Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)
4. Session / Séance. Strategies for Links with Historical Research / Stratégies de Communication envers la Recherche historique - Gonzalez, Pedro: Data Bases and Long Distance Communication. A Spanish Éxperience / Bases de données et information a distance. Une expérience des archives espagnoles (english 319 - français 343)
14 May/14 mai 1993 Fourth Working Session/Quatrième Séance de travail Pedro Gonzalez Data Bases and long distance Communication. A Spanish experience 0. Exchange of Information and Research It is a well-known fact that the new technologies are changing many aspects of present society. We all know that the new technologies in the field of information and communication are going to affect social relations enormously: much time has gone by since McLuhan talked of the „global village“ when referring to the present world, and insisted on the move from a printed culture to a visual one. Computers are now, and even more so in the near future, making it possible to handle and integrate more information, rapidly and instanteously, on any type of research work or decision-making than could even have been dreamed of a few years back. One of the most striking aspects of the possibilities which computing is offering to research is the possibility to interconnect through the data communication networks. Networks based on different technologies, but which will permit interconnection of the academic community within large scale information exchange systems: - from simple connection through the switched telephone system, through a modem which transforms the digital information into analog information in order to „travel“ through the network and be once again converted by another modem receiving it in the form of digital information which is then handled in the receiving computer - to systems which are much more capable in networks specialized in digital transmission, which go right up to the latest in fibre optics, capable of transmitting enormous quantities of digital information at the speed of light. From the local area networks which link computers within a single institution, in a small area, to networks interconnected with all other countries: a process which will permit access to a multitude of data bases already available, thus establishing new conditions in relations between researchers. Not only instantaneous access to new and massive quantities of information. Electronic mail will for example make it 319
