Do students prefer to use Google instead of the library catalog? Ever wondered why? Google is easier to use and delivers plenty of "good enough" resources to meet their needs. The current generation of online catalogs has two main problems. First, the look and feel of the interface doesn't reflect the conventions adhered to elsewhere on the web,…

This article outlines a pilot project to offer a personalized online library service to Open University MBA alumni. A review of the literature and results of a desktop analysis of other UK Higher Education alumni library services are included. Content procurement and systems issues are considered along with the underlying organizational, resource…

This report draws on the results of a survey and case studies of Digital Library Federation (DLF) members (Council on Library and Information Resources - CLIR). The survey was intended to document how DLF member libraries are focusing their digital library programs: how and under what circumstances their programs were initiated; the influences…

Discusses the state of library automation and the benefits and dilemmas of available operating systems. Presents an overview of six vendors selling online library systems (Ameritech, Endeavor, Data Research Associates, Sirsi, Innovative Interfaces, and Ex Libris). Provides sales figures based on the "Library Journal" articles published during the…

Discusses the evolution of electronic publishing from the early 1960s when computers were used merely to produce conventional printed products to the present move toward networked scholarly publishing. Highlights include library development, periodicals on the Internet, online journals versus paper journals, problems, and the future of…

Advancing library services in large universities requires creative approaches for "building to scale." This is the case for CIC, Committee on Institutional Cooperation (Big Ten), libraries whose home institutions serve thousands of students, faculty, staff, and others. Developing virtual Web-based services is an increasingly viable…

To help understand the trends, strategies, structure, and new skills that will be required by the information professional in this changing global environment, this paper examines the future of the library and information profession and the impact that information technology is having on the discipline. The paper focuses on the online delivery of…

Argues that, in spite of the financial burden on local, state, and federal justice systems, prison libraries must be transformed from access-to-the-courts programs and emerge as community information and cultural centers that provide both electronic and book formats. (AEF)

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…

In 1982 the New Hampshire Automation Task Force made recommendations for an online statewide union catalog, which first came into use in 1984. In 1991 a subcommittee of the Automation Planning and Review Committee of the New Hampshire State Library presented a report on elements that should be addressed in a long range plan. This strategic plan is…

During 1993-94 the University Libraries of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, began formal needs assessment to collect data that reflect the information needs of university students, faculty, and staff. The program was implemented by a Needs Assessment Coordinating Group, an assessment consultant, and staff members. Data from the…

Among information workers, the term "disintermediation" has been used to describe the diminishing role of the intermediary associated with the electronic information environment. IMPEL2 is a JISC-funded e-Lib Project investigating the social, organizational, and cultural impacts of the growing electronic library in United Kingdom higher…

In April 2000, the Digital Library Federation commissioned three reports to address broader concerns about digital collections in research libraries. This report synthesizes the nearly 10 years' experience that libraries have had digitizing items from their rare, special, and general collections, and making them available online. The report…

This report provides a step-by-step look at defining, planning, implementing, operating, and supporting Internet services for library patrons. Experts from the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Public Library share their experiences pioneering a high-speed, graphical Internet service that supports the full range of multimedia materials available across…

The World Wide Web has generated a dramatic increase in the availability of electronic journals. Discusses the development of electronic publishing: CD-ROM systems, local data loading, and pre-Web online environments; and outlines remaining obstacles to libraries making the leap from paper to electronic collections: critical mass, aggregation,…