WebNewser has learned ABC News is shuttering its current news research library and converting it to a digital research center.
The move will mean the loss of eight jobs. In email to staff, obtained by WebNewser, news president David Westin writes, "Today, many of the research tools we use are available online. Our extensive, hard copy library filled with periodicals and other materials is no longer necessary in the digital age."
ABC has hired the consulting firm Library Associates to develop, in Westin’s words, "a state of the art research system tailored to our particular needs."
Some of the current staff will remain. And the new DRC will move locations within ABC "to be closer to some of us who use the research facility most often," writes Westin.
From: Westin, David L.Sent: Thursday, June 04, 2009 1:25 PMTo: ABCTV News ALLCc: Sweeney, AnneSubject: News Research Library
Today, we begin the process of converting our existing research library to a digital research facility. Our library has served us well for many years, and all of us have benefited from the hard work of its staff. But the world has changed around us. Today, many of the research tools we use are available online. Our extensive, hard copy library filled with periodicals and other materials is no longer necessary in the digital age. The time has come to re-shape that library to reflect today’s world.
