Keywords
Information Service
Reference Service
Information Retrieval
How to Cite
Abstract
As a result of the proliferation of computers in the 1950s, electronic, magnetic, and digital technologies were developed in the United States and eventually adapted for use in libraries to optimize the processes of information retrieval, circulation, and access. Against this backdrop, the objective of this research is to identify the historical period in which reference systems and services converged in the library sector of the United States. The methodology comprises a documentary approach with a qualitative focus to highlight specific cases of the adoption of computer systems to optimize library services. As a research assumption, it is posited that information services advanced technologically based on the theoretical foundations of library practice. The findings reveal that the East Coast of the United States served as the epicenter of policy initiatives that promoted the creation of libraries which centralized reference resources and services that eventually integrated with emerging computer systems. One of the first computer systems was implemented in 1966 at the University of Maryland’s McKeldin Library, using the IBM System 357 computer.
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