This review of research and development work deals with activities specifically related to digital legal deposit. An overview of research activity in the various stages of the deposit process-particularly in digital preservation-follows. Building the infrastructure and pilot depositories are discussed. Issues that are not currently being addressed…

Presents online search statistics, and reviews databases in the social sciences using the files found in DIALOG. Discusses the value of familiarity with fee-based databases for librarians and social science researchers. Concludes that database information plays a relevant role in research and expands the library resources, especially those without…

Arguing that recommended lists for hospital libraries are too general, this use study evaluated the journal collection of a small hospital library. It is noted that the literature on use studies indicates that, with the availability of resources through computer searches, interlibrary loans, consortiums and networks, journal evaluation is no…

This paper examines some of the finding aids (e.g., information that provides insight into a group of records in an archival collection) currently used or being developed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). It explores their practicality and whether and how they can be improved. In addition, the paper analyzes the factors…

This investigation of utilization of machine-readable bibliographic records for government publications in online public access catalogs consists of a literature search, identification of applications of Government Printing Office (GPO) MARC tapes by bibliographic services and libraries, sampling GPO MARC test tape and profiling depository…

A project demonstrated the feasibility of accessing library information (online public access catalogs, commercial online databases, Internet) from a distance using handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) equipped with cellular communication capability. The study is described, and other uses of wireless communications in libraries and…

This final report of the American Fiction Project (AFP) describes two years of work during which AFP met its goals of: strengthening the Ohio State University Libraries (OSUL) collection of American fiction, 1901-1925; establishing a comprehensive bibliographic file of fiction of the period; and improving national bibliographic access to these…

Discusses cataloging in light of continuing needs and developments in access to government information. Recommends ways the library community, government information providers, and automation specialists can cooperatively reexamine bibliographic standards; expand tape loading to non-U.S. depository collections; link bibliographic databases with…

Examines issues related to CD-ROM collections in libraries, including CD-ROMs versus the Internet and other online sources; types of CD-ROMS, including periodical databases, reference databases, and multimedia CD-ROMs; local area networks for CD-ROMs; evaluation criteria for selection; collection development; ordering; curriculum support;…

In fiscal year 1992, state funding to the South Carolina State Library was reduced on four occasions, but the library staff performed at high levels. Despite a 38 percent reduction in the library materials budget, the State Library had its best year ever in terms of providing information, with the number of items loaned continuing to increase. In…

Even though medieval manuscripts represent the most voluminous surviving artifact from the Middle Ages, the very nature of this resource presents challenges for usage. In an effort to preserve medieval manuscripts and to create broader and more economical access to their contents, many libraries have in recent decades sought to provide filmed…

A distributed union catalog is a network of bibliographic systems that cooperate to enable their users to discover sites that hold copies of known items. Some participating systems will be traditional union catalogs, others will be single sites with comprehensive collections, and others will be local or regional resource sharing systems. A…

The virtual Canadian union catalog (vCuc) project is a project among Canadian libraries to use Z39.50 (an information protocol standard) for searching distributed individual library catalogs and union catalogs. This paper summarizes the major technical, vendor, bibliographic data, and administrative issues that must be resolved before the…