Launching Electronic Information Services for End Users - An AT&T Experience

Today's large corporations are developing their own electronic information services designed to empower corporate staff to search and retrieve needed internal and external information from their desktops. Examples from several corporations are given; the primary focus is on developments of the Library Network at AT&T Bell Labs. An electronic ordering system, retrieval system hosting internal information, and gateways to external information services have been implemented by the Library Network. Internal information providers must look to new technologies and synergies among existing technologies, distributed architecture, local area networks, artificial intelligence, expert systems, and workstation design are some of the building blocks of future electronic information services for corporations.