Last fall, Information Today, Inc.'s research division, Unisphere Research, conducted a survey of more than 1,200 public, academic, government, and special librarians with budget authority in North America. The study determined that after a couple of devastating years, most libraries are projecting budget stabilization in 2011. Naturally,…

The reference desk at Indiana State University's (ISU) library offers an excellent view of student work areas on the first floor. From this vantage point, the reference librarians noticed students, especially in the evening and on weekends, huddled together in small groups, with one student at the keyboard of a laptop or desktop computer. The…

This article presents a plan of having a new facility for the library of Valparaiso University. The authors, as dean of library services and assistant university librarian for access services at Valpo, discuss their plan of building a Center for Library and Information Resources that would house more books while also providing computing centers,…

Describes the experiences at the Williamsburg (Virginia) Regional Library when the children's department closed for two months for renovations and temporary quarters were created in a bookmobile in a nearby parking lot. Discusses technology challenges involved in hooking up computers, selecting an appropriate collection that would fit, and…

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…

Discusses changes in distance education and considers the resulting need for new types of library services. Topics include new Web-based contact center software; how to conduct virtual reference interviews; online reference service; the role of the physical library; staffing changes; and future possibilities, including impacts on costs of library…

Notebook computers of increasing power and portability offer unique advantages to library users. Connecting easily to a campus data network, they are small silent work stations capable of drawing information from a variety of sources. Designers of new library buildings may assume that users in growing numbers will carry these multipurpose…