The Web 2.0 "buzz" starts with new technologies such as virtual worlds, cell phones and handheld devices that offer 24/7 web access, tagging, social networks, and blogs and brings together various web capabilities in unique combinations. Web 2.0, however, is about much more than the technology--it is about a change in focus to participation, user…

Discusses the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS). Topics discussed include conference issues, including keynote speakers, procedural difficulties, and the failure to attract media attention; and substantive issues, including a recommendation to establish an office to focus on children and youth literacy, and…

In the article, the author talks about the benefits of grid networks. In speaking of grid networks the author is referring to both networks of computers and networks of humans connected together in a grid topology. Examples are provided of how grid networks are beneficial today and the ways in which they have been used.

Since its founding in 1990, the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) has focused on publishing and accessing intellectual property. This article presents an interview with CNI's new executive director, Cliff Lynch discussing future changes, scholarly communication and the Internet, the University of California Berkeley's MELVYL, computer…

Provides an overview of the 1995 automated system marketplace, compiled by analysis of data gathered from 27 vendors. Topics include sales data; dominant vendors in different library sectors; company restructuring and consolidation; plans for technological upgrades, especially Internet connectivity, and improved customer support, service, and…

Discussion of the NREN (National Research and Education Network) and issues of access focuses on the role of the public library. Highlights include current uses of the Internet; resource sharing; guidelines for public library service; availability of the Internet and NREN through public libraries; and a sidebar that lists sources of further…

Report of the 1992 Medical Library Association (MLA) conference summarizes debates on librarians as chief information officers, electronic access versus ownership, electronic publishing and journal prices, and Total Quality Management. The role of the National Library of Medicine is discussed, and MLA honors and awards are listed. (MES)

The first part of the annual automation marketplace survey examines minicomputer systems in libraries. Highlights include vendor consolidation and acquisitions; system interconnection; networked databases; products related to the Americans with Disabilities Act; multimedia; vendor installations worldwide; academic versus public library…

Describes Books on Tape, an unabridged audiobook publisher, and its appeal to the library market. Discussion covers reading styles used on the tapes, the lack of celebrity readers, the story of the company's founding and development, its use of computerized customer tracking and networking, the availability of replacement tapes, and cassette cover…

Describes OhioLINK, a statewide information network that was developed to cost effectively link and enhance the information resources of Ohio's academic institutions. Highlights include cooperation; funding; the governing structure; and sidebars that discuss the results of a survey of statewide networks. (LRW)

Discusses the impact of Internet access on library reference services based on 1994 interviews with almost two dozen university librarians. Highlights include library policy, overcrowded workstations and methods of controlling use, recreational use of terminals that interferes with more formal library use, restriction as a form of censorship, and…

Discusses current technology for electronic publishing, including various options in desktop-based, television-based, and portable platforms, and describes the capabilities of CD-I (compact disk-interactive). Future directions for electronic publishing in the areas of networking, potential for creativity in producing multimedia versions of titles,…

Examines the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) which provides access to the state's public library resources; federal, state, and regional information resources; and other electronic information resources. Describes OPLIN's role in Ohio, hardware and services provided, mission, origin, funding, staff training, databases, future plans…

Examines current OCLC practices and future possibilities under the leadership of K. Wayne Smith. Topics discussed include the changing roles of libraries, business, and government; the electronic information future; network possibilities, including the NREN (National Research and Education Network); future collaborations; online databases; and…

Provides an overview of the 1994 American Library Association Convention. Highlights include problems with the location; teen violence; federal legislation; awards; speakers; gender issues and technology, including video games and the Internet; intellectual freedom; multiculturalism and librarian recruitment; CD-ROM; and exhibits. (LRW)