RIKEN Brain Science Institute (RIKEN BSI) Brain Science Institute



  Towards the Age of Electronic Libraries

Kazunori Nakabayashi
BSI Information Center

Staff of the Experimental Animal
Facility(Myself,2nd person from top left)

Human beings acquired language during evolution as a means of communication. Later, development of a written language made it possible for us to pass on information to people not in our presence. Many ancient cultures have left behind a rich trove of written inscriptions that today, several hundred or thousand years later, can still be seen on the walls of ruins (although some cultures never invented a written language).
The invention of paper allowed us to communicate with people in remote areas. Printing technology enabled us to dramatically increase the amount of information that could be reproduced and distributed, so that today our surroundings are flooded with a variety of printed materials.
Now, large amounts of printed materials, produced at the source of information (i.e. at the source of processing ), can be delivered via courier to those who need them. However, there is still a time-lag between the producing and receiving of information ム we cannot see printouts nor get information until they reach us. Meanwhile, as computer technologies, including the Internet and networks, have undergone remarkable development, the need to distribute printed materials has continued to decrease. Data objects now remain only at their sources and anybody who needs them can access them through the networkムregardless of where they are or the time they need them. What is attractive about this is that there is no longer a time-lag and the information can be seen the moment it is generated (processed) ム no matter where we may be.
Due to the continued development of these networking technologies, the publishing industry, including newspaper companies, will in all probability experience a drastic change in the way they do business. One can already see companies entering the trial and error phase as they work to make the transition. In the future, electronic journals or electronic books will no doubt be common and customary in our society.
The BSI Information Center currently runs the BSI Library and it is our aim to turn it into an electronic library that mainly covers electronic journals. BSI is not an educational institution, but rather a research organization where researchers are expected to produce practical results. Thus, what researchers really want is information on the latest worldwide research results, rather than simply educational materials that are compiled systematically. The newly established library at BSI does not have a large collection of books, but instead offers a large number of foreign journals- which is another good reason for us to set up an electronic library without concerning ourselves too much about the format (i.e. traditional book-style materials). Unfortunately, we lack the external environment (for electronic journals) needed for further development. We hope that in the future a wider variety of journals will be published electronically using unified standards and access methods that will make for easier retrieval and browsing.
Computers, which are indispensable to electronic libraries, have undergone breathtaking development in the 55 years since they were invented. Remarkable advances in the vacuum tube, transistor, IC and LSI technologies have made for higher performance, lower prices and greater miniaturization. Still, what has remained relatively unchanged since the beginning is the fact that computers are nothing but tools for arithmetic or logical operations. They are indeed convenient to use, but we cannot expect them to process anything unless we provide them with instructions. Unfortunately, providing these instructions can be difficult when many people still find computers difficult to use. This fact cannot be denied. Luckily, computer use is gradually becoming easier to due to increased technical development and greater efforts by software developers. The only way to prevent ourselves from being governed by new technologies of the future will be through increased skill and effectiveness in manipulating them.
Rapid and increased development of Internet technologies, computer technologies (not only current computer technologies but brain-like computer technologies as well), and electronic journal technologies are some of the key catalysts needed for the successful implementation of our electronic library. We look forward to a day when these developments will be the norm allowing user-friendly, people-oriented systems to bring advanced technologies within reach of everyone.
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