Untangling the Web : a comparative study of the impact of the Internet on National Archives, the National Library and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Abstract

This research sought answers to several important questions regarding the impact of the Internet on three New Zealand cultural institutions: the National Archives, the National Library and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. First, what impact has the Internet had on policy development in each institution? Second, what are the attitudes of the professional staff toward the integration of the Internet into the workplace? Finally, to what extent has the Internet in each institution extended customer service? The three sets of findings are compared to determine the extent to which the experiences of integrating the Internet into each institution's core business are similar and different. The results revealed several important findings: 1. policy regarding the Internet has been most extensively developed at the National Library; 2. the Internet is not currently as central to the delivery of core services at the National Archives or the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa as it is at the National Library; 3. the majority of the professional staff at all three institutions responded that they were either 'very positive' or 'somewhat positive' about the integration of the Internet into their environment, although most felt that their core professional duties were not being fundamentally altered; and 4. Web sites vary in quality and number of customer services provided. The conclusions and some recommendations for each institution to consider in addressing Internet technology development are provided.