Bill Schickling has spent a good chunk of his professional life at what is now Polaris Library Systems, shaping both the older Galaxy system and the newer Polaris integrated library system (ILS). When he joined the company as a programmer in 1987, it was still part of Gaylord, known mostly for its furniture and supplies division. Schickling was…

In a year when a difficult economy presented fewer opportunities for immediate gains, the major industry players have defined their business strategies with fundamentally different concepts of library automation. This is no longer an industry where companies compete on the basis of the best or the most features in similar products but one where…

Librarians, like patrons and researchers, are caught between traditional library service models and the promise of evolving information technologies. In recent years, professional conferences have strategically featured programs and presentations geared toward building a mobile agenda and adapting or adopting services to meet new demands of mobile…

This article features Laramie County Library System (LCLS) of Cheyenne, Wyoming, which is named as Gale/"Library Journal" 2008 Library of the Year. It is not just strong, effective publicity or the fine new building or even a staff built around its ability to connect with the people, although all of those things add to the impact of…

Worthington, Ohio, has deep library roots. A library has been part of its history since the planning by settlers before the city's birth in 1803. Among the treasures brought by James Kilbourne and the Scioto Company from Connecticut to the new, planned community they built was a collection of books for their new subscription library. The books…

Examines the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) which provides access to the state's public library resources; federal, state, and regional information resources; and other electronic information resources. Describes OPLIN's role in Ohio, hardware and services provided, mission, origin, funding, staff training, databases, future plans…

Discussion of the NREN (National Research and Education Network) and issues of access focuses on the role of the public library. Highlights include current uses of the Internet; resource sharing; guidelines for public library service; availability of the Internet and NREN through public libraries; and a sidebar that lists sources of further…

Reports on Bill and Melinda Gates's tour of Alabama, the first state to be wired to the Internet by the nonprofit Gates Library Foundation, and the model for connecting 1000 more libraries this year. Mutual appreciation between Alabama librarians and the Gateses resulted. An interview with Bill Gates focuses on challenges libraries face in…

Activities in 2006 pointed to strategic shifts in library automation. The dynamics of the business environment changed rapidly from a fragmented industry to a highly consolidated one. Though the integrated library system (ILS) continues to represent the largest portion of revenue, products that deal with electronic content and deliver better…

A critique of some hallowed assumptions about library cooperative efforts is presented. (Author)

As early as junior high school, after she had gone to see The Music Man and came out idolizing Marian, Karen Bersche knew she was destined for librarianship. But she didn't get around to it until after she got a degree in counseling, started her family, and opened her own daycare center. She has more than made up for lost time since, first as…

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)

Under the administration of the Library of Congress, local and regional libraries cooperate in the talking book program by distributing books and magazines, as well as audio equipment, to the visually handicapped. (LS)

A recent study says that the state hasn't been giving public library systems enough money, that system development has lacked coordination and system planning falls far short of the mark, that interlibrary loan and reference service take too much time and are too costly, and that system personnel need more training. (Author/PF)

Discusses a public library system program that provides free public access to microcomputers, noting justification, objectives, equipment specifications, uses and software, staff training, policies and procedures, program implementation, and users. Eight references are listed. (EJS)