The future of the biomedical enterprise and the biomedical libraries that serve it is tied closely to digital information. The changing nature of this type of information will create new pressures on libraries, particularly in health care organizations. Libraries must learn to deal with these pressures. Currently, libraries depend on the Internet primarily for connections to resources and other libraries; thus enhancements to the Internet will impact the libraries of the present and future significantly. This paper provides an overview of the technical capabilities that will be available in the near to midterm, what libraries will be able to do with those capabilities, and how libraries can position themselves to take advantage of the impending changes.

Although the Internet has evolved over more than twenty years, resources useful to health information professionals have become available on the Internet only recently. A survey conducted by the Regional Medical Libraries of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine in the fall of 1993 indicates that libraries at academic institutions are much more likely to have access to the Internet (72%) than are libraries in hospital environments (24%). Health information professionals who take on the challenge and exploit the Internet's resources find rewards for themselves and their clients. The basic electronic mail capability of the Internet allows colleagues to collaborate, communicate, and participate in daily continuing education. Internet terminal and file-transfer capabilities provide improved access to traditional resources and first-time access to new electronic resources. Through the Internet, online catalogs are available worldwide, and document delivery is faster, cheaper, and more reliable than ever before. Institutions can make organizational, full-text, online, and publication information available through Internet tools such as direct file-transfer protocol (FTP), menu-based Gopher, and hypertext-based Mosaic. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is among organizations finding new ways to provide service through the Internet. NLM now uses electronic mail to communicate with users, FTP service to distribute publications, and tools such as Gopher and Mosaic to distribute publications and graphics and connect users to online services. The Internet allows service providers and health sciences information professionals to work in a rich, new medium whose potential is just beginning to be explored. At the same time, its characteristics--including lack of formal organization, standards, quality control, and permanence--pose a challenge.

High-speed data communications networks are transforming the operations, services, and roles of libraries. While the installation of the physical network is often the focus of activity, the administrative and political issues are, in fact, fundamental. For libraries to participate in and influence the development of networks, building new partnerships has proven to be an effective strategy. This paper describes the use of this strategy in the development of the Utah Education Network. This participation is essential if libraries are to take full advantage of the technologies and to ensure that networks reflect the fundamental values of the profession.

Network connectivity is critical in Arizona, where travel distances are great, academic programs dispersed, and health care practitioners often geographically isolated. Accordingly, the University of Arizona (UA) applied for $50,000.00 in National Library of Medicine/National Science Foundation (NLM/NSF) Connections Program funding to promote statewide collaboration in supporting UA's health sciences education and research programs by expanding network connectivity to hospitals and other health-related institutions. The proposal outlined three strategies: Each major nonuniversity teaching hospital would secure and maintain a leased communications line dedicated to network connectivity, and NSF funds would be used to buy some necessary hardward. NSF funds would be used to establish a modern bank for dial-up Internet access by rural practitioners and teaching sites. Co-principal investigators of the project would promote and support the use of this new statewide connectivity and foster its continued expansion. The proposal was based on a conservative philosophy: familiar technologies and, where possible, existing networks and equipment would be used. The proposal was approved, and NSF funds hastened creation of an expanded health information network in Arizona. Once that network was in place, participants moved quickly from managing the mechanics of connectivity to planning for a computing and communications platform with services. Private funds were obtained to help organize the Arizona Health Information Network to direct these expanded services.