Online Services to AT&T Employees - how At and T Corp. transitioned to electronically based information - Abstract

Library Trends, Summer, 1998 by Ina A. Brown-Woodson

ABSTRACT

AT&T information services evolved from mainframe computer environment into a client-server open architecture in the early 1990s. This change in computing expanded the online services available to library and information service customers, primarily AT&T employees. This article will describe the stages of transformation that occurred during the change years, and how end-users participated in the transformation process. The topics covered are:

* moving from traditional to electronic services;

* assessing users' needs and expectations;

* library staff as team participants;

* developing vendor partnerships for outsourced services; and

* evaluating service quality.

BACKGROUND

From the mid-1960s until 1984, AT&T operated Bell Laboratories as its premier research unit for the development of technological innovations. Within this research unit, the library organization created an online catalog to replace its book catalog. In the late 1970s, the library organization also established an online cataloging process and installed UNIX as its operating system with C as the programming language. In collaboration with the internal computing center, the library used the local mainframe computer to house its operations in Murray Hill, New Jersey.

In 1984, AT&T deregulated itself from the local telephone companies to acquire the right to enter into the business of computers and computing. Consequently, AT&T became a player in the information industry arena. Over the next thirteen years, AT&T provided a challenging and testy environment for library and information services to grow, downsize, re-engineer, right size, and re-invent itself to meet the challenges of the telecommunication business and its employees' online information needs.

MOVING FROM TRADITIONAL TO ELECTRONIC SERVICES

Libraries were charging for their online services as early as 1986. This prompted researchers to query why they could not search online databases for themselves. As an experiment, selected scientists established their own accounts with online vendors, and the library organization served as the major customer to the vendors. The usage was observed and accounted for all users via the library organization. Over a two-year period, it became clear that novice end-user searchers needed assistance for complex searches due to the variation in online database command structures and terminology. Simple author or source verification queries did not pose problems for end-users.

Library computer programmers created an in-house library interface that would simplify the end-users' need to become proficient online searchers. The prototype interface was created for the 1985 International Federation of Library Association's annual conference held in Chicago, Illinois. AT&T Bell Laboratories joined forces with the National Commission on Libraries and Information Services to create the main exhibit for the conference. The "Access Station" created a full service library in a space of 400 square feet. Penniman and Hawkins (1987) described how the corporate library would be reduced in size without shrinking the services provided to its customers through use of technology. Commercial and internal AT&T databases were linked and accessed via this interface. America Online and CompuServe were just beginning to develop at this time. Initially, end-users applauded the new interface. However, response time became slower as more end-users searched among the various databases, especially after lunch time. A new solution was needed to meet the new demands for more responsive online access by end-users.

Since library data had been centralized via the mainframe, the response time became an important issue to end-users. Moving to a client-server architecture means that a decentralized structure is established through several machines that act as "clients" to another machine that serves as the central server. Library processes were separated into the various clients which provided greater memory capacity and decreased delays in response time since transactions were expedited as well. The computer center became the maintainer of the system rather than the controller of the processor flow. The library programmers began to develop systems for the company's central computer service to emulate.

ASSESSING USERS' NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS

Information specialists surveyed users' needs on various time schedules and utilized multiple methods to determine how to satisfy their customers. Prior to the initial downsizing effort in 1986, the libraries surveyed customers through semi-annual site visits to their technical customers' locations at the department head level. The business and marketing customers and their management were visited on an annual basis. Quarterly paper surveys would be mailed to end-users based on their use of the service during that particular quarter. The users' names were obtained from the billing records from the financial database established to show service activities and which organizations used library services.