In fall 2008, a collaborative partnership was formed between the libraries of two Indiana universities--Marian College's (now Marian University) Mother Theresa Hackelmeier Memorial Library, and the University Library at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The authors discuss the digital nature of this collaboration, which…

Discusses factors that combined to make it possible for health sciences libraries to take initiative for developing technological methods and skills needed for computer librarianship before other types of libraries entered the field: size, money, medical center background, requirements of users, state of health science libraries and librarians,…

Different views on the future of research libraries are presented in this collection of papers from persons affiliated with the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. Joseph Z. Nitecki (library director) discusses the effect of social change on library missions, operations, and procedures. Warren F. Ilchman (vice president for research and…

This document is one of ten kits distributed annually by the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC), a clearinghouse operated by the Association of Research Libraries, Office of Management Studies (ARL/OMS) that provides a central source of timely information and materials on the management and operations of large academic and research…

The process of identifying items in a library's collection by assigning to each a unique machine readable code has been generally referred to as barcoding. Barcoding is often one of the first critical projects a library will embark upon in the process of automation. This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit addresses many of the major…

This document proposes a model of the decision making process required of research libraries when they embark on digital conversion projects. A series of questions are offered that focus on facilitating the decision making process for library managers. Questions of what and how to digitize are placed in the larger framework of collection building…

Replacing a January 1980 publication of the same title, this collection of cost tables and other documentation from library materials cost studies conducted by members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) or by library vendors contains excerpts from: (1) local cost studies conducted at Colorado State University, Indiana University, Iowa…

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit on Bibliographic Instruction (BI) in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) examines current developments as well as anticipated trends based on a SPEC telephone survey of 25 ARL libraries with active BI programs. Two themes which ran through the mid-1985 interviews were the use of new…

Describes a survey of research libraries with online catalogs planned or in place that examined the status of card catalogs, shelf list files, and the capability of online systems to handle traditional shelf list functions. The functions examined include inventory control, collection assessment, holdings information, and call number assignment.…

This collection of library documents, which illustrates current techniques for conducting user studies in order to facilitate specific public services planning and priority-setting efforts at the member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), contains excerpts from: (1) four general user studies conducted at the University of…

Various aspects of the theme, "AccessAbility: Overcoming Information Barriers," are considered in the conference papers collected in this document. They include: (1) "The Library Image: A Barrier to Accessibility" (Janice S. Boyer); (2) "The Educationally Disadvantaged Student: How Can the Library Help?" (Michael Poma…

This SPEC kit is based on a June 1987 survey of approval plan use by 94 members of the Association of Research Libraries. It reports on the current practices of these libraries, the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using approval plans, and the effect of increased library materials costs and library automation on such plans. It is noted…

This document, the 10th in a series distributed annualy to provide a central source of timely information and materials on the management and operations of large academic and research libraries, presents the results of a 1984 Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) survey of microcomputer use in the Association of Research Libraries (ARI)…

Based on the conference theme, "Finding Ways: Excellence under Pressure," papers presented at the 1986 meeting of the association include: (1) "Coping with Budget Pressure: A Public Services Librarian's View" (Janet C. Lu); (2) "The Librarian, the Accession List, and the Database" (B. C. Wehrman); (3) "New Start:…

This inventory provides profiles, tables, and listings of automated library activities at 115 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions. The library profile covers 18 functions: (1) acquisitions; (2) serials check/claim; (3) serials/union list; (4) authority control; (5) cataloging/utility; (6) cataloging/local; (7) circulation; (8)…