The last 5 years have heralded a number of important changes to virtual libraries in academic and public settings. Despite this continual effort to improve library catalogs and websites, the fundamentals of these online spaces remain relatively unchanged. Digital collections are within reach of many libraries, yet they remain difficult to…

At the end of 2007, SirsiDynix introduced the first version of Symphony, its new flagship Integrated Library System (ILS). This article begins with a look at the evolution of Symphony, user reactions to Symphony, and Symphony's design and functionality. The authors, along with a team of librarians from various functional areas, have completed…

This feasibility study was conducted to (1) estimate the alternative costs in 1980 Canadian dollars of using four bibliographic utilities to accomplish the retrospective conversion (RECON) of eight British Columbia public libraries' manual card catalog files, (2) make recommendations as to which alternative should be selected and how it should be…

Discusses the need to reassess the objectives of online public access catalogs and how those objectives might be met before costly investments are made in electronic versions of "other data" for online catalogs. Several objectives are outlined and their feasibility in the modern telecommunications environment is examined. (two references) (CLB)

The Dublin Core (DC) metadata standard is emerging as one of the leading initiatives in digitization programs; as libraries, museums, archives and others begin to digitize their physical materials it will be imperative that internationally recognized standards be used. Key elements behind the development of DC, and the 15 fields of DC are…

The core curriculum of information systems (IS) is vital to the IS field. It serves as a base of knowledge that all IS graduates should possess. Within academic and practitioners' communities, there have been constant discussions about the content of the IS core curriculum. In this article, the authors used a direct survey strategy to examine all…

This report describes the development and implementation of a prototype system that integrates a microfiche catalog into an online computer system for bibliographic control. Such a system permits the storage of catalog data not yet converted to digital form, data in ideographic form, data for large numbers of little-used records, and data for use…

Describes an information storage and retrieval system for mainframe computer applications and its utilization as a corporate library catalog intended for end-user searching. The changeover from a previous system is discussed and current system features are evaluated. (Author/CLB)

Describes the implementation of remote public access to the online catalog at the University of Calgary and discusses the technical considerations and difficulties encountered. The resulting cooperative efforts of the library and the university computing center are outlined, and several library service related issues are raised. (CLB)

This feasibility study was conducted to collect financial, operational, and other data concerning the alternatives of continuing with the University of Toronto Library Automation System (UTLAS), the present supplier of catalog support to the British Columbia Union Catalogue (BCUC) participating libraries, or of replicating the Washington Library…

Discusses the need for usability testing for information systems and for librarians to recognize what makes computer interfaces either easy or difficult to use. Highlights include user friendliness; navigation; standards; visual appeal; layout and design; feedback; help screens; and the usability-testing process. (LRW)

Reports prepared by the Louisiana State University (LSU) Libraries Task Force on Electronic Services examine the present level of automated services at the LSU libraries and make recommendations for both long- and short-term plans to handle information in electronic format. The reports, each of which is followed by a list of recommendations, focus…

Compares and contrasts two systems designed for library automation applications--NOTIS, which was developed in the United States, and DOBIS, which was developed in Europe. The differences in the systems are discussed in terms of the availability or absence of machine readable bibliographic sharing capacities in the countries of origin. (CLB)