Are information centers responsive to end user needs?

Abstract End user computing (EUC) has developed into a critical part of the information resource of the organization. The information center (IC), an essential support and control mechanism for EUC, has also become a critical component of the organization's information resource. ICs support the end users by providing services for them. Our study surveyed 126 ICs to determine which services they presently offer, which ones they do not offer, and which ones they previously offered but discontinued. In addition, the study collected data on services requested by the end users. This paper furnishes a definitive catalog of services offered by ICs and compares them with the services requested by end users. The findings illustrate the responsiveness of ICs to their end user communities. Even though ICs typically offer a broad variety of services, there are differences in the services most offered by ICs and services most requested by end users.