Describes the background of library outsourcing, and discusses the quality of cataloging and physical processing services provided by Blackwell North America and B. H. Blackwell Ltd. during a one-year pilot project at Stanford University (California). At the end of the project, an error rate of less than 1% was achieved in outsourced work.…

Discusses need for retrospective conversion of library catalogs in terms of user-problems related to split catalogs in various formats. Difficulties to be overcome in retrospective conversion projects (ownership of records, costs, non-Roman script languages, standards and inhospitability of MARC for variety of manuscript and pictorial material)…

Discusses the background of the Scottish Newspapers Microfilming Unit: its establishment in 1993, support by the Mellon Foundation, and project progress. Project highlights include: technical processes used in microfilm production, preservation functions of microfilm, quality control procedures, storage recommendations, types of collections that…

Describes features of the Western Library Network's database, including the database structure, authority control, contents, quality control, and distribution methods. The discussion covers changes in distribution necessitated by increasing telecommunications costs and the development of optical data disk products. (CLB)

Briefly describes the automated system as it relates to cataloging processes at each of six university libraries. Areas that have been most affected are noted--authority control, catalog maintenance, decentralization of original cataloging and other technical services functions, enhanced public access to materials, and quality control. (25…