The House of Commons Library and the transfer of resources to electronic form for user self‐service, 1979‐2004

Purpose – To examine the effects of technical developments on demand for traditional enquiry services in the House of Commons Library. Design/methodology/approach – Trends in enquiry load are matched against technical advances, especially in the area of user self‐service, using published and unpublished reports. Findings – The growth of resources delivered via the Parliamentary intranet, and the provision of suitable and convenient retrieval equipment, have enabled the end‐user and significantly reduced demands on traditional librarianship and reference skills. Research limitations/implications – Based on experience of one special library. Practical implications – Likely to be of use to information practitioners in cognate situations where traditional approaches are being supplanted by technical change. Originality/value – Case study of an organization adapting to the new realities of an information‐rich corps of users.