Contributors from five libraries--Bentley College, Boston University, the College of Charleston, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, and the Resource Sharing Alliance of West Central Illinois--describe their automation projects, including staff impact; costs and funding; time and schedules; users; computer support; vendors; and consultants.…

Describes eight multilibrary automation and connectivity initiatives in Alabama that involve public libraries, regional library systems, county library systems, library networks, academic libraries, and public school libraries. Addresses and contact people are supplied for each organization. (LRW)

Investigates the effects of electronic information sources on collection development in 15 academic libraries. Areas studied included: the materials budget, collection development policies, and licenses; identifying, evaluating, selecting, and developing the electronic sources collection; training subject specialists to use electronic resource…

Describes Pica, an organization in the Netherlands which evolved from the Project for Integrated Catalogue Automation that includes the National Library and all university libraries. Topics include the organizational structure, the shared online cataloging system, interlibrary loan, library networks and database access, and electronic document…

Discusses the development of electronic libraries at Cornell University's (New York) Mann Library and elsewhere and presents an overview of changes in services and staff responsibilities needed to address user needs. Sidebar articles discuss Internet access to government information; changing staff roles; geographic information systems; the Mann…

Provides an overview of library automation and connectivity projects in Texas that are proceeding with awareness of ethnic, economic, and technological diversity. Topics include a statewide electronic library that incorporates government information and Internet access; school library shared resources; academic library resource sharing; multitype…

Presents results of survey of procedures to handle the circulation of unbound periodicals in 232 public and academic libraries using four major turnkey automated circulation systems. Methods used are described (use of machine-readable symbol attached to issue) and procedures developed at the Eastern Washington University Library are explained in…

The appearance of revolutionary information technologies must elicit equivalent responses from the library profession. Creating local online databases--information dropshipping--is an activity that public and academic libraries can implement. Through technology, libraries can create a new domain on the production side of knowledge and information.…

Describes the various digital collections and some of the challenges faced by the early digital project initiatives of the Saskatchewan school, special, public, and academic libraries. An appendix lists the digital projects by theme (history, news, sports, culture, first nations and metis, and literature). (AEF)

Discusses the history, operation, funding, and future of ILLINET Online, an automated library system in Illinois which has two components: the Library Computer System, a statewide resource sharing network; and the Full Bibliographic Record system, a shared online catalog for participating libraries. (MES)

Describes the Questia subscription-based online academic digital books library. Highlights include weaknesses of the collection; what college students want from a library; importance of marketing; competition for traditional academic libraries that may help improve library services; and the ability of Questia to overcome barriers and…

The Memex Research Institute (MRI), an independent nonprofit research and development organization, has created an electronic library program of shared research and development to make the collective vision of Vannevar Bush's "memex" more concrete. Program is working toward the creation of large, publicly available indexed electronic image…

This summary of library initiatives in Louisiana relating to information technology describes academic library initiatives; multitype library initiatives, including library networks that provide access to the Internet; the state library and public library initiatives, including interlibrary loan services; school library initiatives; and state…

Describes the development of an electronic text center in the Cornell University (New York) library. Discusses effects of spanning traditionally separate areas of the library, such as collection development, reference and instruction, information technology and support, and stack maintenance; staff skills needed; and the importance of…

Identifies elements that are important for academic libraries to use in evaluating electronic books, including content; acquisition and collection development; software and hardware standards and protocols; digital rights management; access; archiving; privacy; the market and pricing; and enhancements and ideal features. Describes netLibrary, a…