A user community discovers IT standards
David Bearman · Journal of the American Society for Information Science · 1992
When a community of users decides to exploit the strategic advantages of embracing information technology standards and to use standards in the interchange of information required by their applications, they are at the beginning, rather than the end, of a long and complex process. This article is a case study of how the museum community is trying to select standards that will, in fact, deliver the promised strategic advantage and how it is evaluating potential applications. The problems it is facing are more a consequence of a plethora, than of a dearth of standards, and of the fact that “standard” does not necessarily mean “implementable.” © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.