In 2008 and 2009, the Edmonton Public Library (EPL), where the author works as an information professional, completed a $6 million CDN (about $5.7 million) RFID conversion project with the installation of automated check-in and sorting equipment at six of its 17 service points. The sorters currently handle about 55% of EPL's system's total…

Technology makes it possible to redefine libraries and make them relevant to the public once again. But how good are the digital services offered by public libraries today? The digital services department team of the Pode project at Norway's Oslo Public Library has spent the last 2 years investigating the possibilities available in order to…

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…

In 2009, the author spearheaded the Thunder Bay Public Library's (TBPL) service audit on kiosks. A task force comprising staff from the children's, reference, and adult services departments was formed to work on the audit. Task force members worked together and studied how patrons and staff use kiosks, conducted a literature review, surveyed other…

Richmond Public Library (RPL) is a four-branch suburban library with the highest per capita circulation of any comparable library in Canada. While DVDs naturally fit into RPL's emphasis on popular material, circulating them using the standard model proved problematic: Long hold queues built up, DVDs idled on the hold shelves, and the circulation…

Circulation for CD-ROMs rose from 56 per month in 1993 to 493 per month in 1996 at the City of York Public Library in Toronto, Canada. Discusses the need for technical expertise; quantity and quality of CD-ROMs; assessing the costs; product durability, damage, and losses; and legal issues under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Lists the…

Describes MusiCat, an experimental user interface designed in Denmark that reflects the different ways that patrons think when searching for musical material on the Web. Discusses technology versus content; search trees that use a hierarchy of subject terms; and usability testing. (LRW)

Describes free-nets as free public access community-based computer systems; explains how libraries and librarians participate in the free-net movement; discusses Canadian free-nets; considers the public library/free-net analogy; and provides a survey of library services on Internet-accessible free-nets and civic networks. (Contains four…

Describes programs at the Toronto Public Library that teach Internet skills to adult learners, including English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes and undereducated adults. Highlights include a sample lesson plan; experiences with adult-literacy classes; expanding Internet training; and Web sites for ESL and adult-literacy classes. (LRW)

A new library and cultural center in Croyden (England) is described. Function-based areas include library, administration, technical services, museum and galleries, museum offices and store, cinema, tourist information center, and local government offices. Information technology systems include the library management system, office automation, and…

Reduced government payments to school districts in Ontario, Canada have made it increasingly difficult to add resources to school library collections. To meet the needs of its community, St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School will share a new facility with a branch of the Cambridge Public Library. Discusses how the partnership took shape and its…

Edited transcripts of three talks presented at the 1991 Research and Education Networking (R&EN) Conference address municipal information systems, including descriptions of local networks, privacy issues, and future possibilities; networking in Canada, including CA*net, regional networks, and federal activities; and Canadian reactions to…