THE 4TH INFORMATION REVOLUTION AND ITS IMPACT ON SOME PUBLIC INFORMATION-SERVICES

The approaching information revolution, the IT information revolution, is only the last of four major information revolutions which have pun ctuated man's own evolution. Technology per se is not, in many senses, an important issue here - it is the way that technology is, or will b e, utilised that will be key. Operational models of public information access will need to be redrawn to reflect this revolution and its att endant information superstructures, and this will be far harder than g etting access to, or learning to live with, the technology. This artic le looks ar information in the context of new technology as it might a ffect the public library and the museum documentation services.