Argues against the establishment of a National Bibliographic Network as an unwarranted extravagance which would be used only by large research libraries. (LLS)

Examines two classes of technical problems--communication and integration of applications--occurring in a national library network designed to facilitate information transfer directly among hosts (service providers) and, indirectly, among hosts and users. (CWM)

Notes the importance of equal access to information for all citizens through library networks and defines the role of government in the establishment of a national network system. (CWM)

Argues for the passage of the National Library and Information Services Act, a piece of Federal legislation currently pending before Congress. Opponents' objections to the legislation are addressed, and the entire library community is asked to support the bill. (LLS)

Considers the incorporation of school libraries and media centers into a national bibliographic system, and discusses questions pertaining to the contributions, advantages, points of access, obstacles, and international implications of such a program. A bibliography of additional readings is provided. (FM)

Discusses the actual and potential impact of local shared automated library systems on the development of a comprehensive nationwide bibliographic database (NBD). Shared local automated systems are described; four local shared automated system models are compared; and the current interface between local shared automated library systems and the NBD…

Describes a nationwide program designed to guarantee supply of copies of documents, within predetermined terms and standards of quality, using selected libraries and documentation centers throughout Brazil. Details of program to be administered by Brazilian Institute for Information on Science and Technology are outlined in proposal and general…

A national cataloging service, where all U.S. libraries would contribute according to their strengths, is proposed as a replacement for the Library of Congress as the main provider of cataloging data and controller of bibliographic information in North America. Areas of standardization and quality control are discussed. (Author/MBR)

Argues that librarians need to become more politically-minded if they are to determine their future role in the "information age." Examples of political forces at work in information issues are given: national periodicals center, national library agency, Department of Education, bibliographic utilities and networks, private sector, and…

Before turning to the OCLC vision of nationwide networking, a review of some of the issues that have influenced that vision are presented, including: technology as a driving force; library and information economics; the challenge of providing ever-proliferating services to an ever more computer-literate end user; the changing role of the library…

This paper was commissioned in part to provide an institutional memory for the Network Advisory Committee, not only for its new members but for the entire library and information service community. The deliberations of this committee, which has been the catalyst for a number of significant efforts in networking, are presented in this detailed…

This summary of the deliberations and proposals of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science includes brief discussions of programs goals, a needs analysis, and the concerns of both libraries and the private sector. Recommendations for a national program are presented as eight priority objectives, and various facets of the…

Published to elicit comments and discussion from the library and information service communities, this working paper on governance of a nationwide library and information service network proposes and discusses three scenarios for the construction of such a network. The first explores a legislative model resulting from prescriptive legislative…

These papers discuss various options for a computerized national bibliographic network and highlight the problems and potential of developing such a database. Following a brief explanation of the conference purpose and organization, 10 primary papers are presented: (1) "A Brief Overview of Computerized Library Networking in Canada," by…

Examines impact of public policies on national and international computerized information networks and reviews characteristics of modern European governments as contrasted with United States government public policies related to national networks in United States and other countries, international networks, and intent and effect of public…