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THE KENTUCKIANA METROVERSITY LINKING PROJECT
The old notion that a library's collection size is the best measure of its greatness (or simply of its ability to meet its users' needs) is wilting in an era when the production and cost of books, journals, and electronic information exceed the fiscal resources of even the largest libraries. Where librarians of the past had visions of "comprehensive" collections, present day realists see a receding mirage. Fortunately, emerging technologies are bridging the boundaries of time and space and eliminating obstacles to true interlibrary cooperation. An individual library's collection size may have been everything in the past, but now libraries are entering an era in which cooperative use of their resources can yield better results for all.
The deployment of online catalogs and growing Internet access have greatly eased access to online library resources, especially for sophisticated users. But for the less knowledgeable, the story is different: They often find themselves adrift in a torrent of "access difficulties; a plethora of user interfaces; complicated log-in procedures; lack of directories; hit or miss relevant information retrieval; and very little help" (Michael, p. 33). The development and implementation of the Z39.50 Information Retrieval Standard creates an intersystem bridge that passes over these difficulties and enables each user to access and retrieve information stored in remote systems while using the navigational tools furnished by his or her native system.
Through the Kentuckiana Metroversity Linking Project, a consortium of regional libraries is using Z39.50 to generate broad and deep service to the educational and research needs of the Greater Louisville/ Southern Indiana area, a metropolitan statistical area with a population of just over a million.
The Kentuckiana Metroversity Library Council
The Kentuckiana Metroversity consists of seven academic institutions and three public library associate members located in metropolitan Louisville and Southern Indiana. It was founded in 1970 to foster cooperation among the member institutions and enable students enrolled in any of the member institutions to take advantage of the rich services offered by all. The academic members include public and private colleges and universities, two seminaries, and a junior college: Bellarmine College, Indiana University Southeast, Jefferson Community College, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Spalding University, and the University of Louisville. The...