Library networking in North America in the 1980s. Part 1: The dreams; the realities

This article describes the emergence of the bibliographic utilities and the services they were able to offer to libraries in the face of the high costs and risks of computerization. In 1980 the utilities had dreams of one vast national bibliographic network and a network‐based total library system providing not only cataloging and location facilities but also acquisition, circulation, serials control and interlibrary loan facilities, too. The reasons why these dreams never materialised are noted together with factors why, although they are still major participants in the library automation and networking environment today, the four main bibliographic utilities in North America are declining in so far as use of their traditional services is concerned. The factors discussed include the trends towards decentralized operation with turnkey integrated library systems, the trend towards local resource sharing and the rapidly growing sophistication of librarians with computers. In Part 2, (to appear in the next issue of The Electronic Library) the ways in which the bibliographic utilities are fighting back to try and overcome these adverse trends will be discussed.