Galvin Library (Chicago, USA)

December 2007

Purpose
According to the INSEE*, the French Institute of Statistics, one French people out of four uses Internet daily. Internet is the first source for practical information (do-it-yourself, kids’ needs, duties, personal development …), and one household out of four has an Internet connection. The French government promotes the development of Internet by equipping public spaces with Wireless, or by disseminating civic information and downloadable reports on Internet. Recently, the French Government decided to stop the printed edition of the “Official Journal of Laws”. Now, it is available online only. This Website proposes many services : documents available by topics, full-text search, last published documents…
This example illustrates the evolutions that happened recently with the development of the Internet technologies : users can now reach instantaneously the full-texts documents from house without any help.
Therefore, the first purpose of my study is to draw up the current assessment of the Internet’s offer in term of content management. The second purpose is to know how is the impact of this technological development on libraries : about users’ statistics frequentation ; about librarians’ daily practices. The last purpose is to try having a prospective vision of the future of information sciences, while taking as a starting point the practices of Americans libraries.
This report also gives me the opportunity to bring new ideas to the IAU îdF’s library and to develop the Urbamet network towards the USA.

* Internet au quotidien : un Français sur quatre.- Insee Première, n°1076, Mai 2006.

Thanks to :
Sandra Newman, Marsha Schachtel, Institute for Policy Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Interviews and meetings :
Lynn Stuart, Jim Gillispie and David Reynolds – Sheridan Library, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD
Mary Logan – Baltimore Metropolitan Council, Baltimore MD
Matt Cook – Illinois Institute for Technology, Chicago IL
Shannon Paul – American Planning Association, Chicago IL
David Deckelbaum – University of California, Los Angeles CA
Denise Hibay and Robert Armitage – New York Public Library
Luc Declerck - University of California, San Diego CA
Joan Campbell and Rick Davis– Urban Land Institute, Washington DC
Nancy Minter – Urban Institute, Washington DC