Discusses philosophy and economics of charging users for library services. Free services are advocated for reasons of equal access and intellectual freedom, and alternatives to charging are suggested, citing Seattle Public Library as an example. Opinions and statistics on library fees excerpted from the current literature are included. (CDD)

This review of the process of retrospective conversion (recon)--conversion of existing bibliographic records into machine-readable form--notes options and services (bibliographic utilities, commercial vendors); new technologies (microcomputer and optical-disc-based systems); collaboration and a coordinated recon strategy; cooperative efforts; and…

Reviews books and periodicals relating to library involvement with video and notes upcoming meetings focusing on this area. (LLS)

Describes a recent increase in religious reference activity in public libraries and its impact on reference services and collection development. The need for open attitudes on the part of the librarian and the importance of understanding the patron's perspective are emphasized. Material selection aids and resource materials are reviewed. (CLB)

Discussion of the current state of library education focuses on accredited master's programs in LIS (library and information science) in the United States and Canada. Highlights include school closings; numbers of students; numbers of faculty; changes in the student body; campus trends; and geographical distribution of LIS programs and distance…

Discussion of library information systems focuses on the idea of including user-supplied data (USD) in libraries' automated catalogs. Hypertext is mentioned, the information explosion and the ability to selectively retrieve information is considered, and the value of user input in evaluating the relevance of material is discussed. (12 references)…

This overview of public library unionism in the United States notes viewpoints expressed in the literature citing public-employee dilemmas, negotiation restrictions, and union effects on bureaucracies. Seventeen references are listed. (EJS)

Summarizes the two recent studies of interest to the library community: (1) an A. D. Little analysis of past and present systems for dissemination of scientific technical information, and (2) Fritz Machlup's economic profile of key disseminators of scholarly, scientific, and intellectual knowledge. (FM)

Reviews the history, current applications, and future of hypertext. Topics covered include current prototype applications, limitations of hypertext, and its possible impact on libraries. Hypertext-related definitions and a list of current hypertext systems and developers are provided. (12 references) (CLB)

Explores the trends and current status of library use of microforms for the preservation and dissemination of research materials. A sampling of topics available on microform is provided, and a directory of the publishers mentioned is included. (CLB)