In his article "The McDonaldization of Academic Libraries?" Brian Quinn explores to what extent and to what effect academic libraries have become "McDonaldized," according to the concept developed by sociologist George Ritzer. Quinn identifies a number of ways in which the four dimensions of…

This article presents an interview with SirsiDynix CEO Gary M. Rautenstrauch and newly appointed VP of library relations Berit Nelson about some of the issues that have been roiling the ILS world and the company itself, among them the recent consolidation of SirsiDynix's offices, customer service, the state of library budgets, the rise of ebooks…

Stanford University is going through the difficult and highly fraught process of figuring out a plan for the library of the future. Coming on the heels of the "bookless library," touted as the vision for a new engineering library, a preliminary proposal in 2007 to tear down the seismically unsafe Meyer Library and digitize and house off campus…

It's an obvious observation that librarians today find themselves dealing with collections of ever larger proportions of electronic content. The degree to which that shift has already taken place varies from one type of library to another. Some organizations, especially those involved with specializations in biomedical, scientific, or business,…

Following an introduction to authority control and MARC (machine readable cataloging), 10 steps are presented for making the transition from a manual to an automated authority file, keeping up with ongoing work, staying current in the discipline, and retrospective work. (23 references) (MES)

Three papers discuss: (1) development of the CONSER (Conservation of Serials) Editing Guide; (2) original input of serials into OCLC by the Iowa State University Library; and (3) description of the use of RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) for serials cataloging with references to uses at the University of Iowa. (MES)

Argues that the gender gap in computer use may place female library users at a disadvantage, and discusses the implications of the gap for bibliographic instruction. Topics addressed include the extent of the gap, reasons for it, psychosocial factors involved in it, factors encouraging it, analyzing it in libraries, and bridging it. (44…

Discusses the integration of electronic ordering and document delivery and its implications for academic libraries. Reasons why libraries are developing such services are considered, including economics, service, and the growth of electronic publishing; and components are described, including electronic finding and ordering, electronic delivery,…

This task force report on current and anticipated needs relating to the use of microcomputers in libraries on the University of California, Berkeley, campus is intended to serve as a fundamental document, the basis for future discussion, planning, and development. The task force divided into two groups to consider the issues of staff use of…

This description of the use of IBM Series/1 minicomputers to implement a library automation system includes discussion of current functions of the system, the system configuration, communications capabilities, software, and cost factors. (CLB)

The first of three papers describes the role of Macintosh workstations in a library. The second paper explains why the Macintosh was selected for end-user searching in an academic library, and the third discusses advantages and disadvantages of desktop publishing for librarians. (8 references) (MES)

Examines the environmental context that is shaping academic libraries and computing centers and their interdependence. The strengths of a partnership of these two information service organizations are discussed, and potential areas of tension between them are considered. Resulting changes in the nature of information work are suggested. (16…

Discusses six aspects of compact disc (CD-ROM) publishing: (1) development costs; (2) design considerations; (3) marketing; (4) software design; (5) hardware; and (6) the library market. (MES)

Discussion of the library, its information providing function, and the systems librarian examines: (1) the impact of information technology on libraries; (2) library organization charts; and (3) position advertisements--who are systems librarians, what do they do, and what should they do? (seven references) (MES)

Discusses the possible effects of library automation and networking on standards of catalog accuracy, catalog maintenance, circulation control, and other processes, and describes the mission of the Research Libraries Group (RLG), a consortium of 25 research libraries. (FM)