Addresses the question of whether interest in downloading into local electronic libraries is a reflection of user needs or is being generated by those who have something to sell. Growth of online services, growth of local computer capacity, purposes of a local electronic library, and sources of data are highlighted. (EJS)

Outlines the service rationale, software and technology considerations taken by the Pennsylvania State University library in planning towards online, real-time reference services and provides an overview of the planned pilot project. Discusses recent trends in academic electronic libraries, including providing value-added services to support…

Discusses the impact of information technology requirements on the costs of electronic libraries. Addresses key questions concerning hardware, software and network installation and upgrades and provides strategies for dealing with the needs for continuous funding and long-term financing that are essential for keeping up with the requirements of…

ELNET (Electronic Library Network), a Japanese language database, allows searching of index terms and free text terms from articles and stores the full text of the articles on an optical disc system. Users can order fax copies of the text from the optical disc. This article also explains online searching and discusses machine translation. (LRW)

Describes book ordering procedures at a German pharmaceutical library using the Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (EDIFACT) guidelines developed by the United Nations. Topics include advantages for libraries and for the book trade, changes needed in software, productivity gains, and EDIFACT versus the Internet.…