Reports findings of a nationwide survey to determine how select number of libraries (38 respondents) have conducted projects to convert retrospective holdings to machine-readable form. Analysis of the data in areas of planning, budget, effects on user services and cataloging/output, staff, training, and evaluation is discussed. Two sources are…

Explores methods and costs of the retrospective conversion process, i.e., converting card catalog records into machine readable form to create an automated catalog. Data conversion standards, methods, search strategy, databases, verification and editing, costs, and products of conversion are noted. Thirty-two references are cited. (EJS)

Discussion of Illinois experiences in library cooperation and computerization (OCLC, Library Computer System, LIBRAS) describes use of library materials, benefits and drawbacks of online networking, experiences at Lake Forest College (Illinois), and six tasks recommended for small academic libraries as preparation for major changes toward…

Discussion of planning, installation, and results of an online catalog at University of Maryland Health Sciences Library highlights Integrated Library System, speed and patron perceptions of online catalog, searching power, ways in which catalog can bypass physical and organizational boundaries, and effect on staff and users of the library. (EJS)

Describes the introduction of an online searching service at the Phillips Memorial Library, Providence College (Rhode Island). Highlights include the acquisition of a microcomputer, vendor choice, cost considerations, setting up the workstation and establishing procedures, search sessions, and benefits to all elements of college community. Twelve…

Effects of computerized systems in libraries are explored in five articles. The first discusses reasons why maintaining a collection of resources is strengthened rather than weakened by the existence of online databases. The remaining four describe the implementation and use of microcomputers in high school, elementary school, and academic…

Discusses applications of a microcomputer in the Mountain View Elementary School Library in Colorado, noting costs and effectiveness involved in the development and use of a computerized card catalog and librarian aid with tasks such as filing, typing, ordering, and inventory. A bibliography is provided. (EJS)

Overview of activities and issues that face library administrators considering automation emphasizes acquisition of turnkey systems. Discussion covers reasons for automating, options available, major marketplace issues, keys to a successful automation project, the Request for Information, the Request for Proposal, evaluation techniques, the…

Three major electronic developments have had a profound effect over the last 19 years on the interloan operation of a medium-sized public library system in central New York State: the Gaylord Brothers, Inc. Circulation System; the New York State Interlibrary Loan Network; and the OCLC, Inc.-Interlibrary Loan Subsystem. (EJS)

Discusses the development of interlibrary lending and union catalogs, problems of library resource sharing, the development of resource sharing and interlibrary lending in Maryland, governance and costs of interlibrary lending systems, and the Maryland Interlibrary Organization School Media Project. Twenty-five references are provided. (EJS)

Includes three presentations on resource sharing among libraries that were part of the 1989 CLA (Catholic Library Association) annual convention. Topics discussed include a history of resource sharing; today's rapidly advancing technology; the interlibrary loan subsystem of OCLC; and regional and local perspectives, including Library Computer…

Describes the history and development of the Tri-State College Library Cooperative (TCLC) Literature Search Center, a network of small academic libraries that cooperate to provide a computerized literature search service. (FM)

Examines some of the issues that public libraries have had to deal with in delineating and pursuing as a specific organizational goal the provision of access to information. The perspective adopted is historical but not strictly chronological. Thirty-six references are listed. (Author/LLS)

A small academic library that took advantage of the OCLC online cataloging service by becoming a secondary user recounts the process of initiating use, and outlines its weekly working procedure, including costs. (MBR)

Describes how library networks develop technology cooperatively and assesses future network roles in the light of new developments. (Author/LLS)