Internet上擁有龐大的資源，圖書館一方面可以藉由Internet提供更多的資訊服 務， 另一方面為了避免資訊氾濫， 圖書館責無旁貸有必要扮演資訊樞紐（ Information Gateway ）或是資訊粹取（ Information Filter ）之角色，為讀者收集分類有用的資訊。 近年來有關 Internet 資源搜尋工具的研究日受重視，圖書館正可充分運用這些工具，扮演 好網際網路時代圖書館的角色。本文即是以近年來使用廣泛的 Gopher 系統為例，除了介紹 Gopher 系統及成大圖書館的應用經驗外， 也說明 Internet 資源搜尋系統不僅有助提昇圖 書館資訊服務，其打破時空的分散式文件儲存擷取概念，同時也可能改變圖書館管理及圖書 館學的許多觀念，如圖書分類學、館藏政策、資訊服務等。透過這些資源搜尋系統的協助， 未來任何圖書館甚或個人都有機會間接收集到全世界的資訊，因此圖書館界有必要及早深入 了解 Internet 資源搜尋系統的重要性及發展。

　　　　　The Internet is a worldwide network of networks abundant with valuable information. As the number and variety of resources on the Internet have increased tremendously in the past few years, many Resource Discovery Systems have been developed to allow users to easily organize, browse, and search information distributed throughout the Internet. In this paper, an overview of some current popular resource discovery tools is presented. Among them, Gopher is explored detailedly as a tool for library information services with its flexibility of installation and distributed Client/Server architecture. These resource discovery systems have "broken" the geographic boundaries of documents, and would bring much influence on library information services, such as classification methodology, collection management, and reference service etc. With these tools, it is possible for a library or even an individual to create a seamless global virtual library. To continue playing a pivotal role of "Information Gateway" on the Internet, librarians need to understand the importance of Internet Resource Discovery Systems, and keep awareness of their developments.