The author believes that publishers and authors will, in the digital age, benefit from freely sharing information, and that digital rights management (DRM) and other protection mechanisms are crazy. He has argued on behalf of libraries that ebooks and other digital content deserve the same First Sale rights that physical purchases have. But that…

This article features the Pierce County Library System (PCLS) in Tacoma, where new services are changing the way customers experience the library. PCLS is comprised of 17 branches, two bookmobiles, one Explorer Kid's bookmobile, serves 509,000 people, and has 234,000 cardholders. The evolution of customer expectations and needs motivated the…

Discusses cataloging problems in public libraries--Library of Congress records, international standards, and cataloging records--and their possible effects on establishing public library networks. A model public library bibliographic network is presented. (KP)

Facing a major budget crunch, the Hawaii State Public Library System awarded a five and one half-year, $11.2 million contract to a vendor (Baker & Taylor) for collection development. Hawaii librarians argue that outsourcing sacrifices local expertise and a central part of their professional identity. Discusses the controversy from opposing…

Recommends that library administrators turn to public administration models in preference to business administration models for network management; this choice is predicated on the not-for-profit aspects of public service organizations. (RAA)

Discusses the changing environment in which libraries and library schools exist, noting master of library science (MLS) programs; extended programs including a field experience (University of California, University of North Carolina); post-MLS internships; and the research library residency program offered by the University of Michigan Library.…

Discusses digital reference services, also known as virtual reference, chat reference, or online reference, based on a round table discussion at the 2002 American Library Association annual conference in Atlanta. Topics include numbers and marketing; sustainability; competition and models; evaluation methods; outsourcing; staffing and training;…

Focusing on online library catalogs as examples of human relationships as they are involved in process of technological innovations, this paper discusses introduction of innovation using a process model based on public policy research (theory) and experiences of Northwestern University with its online catalog (application). Five references are…

Discusses the role of libraries and library staff in helping society grapple with the ramifications of multiculturalism. Definitions of multiculturalism, steps in creating a diverse library staff, training needs, and dealing with charges of political correctness are addressed. A graphic model of stages in the process of developing a multicultural…

Describes a national survey aimed at defining effectiveness for public libraries that asked 7 constituent groups (library managers, staff, trustees, users, friends of the library, local officials, and community leaders) to rate the importance of 61 effectiveness indicators. The complex and multidimensional nature of the results is discussed and…

Presents a model for establishing a conservation program in a library. A preliminary discussion of conservation strategies and the committee approach is followed by a list of tasks; for each task the purpose and goals are briefly explained, and some bibliographic citations are provided, with works chosen for their currency and usefulness.…

Discusses how librarians and university press staffers could cooperate to improve the scholarly communication system. Causes of system decline, the environment for cooperation, several change models, possible changes to the publish or perish tenure system, and the probability of a slow transition to a new scholarly communications model are…

Discusses public library districts that provide funding directly to libraries rather than through local government or property taxes. Other types of library organization are described, including municipal and county libraries; a model library district law is suggested; and an example of a public library district in Kalamazoo (Michigan) is…

With the advent of the microcomputer, end users need personal information systems that work both at the office and at home and in the external world. The librarian's role could extend from being an information service provider to being a professional counselor on personal information management. (41 references) (MES)

Describes how United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is restructuring its library and information services. Outlines the UTC information network model that divides library staff into three groups: information managers, research analysts, and knowledge facilitators (global information support, printed resources group, and INET--information…