Topics in Australasian Library and Information Studies Series editors: Professor Ross Harvey and Dr Stuart Ferguson This series provides detailed, formally refereed works on a wide range of topics and issues relevant to professionals and para-professionals in the library and information industry and to students of library and information studies. All titles are written from an Australasian perspective, drawing on professional experience and research in Australia, New Zealand and the wider Pacific region. Proposals for publications should be addressed to the series editors (
[email protected]; sferguso
[email protected]). Number 23 Organising knowledge in the global society. 2nd edition Ross Harvey with Philip Hider Number 21 Australian library supervision and management. 2nd edition Roy Sanders Number 20 Research methods for students and professionals: Information management and systems. 2nd edition Kirsty Williamson et al. Number 19 Collection management: A concise introduction John Kennedy Number 18 Information management: A consolidation ofoperations. analysis and strategy Michael Middleton Number 14 The other 51 weeks: Marketingfor Australian libraries Lee Welch Number 13 A most delicate monster: The one-professional special library Jean Dartnall Number 12 Disaster recovery for archives. libraries and records management systems in Australia and New Zealand Judith Doig COMPUTERS FOR LIBRARIANS An introduction to the electronic library Third edition Stuart Ferguson with Rodney Hebels Topics in Australasian Library and Information Studies, Number 22 • (CZS) Centre for Information Studies Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga New South Wales Copyright © Stuart Ferguson and Rodney Hebels 1993, 1998, 2003 This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be made to the Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University. ISBN 1 876938 60 9 ISSN: 1030-5009 National Library of Australia cataloguing-in-publication data Ferguson, Stuart, 1953- . Computers for librarians: an introduction to the electronic library. 3rd ed. Includes index. ISBN I 876938 60 9. I. Libraries - Automation. 2. Information storage and retrieval systems. I. Hebels, Rodney, 1969-. II. Charles Sturt University--Riverina. Centre for Information Studies. III.