Paul Evan Peters (December 12, 1947 – November 18, 1996)[1] was named one of the American Library Association's 100 most important leaders in the 20th century for his leadership of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI).
After earning his undergraduate degrees, Peters worked at the National Cash Register Corporation as a retail systems engineer.
[9] Richard P. West, an information technologist involved in the beginnings of CNI, described Peters’ methods for effective leadership, explaining:
[12]Ultimately, it was Peters' leadership that transitioned CNI from its initial establishment as a temporary organization, to one of permanence and longevity.
"[5] Although a lofty claim, notions in Peters' writings, specifically "General Library Standards"[16] and "The Changing Infrastructure for Information Distribution,"[17] despite completion in the late 1980s and 1990s, still feel current today.
Peters had a definitive opinion on updating standards in libraries due to technological progress: I support and actively participate in the standards efforts of libraries and librarians which are motivated by the sincere desire to progress toward a future information world that is more coherent and comprehensible than the one we now face and will likely be facing for some time to come.
However, he was also cognizant of the far larger importance that technological infrastructure results in bringing people and information together for the benefit of the greater good.
Nearly twenty years after Peters wrote this article, people now convene on a daily basis using networks, the Internet, and the World Wide Web, working on problems ranging from the local to the global.