THE VALUE OF INTEGRATED ACCESS TO PRINT AND AV COLLECTIONS

Administrators of libraries and archives have before them an unavoidab le series of concerns brought about by the inertia of commercial activ ity in the digital networking of information. This commercial activity is having direct impact on the fiscal, operational and political plan ning of both non-commercial and commercial collections. As these conce rns are being addressed, a paramount issue is the integrated access of print and AV information. The rationale and value of pursuing integra tion as a strategy is explored. Among the points to be illustrated are the long term commercial and governmental commitments to this deliver y system and how that commitment is already influencing non-commercial enterprises such as the US Library of Congress. Commercial experience s in this field are used to show how industrial cultural biases, withi n and across industries, have at times been self-defeating. An analogy is made with similar circumstances within the worlds of print and AV collections. An ''enterprise-wise'' solution, the result of collaborat ion and cooperation of print and AV collection administrators, is advo cated from inception. The benefits are enumerated as are the forces at work.