This article provides an account of the making of KBLab, the data lab at the National Library of Sweden (KB). The first part discusses the work involved in establishing a lab as both a physical and a digital site for researchers to use digital collections at previously unimaginable scales. The second part explains how the lab has deployed the…

Copyright law is a source of a great deal of bewilderment and frustration to academic librarians. Beyond the basics of copyright protection and fair use, most librarians struggle to grasp the complexity of the law and the roadblocks it presents to access and use. This article attempts to elucidate some of those complexities by suggesting seven…

Considers three issues: whether conversion to digital form is a preservation action; the contrasts between selection for digital conversion and selection for traditional preservation; and the potential effects on the field of preservation. Includes an appendix listing cost elements of digital conversion. (AEF)

The goal of this survey was to collect and analyze baseline information about the status of audio collections held by a set of research institutions. This information can help shape the national preservation plan now being developed by the National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB) and the Library of Congress to preserve "sound recordings that…

Examines traditional conceptions of a library collection, and reveals four major presumptions associated with collections: tangibility, ownership, a user community, and an integrated retrieval mechanism. Explores challenges posed by media, and proposes an expanded concept of collection that considers the perspectives of both user and collection…

Discusses the development of Electronic Library at TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi). Highlights include: hardware and software used; the digital library/Virtual Electronic Library; directory of Internet journals; virtual reference resources; electronic collection/Physical Electronic Library; downloaded online full-length…

Quality of the library media center is an index to a school's vitality. Nearly half of nonfiction books in Indiana school libraries are over 20 years old. Books no longer relevant to today's young people's needs should be removed. Schools must adopt uniform acquisitions standards (of at least two books yearly per student) to upgrade and update…

The number of electronic resources has climbed up steadily in recent times. Some of these e-resources are reference sources, mostly in Science, Technology and Medicine (STM), which publishers convert to electronic for obvious reasons. The library budgets for materials usually have two main lines, budget for one time purchase (monographs) and…

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) organized an invitational conference in May 2003 to examine the key factors shaping the information environment in which libraries operate and how these factors will affect stewardship of the cultural and intellectual resources vital to education and research. Scholars, library directors,…

This report includes national and state summary data on public libraries in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, with an introduction, selected findings, and tables. The report is based on data from the Public Libraries Survey for fiscal year 2005, and includes information on service measures such as number of users of electronic resources,…

This paper is a response to discussions of digitization at meetings of the National Humanities Alliance (NHA). NHA asked the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) to evaluate the experiences of cultural institutions with digitization projects to date and to summarize what has been learned about the advantages and disadvantages of…

The integration of print and non-print resources in libraries or media centers is a complex issue that involves three considerations: intershelving, records organization, and integration of a media center's functional areas. Although resource integration is not appropriate in every setting, it is highly recommended for community college and public…

Presents an overview of concerns and problems with digital archiving, with a focus on preservation of government information. Addresses standards and costs. Discusses the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, and the digital preservation strategies of migration, emulation, and encapsulation. An appendix reviews some of the…

As electronic objects challenge categorical distinctions central to library organization, efforts are being made to integrate these hybrids and new forms into traditional library systems and to recreate the stability of the print environment. Explores conceptual and theoretical issues raised by the proliferation of electronic objects and suggests…

The goal of the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse is to uphold the principles of the Library Bill of Rights in all types of libraries by improving communication between librarians, board members, professional associations, and other concerned groups in Oregon about challenges to intellectual freedom, and by increasing awareness as to how…