new opportunities for libraries to improve their services in the decades ahead.

1. INTRODUCTION 

There are two points we have to consider in assessing the possible impact of information technology (IT) on library services in the 21st century. Firstly, we have to understand the changes that have taken place in communication systems in the last two decades. Secondly, we have to look at further new developments which are likely to occur in the next few years. This is because past changes can influence or anticipate future developments. In this paper, I propose to highlight the role of information professionals performing an intermediary function between information producers and information end-users, focusing in particular on the changing role of librarians in the face of challenges and opportunities that IT offers. 

One obvious example of the use of IT in library services is the application of computers, telecommunication and electronic devices in assisting libraries in achieving their objectives. The introduction of IT some twenty years ago had an immediate and lasting effect on library activities and library functions. When I first joined the UKM Library in 1971, all operations (from acquisitions to cataloguing to reference services) were done manually. During the following twenty years, I witnessed a gradual conversion of all major university libraries in Malaysia, including my own, from a manual mode of operation to a computerised and more recently, to an electronic system operation. Clearly, IT has come to play a decisive role in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of library services in Malaysia or elsewhere in the last two decades. With the automation of "technical" services (namely cataloguing and acquisitions) through the use of CD-ROM and other on-line databases, library staff become aware of the profound and far reaching effect that IT can have on their work. Along with automation came personal and organizational changes. These changes were most visible in the UKM Library, especially when it began to downsize its Periodical Division by subscribing to full text databases while the Reference Division initiated a series of campaigns to promote the utilization of CD-ROM database in the 1990s. Existing staff were re-trained and gradually assumed new responsibilities related to IT. 

Libraries adopt IT because of the convenience of fast and accruate access to current information, which enhances their efficiency. However, IT cannot be seen to replace the traditional function of libraries as information centers or storehouses of information resources. IT is best seen as a tool used to accomplish certain library functions more economically and efficiently. 

What will libraries be like in the 21st century when more books, journals and other materials will be published in electronic form? Although printed materials will still be part of libraries’ collection, the ration of the printed to non-printed materials will change in favour of the latter. Thus, casting a glance into the future, we can say that the information environment is likely be quite different from today. Libraries will no longer be just repositories of printed materials; they will increasingly act as information centres working with CD-ROM and on-line databases. As the on-line information world changes, the information professionals working in the field will be constantly on their toes to keep abreast of the latest developments. Inevitably this will entail restructuring of libraries as well as training and retraining of staff in library management. The restructuring and staff training will be a continuous process as there is constant pressure generated by new innovations in information management e.g., "do-it-yourself" service on the one hand and "just-in-time" on the other. Because of their changing role, librarians will probably be re-designated as information managers, brokers, scientists or experts. These new designations will symbolise their changing functions under the impact of IT. 

The information explosion generated by rapid developments in IT is not only making information professionals more important; it is also putting old-style librarians under pressure to change or perish (Ghilardi 1994:8). Nevertheless, libraries will continue to focus on traditional services and products by expanding and integrating IT into their mainstream/core work and by retraining staff accordingly. The growth of IT should not be perceived as a threat by conventional librarians but as an opportunity that will upgrade their status and image as information professionals capable of providing information and documents to users who cannot retrieve them from databases or conventional collections. To achieve this, they will constantly have to adopt new ideas, improve their technical know-how and absorb new technologies. They will also need to establish a close rapport and network with colleagues all over the world. In short, those involved in information services will have to stay on the cutting edge of both technology and information resources so that they do not become irrelevant or redundant. With the next century only five years away what happens today will undoubtedly affect the shape of developments in library organisation and management in the 21st century. 

2. DO-IT-YOURSELF SERVICES AND INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS

When computers were first introduced in the 1970s, they were used mainly to automate repetitive and labour intensive processes such as acquisition, cataloguing and circulation. Now, they have become invaluable information and communication devices that improve the performance of library workers, thus enhancing productivity and efficiency. More recently, we have witnessed the widespread adoption of computers, CD-ROM and on-line databases and information networking in many university libraries in Malaysia. Faced with this relentless surge of technology, many university libraries are finding it financially difficult to keep abreast of new developments in IT in terms of upgrading hardware, discarding obsolete systems and replacing worn-out CD-ROM equipment. Nevertheless, academic and non-academic libraries seem to have no choice but to continue to invest in IT in order to improve efficiency by streamlining operations, maximising staff time and capability and enabling users to access world information just-in-time. 

As with any emerging technology, libraries which can master IT applications fast stand to benefit most in terms of information inputting, storage and retrieval. IT has been proven to perform more functions in less time and occupy less space. The immediate benefits of automation and networking in cataloguing, acquisitions and circulation are many. They are particularly notable in the rapid and easy detection and location of library materials, faster response time to requests, provision of instant information about items on loan, reservations, rebinding as well as lending services. The last mentioned benefit is a direct result of the fast electronic messaging among multi-site branches and among different libraries, regardless of location or time. This benefit , however, is made possible through OPACs (on-line public access catalogues).  

After OPACs, CD-ROM databases are probably the most popular, widely available and accessible electronic aid in academic libraries. In the UKM library, the CD-ROM service is virtually a self-service or do-it-yourself service. In the near future, many other library services will probably become self-service or do-it-yourself operations too. The borrowing and returning of materials could also become a self service or do-it-yourself task like that available in fast-food restaurants and petrol stations. Misconduct, such as stealing, would not be a major problem as library materials are sensitized and a security alarm system has been installed. From the end-users’ point of view, the do-it-yourself system is probably better in terms of convenience and less bureaucracy than the conventional system. 

In order to understand fully the incorporation under the impact of IT of the do-it-yourself concept into library services, it is important and useful to look at the utilization of CD-ROM databases that are gaining popularity among the users. These databases have an advantage over printed materials in that they make searching not only faster but also more flexible. By using CD-ROM, users can conduct a search by title, author, date, keyword, subject or by a combination of these. The search results can be printed or downloaded to floppy disks for future reference. In addition, a CD-ROM search is much cheaper than an on-line database search as there is no fee involved for the time taken, or an extra charge for downloading. CD-ROM searches can be conducted by users at their own pace. The disadvantage is the currency of information, because CD-ROM databases are usually not updated as fast or as frequently as on-line databases. With so much bibliographical information available, users’ demand for library services, particularly that concerning document delivery, has increased. To address this issue, the ‘redundant’ staff from other library divisions whose functions have already been automated should be retrained and given new responsibilities in the Circulation and Reader Services Department. Here we see the obvious impact and benefits of IT. It has the hidden mechanism of transferring some of the library workload in information retrieval to end-users, while allowing the staff to move around more freely to improve other services. This implies a certain degree of restructuring of the library organization. Under the impact of IT, libraries have to undergo this process of reorganization just like any business organization. As a result, many existing positions may have to be abolished and new ones created in response to new trends and developments set in motion by technology. The Computer Services Department in a library, for example, exists as part of its on-going effort to keep abreast of IT. This department has successfully computerised the manual systems to ensure that the library functions smoothly in the wake of rapid changes in technology and the increased availability of electronic resources.

Although many users have ‘migrated’ from the reference librarians’ desk to the CD-ROM room to conduct their own searches, the professional reference librarian is still needed because he/she can handle complicated searches and help users to deal with the information overload. This issue is raised here because most CD-ROM and on-line databases are bibliography-based, rather than information-based. This is also true of information retrieved from Internet. Hitherto, much of the information in Internet was haphazardly organized and was of mixed reliability. In this situation, information professionals could play an important intermediary role in turning bibliographical data into information for use by customers. This aspect of information management with added value will be discussed further in the next section. 

Some library staff may find that with automation there is not much work for them to do. This will be true if they continue to approach the new work environment with old attitudes and work culture. Old habits must go as new services cannot be provided using old tools, systems and concepts. Professional staff especially, should re-think the nature of their work in relation to the new environment, because libraries have changed so radically under the impact of IT. They should learn to distinguish work that can be done by computers from that which can only be accomplished by human beings. They should also draw a distinction between professional and non-professional work. In this scenario, every staff member should be motivated to innovate to create value, to develop new products or services. In this way, they will not be redundant, but continue to contribute up to the optimal level of their potential. 

The main problem with experienced library staff is that either they lack retraining or are otherwise not prepared for new kind of work in information management. In the new electronic age, where the search for productivity and efficiency is constantly at a premium, they have to push their own creativity and productivity into new areas and to new heights. Now that most users can conduct their literature searches via the user-friendly CD-ROM databases, information professionals seem to have no alternative but to identify new roles and relinquish some of the traditional ones, or, alternatively fill them in intrinsically different ways. A good example of work to be relinquished is the compilation of bibliographies or listings of collections. Twenty years ago, such an effort was extremely important, but it is no longer so now. Efforts should now be directed instead to the creation of databases. Most databases, whether in-house or purchased in the market, are storehouses of data and information which can be easily accessed for specific use. Non-professional staff who make up 60-70% of the library work force, the so-called ‘invisible’ people in the library (Daniels 1995), can be trained to do the basic information searches, using either the computerised databases or the conventional printed sources. This would allow the professionals more time to attend to their professional work in information management which they might hitherto be neglecting for one reason or another. Only then can the full potential of the staff be recognized and harnessed to provide more efficient and more varied library services (Daniels 1995:2). 

Libraries need not only the advanced technology but also a good professional work force to work with it. The professionals as keepers and suppliers/retrievers of information can also deliver a variety of information by-products and services. They should therefore create new images for themselves as role models in information management (Eiblum 1995:22) and information consultancy by working in partnership with scholars, students and other information brokers. Information consultancy, for example, is not just providing requested information, but also conducting diagnosis, making recommendation etc. These services may facilitate client learning and improve individual or organizational effectiveness. Such consultancy is needed as the end-users either lack the particular expertise in looking for information themselves or lack the time to do so. On the other hand, it is inconceivable that consultancy can function without the professionals having the expertise, experience, skills and subject knowledge expected of them in the job. Generally, the demand for information consultancy concerns those areas where the relevant information and documents are relatively hard to access. This is particularly the case in regard to unpublished materials such as theses and seminar papers (Ding, 1984, 1985, 1987 & 1991). 

There are additional reasons why professionals are needed in libraries. They are needed firstly, to keep up with the latest information which is often difficult to get and always time-consuming, despite the availability of CD-ROM and on-line databases and Internet facilities. Secondly, not all the records indexed by commercial databases are available in the library. The information professionals with their subject expertise, as well as professional and personal contacts with counterparts around the world are best placed to assist users in getting the required information and documents cost-effectively. Even though students and academics can do their own information search, it is unlikely that they will be able to search as efficiently as the professionals. With a sound knowledge of search strategies and skills, the professional is ideally situated to quickly retrieve relevant information. This cuts down time in on-line database searching, thus rendering it more cost-effective. Clearly, unless the library staff can improve and prepare themselves for these new professional roles in information management, they will have only themselves to blame if they find themselves under threat of being retrenched because they have failed to absorb the new technologies (Skyrme, 1994:20). This sense of insecurity is particularly acute when routine and repetitive work is taken over by computers in various forms - automation and networking - and the non-professionals are made redundant as a result. 

Information professionals need to know that the conventional image of library users as ignorant is no longer valid. They may be information ignorant, but most of them are computer literate. Some may even be more knowledgeable in working with the computer than the library professionals themselves. We have already seen their skill and success in the do-it-yourself literature searches using CD-ROM and the Internet. It is time the libraries offered more do-it-yourself services to users in view of the constantly growing computer literacy among them. With the availability of indexing and abstracting software’s such as CDS-ISIS (Computerised Document System/Integrated Set of Information System), Folio Views and BRS, the next logical step for libraries to take in their effort to assist users locate the materials not indexed in the commercial CD-ROM and on-line databases, is to produce in-house databases using the above-mentioned softwares. Despite the admitted weakness of these indexing and abstracting softwares, in-house databases are generally user friendlier and more up-to-date than published listings or bibliographies. This advantage of in-house databases would probably generate a wave of change resulting in the production of more and more in-house databases throughout the Malaysian library establishment. This could form the basis for the creation of a Malaysian national information database if all libraries coordinated their work in a cooperative spirit. The creation of such a national information database, built on a sound information infrastructure and an efficient document delivery system should be our national priority. Its realization will reduce the red tape and so enable just-in-time and do-it-yourself searches of students and academics who are always hard pressed for time and therefore need quick and up-to-date information. CD-ROM databases by virtue of their being user-friendly and flexible are popular among users but not the professionals, who are bureaucratic. Nevertheless, given the current state of technological developments, libraries should provide more user-friendly and do-it-yourself services not only to meet the varied of users, but also to ease pressure on themselves. 

3. REPACKAGING AND VALUE-ADDED SERVICES

Today, readers in Malaysia are faced with the problem of having either too much information or too little or none at all. Such controversy seems to depend on their areas of study or research and the references that they need to consult. As we know, there is a wealth of information on popular topics that can be easily accessed through CD-ROM or on-line databases, while there is generally a dearth of information on topics related to Malaysia. Surveys and reports published in information science journals like Program, Information Science and Age, Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science, Information Service and Use and Managing Information indicate that most end-users are satisfied with their do-it-yourself yourself searches, though a third of the information they retrieve is irrelevant. It is at this point of research and study that information professionals with their subject specialization should come into the picture to help the users to filter and manage the enormous amount of information retrieved. Filtering work does not mean the selection of data only but also digesting them, in the way that information and documents are processed for top managers in big corporations. This involves intimate knowledge of the subjects, thus underlining the need for more specialists in all fields of study in academic libraries. This implies that academic libraries will need more academically inclined personnel than the traditional librarians. They will need to play a variety of roles as information professionals, managers, gatekeepers, brokers or scientists and not just information custodians. Without their active, indeed proactive, intermediary role, access to information and documents will be confined to what is generally available and known and not the obscure sources hidden from the general view. These information professionals can render invaluable assistance to users who retrieve inadequate or no information from CD-ROM databases by exposing them to the conventional reference tools and navigating them through the tedious and cumbersome manual searches. It should be pointed out that computerised databases should complement the conventional reference tools and not replace them. In such a mixed and fluid situation, information professionals should be conversant not only with databases and conventional reference tools in the libraries, but also with the techniques to repackage data with value added.  

In the future, it can be expected that the repackaging of information with value added services will develop further to become a new force in information management in Malaysia. Historically, libraries have always repackaged information in the sense of reformatting and reorganizing information products. Cataloguing records from the Library of Congress or the British Library or CIP (Cataloguing in Publications) in the books, for example, have been selectively incorporated into the library’s in-house catalogues for repeated use by the library staff and the users (Keenan, 1983:3). Abstracting, indexing and bibliography compilations are other familiar examples of value-added repackaging activities undertaken by librarians. In the past, these were done manually and painstakingly slowly. The repackaged works usually materialized only after a long process involving selection, evaluation, compilation and editing. Today, with IT, data can be digitally encoded and reformatted easily and quickly. No less important is the fact that the repackaged by-products can be transmitted over a variety of telecommunication devices to reach different customers in different places at different times.

It may be pointed out in parentheses that the term value-added services simply refers to a certain additional value computed to various functions performed in the generation of information or documents for the benefit of the end-users. Value is cumulated at successive points, thus the more processes are undertaken the more value is added. This value is measured in terms of its usefulness and convenience to the users. After being repackaged, the information provided will be different from that retrieved directly from databases or conventional reference sources. The value added here is attributable to the intermediary role of the professionals with their subject expertise. What they do is add more access points to information by undertaking such procedures as abstracting the gist, translating from one language to the other, linking, evaluating and filtering. This is discussed by Skyrme (1994) and Taylor (1984), among the others. These additional services are necessary because no one database can provide all the relevant information that a user may need. Similarly, information retrieved from different databases needs to be repackaged and linked or ranked to make it really relevant and useful. What is involved is customization of information. Here, additional value is being emphasized considering the fact that there is an increasing demand for timely and relevant information This demand leads not only to increasing commercialization of information but also growing competition among commercial information providers (Line, 1983:19). This twin ‘user-and-value-driven’ approach also implies a fundamental shift in attention from cost-efficiency of library operation to cost-effectiveness in servicing the end-users (Taylor, 1984:138) who make use of libraries as information centres. 

Essentially, value-added services rendered in libraries are similar to those provided by a wide array of business organizations: namely, to inject greater quality into their services or products. The quality determines their competitiveness with rivals. It is also a way to measure their acceptance by end-users, who are always a heterogeneous group of people. In the university environment, library users can easily be identified by status (professor, lecturer, student or administrator), discipline (social science or pure science, law or medicine) and research interest (post-graduate or under-graduate). The situation is further complicated by their varied/disparate experience of using library services. Certainly, the busy professors or the top executives will neither have the time nor the inclination to learn the skills to do the searches themselves. Also their expectations of the services from libraries are different from those of the undergraduates. From that perspective, there are obvious needs for value-added repackaging services in this information age. We have already mentioned some of the obvious reasons, including the abundance of information - that seem to call for an ongoing development of value-added repackaging as a permanent future of an academic library’s work. This in fact is an important aspect of information management. What users need is to minimise labour and time in accessing the relevant information, and this is where an efficient and cost effective information management system comes in. Such a system would seem to require information professionals to discontinue the traditional type of service where they act as mere passive reporters or arrangers of the retrieved information without adding value. Instead, they would now have to take up repackaging with value added. 

4. IMAGE OF LIBRARY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Undeniably university libraries in Malaysia have responded well to the tide of development in IT, while still retaining their traditional role as repositories of much of the world’s information and documents. As the key issue in all library management is the access to library resources, library staff must keep up to date with the fast changing technology to ensure that they can provide the necessary services and products at all time. Working in a changing information environment, libraries have to stock items never before considered to be learning materials: videodisks, videotapes, computer programs, paintings and so on. However, libraries will continue to be the main markets for books and journals, whether in hard copy or in electronic format. Despite the rapid developments in IT, libraries will continue to exist. The reason is, firstly, that they can do what publishers cannot or do not wish to do, namely maintain vast storehouses of past documents and retrieve them on demand (Line, 1983:134). Secondly, libraries also accept the social responsibility of preserving materials for future use. In the not too distant future, however, they are bound to change and as a result they will not only be repositories of books and journals, but will also become strategic hubs of IT. Under the impact of IT, they will inexorably move towards becoming electronic libraries (Nielsen, 1991). To make this possible, the innovative and far-sighted librarians will have to bring in changes to ensure libraries under their care remain competitive in the era of instant communication. The rapid development of IT will continue to profoundly affect he way libraries operate in the foreseeable future. 

With a array of computers and printers, sufficient professional and non-professional staff and a large collection of materials in a variety of formats at their disposal, it should be possible for university libraries in Malaysia to offer certain services to users at night or on public holidays, like the ATM services in the banking sector. This is possible because the sophisticated IT software can free staff from the constraints of time and distance. Even though libraries are closed at night, it should not be difficult to make information therein available to users with the support of computers, networking, videodisks and videotapes.  

Given the technological revolution taking place now and considering the value-added services made possible by the change, libraries should constantly move to diversify their operations and services, in order not only to respond to the competitive challenges from commercial information providers, but also to fulfill the special needs of distance education likely to be made available by several Malaysian universities in the future. Such a move will enable libraries to retain their position not only as important learning and information centres, but also as vital social institutions. Much can be learned from banks, airlines and post-offices concerning the process of diversification. Libraries could synergitically join other community agencies and organizations to deliver social services, either in the form of consortium or in that of federation. This has successfully been carried out by the above-mentioned private sector organizations. With a good campus computer network as well as a national and international communication network, libraries can become ideal one-stop-shopping centres not only as information clearing houses but also as clearing houses or bills, police summons, radio and television license renewals and so forth. Entering into business and service joint venture with other organizations is important for libraries to slowly diversify their activities. Such a move is necessary to offer new products and services and to create a new image. Otherwise, liberians would be left behind languishing in self-pity. 

The expansion of the information highway and other technologies related to IT, have already transformed the information environment, both within and outside libraries since the 1970s. Although authors are now increasingly able to communicate directly with their readers through e-mail and Internet, for instance, this itself is unlikely to diminish the importance of libraries, still less make them redundant. This means that information professionals will not be cut out of the communication chain. Users will continue to come to libraries for the difficult-to-find information or to use the relevant databases and on-line facilities, or to seek other assistance. The implication is that in spite of information being increasingly stored in computer and electronic formats, the existing paper-based university libraries will not become paperless libraries. This is mainly attributed to the advantages of paper-based texts over the electronic ones. Printed materials allow visual scanning. Being mobile, they also enable readers to refer to several texts at on time. Though there are now more and more texts available on-line and on CD-ROM, there are still many which might not be available in electronic format at all (Liberman & Rich, 1993; Nielsen, 1991) - because of copyright problems. Scholarly journals will most probably continue to be published in paper. One of the reasons given is that academic and research institutions are willing to publish them as status symbol, despite such disadvantages as slowness in publication and the rigidity of access (line 1983). In our context, Malaysiana materials will still be published in printed form for a small circulation. Other technical problems relating to accessibility of Southeast Asian materials have been discussed in great detail in my other papers (1984, 1985, 1987, 1991). In this context I would like to quote what Nielson said on the prospects of electronic publishing:

Electronic publishing of texts has been the subject of experimentation, entrepreneurial speculation and musings of futurists for many years" (1991:96) 

Though many texts are available only in electronic form, still more are available in printed form. Therefore, information and resources in the electronic format will co-exist with printed materials in university libraries for a long time. Most research will still require manual search for information buried in documents, books, journals, seminar papers and theses not available on CD-ROM or computerized databases. To provide a cohesive information service, especially in the area of humanities and Malaysiana materials, it is necessary to merge electronic information and images of documents with the existing printed materials. 

It is a known fact that with IT, libraries are able to access virtually any information electronically from other libraries and information systems (McLaughlin, 1991). But, with a reduced budget, libraries will have to develop a relatively focused collection of printed resources to continue supporting the research and teaching needs of the universities. What might change further is the method or way in which information and documents will be delivered. What will certainly not change at all is the expectation of users who will still need libraries to provide just-in-time services and other relevant purposes. 

5. JUST-IN-TIME INFORMATION SERVICES

The future of libraries is likely to depend increasingly on the ability of the staff to become conversant with the whole range of IT software and hardware (Lipert 1994). They will also have to learn to handle the information available in electronic and printed forms, and, most importantly ensure the utilization of these assorted resources in the most cost-effective way. Since the introduction of CD-ROM, OPACs and Internet, notable changes have occurred in every aspect of information retrieval and to a certain extent also in document delivery. However, libraries are in for an uncertain and paradoxical future. While a reduced budget for libraries is expected, and the demand for services involving information and documents is likely to increase, library management would have to emphasize resource sharing, instead of resource ownership (Eiblum, 1995:21). They should buy less and share more. This shift would probably compel librarians to think more in terms of providing ‘just-in-time’ than ‘just-in-case’ services by encouraging their staff to be more proactive and more visible, instead of waiting passively for instructions behind the scene. "Just-in-time" is a new-fangled concept emphasizing prompt response to customer needs compared to the ‘just-in-case’ philosophy which induces a ‘wait-and see’ attitude among library staff. This new concept is likely to be a trend-setter in library services in the 21st century. 

It will be obvious from the foregoing discussion that the groundwork for successful adoption of the ‘just-in-time’ concept is already in place following the introduction of IT. It has already led to a restructuring of staff relationship and a redefinition of their core activities. In many important respects, their professional commitment and attitude to work has been transformed. Hopefully, the change will bring about a new library culture and image. Before automation, staff were just part of a long and anonymous process. Today and, increasingly in he future, the retrained staff, streamlined and fewer in number, would assume full responsibility of delivering their products and services quickly and accurately. In the networked environment, they would have to be self-motivated and constantly keep up with the technology in their endeavor to meet the needs of customers. This simply means that they have to prove their worth by improving their efficiency and output. Their competence and value would no longer be determined by their titles and positions, but by their capability to change, adapt and deliver. They would need to be well versed with the applications of IT in addition to being experts in their specialty. In he changed library environment they must be prepared to fulfill the needs of their customers in the most effective manner and just-in-time by making full use of the resources, electronic as well as traditional, at their disposal. 

Efficiency and productivity are of paramount importance to university libraries as costs of running them have increased many fold. In addition to meeting rising costs of books and journals in hard copy and electronic form, libraries have to buy and install new equipment’s, some of which are extremely expensive to get. Other library costs include the various fees that need to be paid for such regular items as network membership, document delivery, CD-ROM licence and on-line database subscriptions. With budgetary constraints in force, libraries would have to provide more efficient and cost-effective services to their customers by relying more and more on IT to tap external resources. Another way of overcoming the negative effect of budget reduction is by expanding inter-library cooperation. Unfortunately, this role cannot be played by IT, but only the innovative and proactive library managers. Assuming that libraries can cooperatively acquire, maintain and share resources and ensure that their clients can have easy and ‘just-in-time’ access to information, libraries would then be in a position to provide the ‘one-stop-shopping’ facility enabling their customers to have both the information and documents when they need them. 

REFERENCE 

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Ding Choo Ming. "Access to dissertations in and on Southeast Asia". Libri 34:2 (1984): 88-112. 

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Ding Choo Ming. "Access to Malay manuscripts". Bijdragen tot de Taal-Land-en Volkenkunde 143:4 (1987): 425-451. 

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Keenan, Stella. "Re-use and re-packaging of information: the information worker’s view". Information Science & Use 3 (1983): 1-6. 

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Line, Maurice B. "The future of libraries in the information transfer chain". Information Science & Use 3:3 (193): 129-22. 

Lippert, Margret. "Continuing computer competence: a training program for the ‘90". Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science (February/March 1994): 18-19. 

McLaughlin, pamela Whiteley. "Enbracing the Internet: the changing role of library staff". Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science (February/March 1994): 16-17. 

Nielsen, Brian. "The coalition for networked information: realizing the virtual library". Online (September 1991): 96-97. 

Skyrme, David. "Ten ways to add value to your business". Managing Information 1:3 (1994): 20-24.

Taylor, Robert S. "Value-added processes in document-based systems: abstracting and indexing services". Information Services & Use 4 1984: 127-146.

The author is grateful to Dr. Muhammad Kamlin for his assistance in improving the first draft of this paper.

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