Electronic journals are both a blessing and a curse for libraries. To be meaningful in the current information environment--to meet users' ever-increasing demands--libraries must acquire as many appropriate full text resources as possible, as quickly as possible, and make them easy to use. This Digest provides tips for acquiring and providing…

An automated library system usually consists of a number of functional modules, such as acquisitions, circulation, cataloging, serials, and an online public access catalog (OPAC). An "integrated" library system is an automated system in which all of the function modules share a common bibliographic database. There are several ways the…

This digest discusses some of the major trends and issues found in a systematic content review of the professional literature of library and information science. Two "megatrends" are identified and discussed: (1) the concern for the impact of technology upon every facet of library work, in academic, school, public, and special libraries;…

This digest discusses the development of World Wide Web-based services for libraries and provides examples from the Cleveland Public Library (CPL). The first section highlights the importance of developing such services, steps to be followed for a successful project, and the importance of having the goal of replicating and enhancing traditional…

Arguing that the foundation of a free civilization is an informed citizenry, this ERIC digest discusses the new challenges faced by the government and libraries in the wake of the Information Age. As electronic technology has accelerated the production and transmission of information, it has become more difficult for the average citizen to access,…

Public libraries have a responsibility toward all of their patrons, including home schoolers. "Home schooling" describes the situation where parents or guardians choose not to send their children to public or private schools, but instead educate their children themselves. Libraries are very important to home schoolers because, in most…

This ERIC Digest is intended to help eligible school library personnel write an effective proposal for the "Improving Literacy Through School Libraries" (LSL) grant program, which provides funding for high-need K-12 school library programs to improve reading achievement by providing students with increased access to school library…

Federal legislation authorizing the creation of the National Research and Education Network (NREN)--i.e., the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (P.L. 102-194)--was signed into law by the President in December 1991. This network is envisioned as an expansion and enhancement of the existing U.S. Internet, the collection of interconnected…

The dawn of the electronic age has altered the role of the school librarian: the position is less of a warehouse manager and more of a reference consultant, the emphasis is access to information rather than collection development, and the librarian is an information center manager, specialist, and teacher of information technology. School…

This digest focuses on the continuing ambiguities libraries and their users face in dealing with copyright in the digital environment. In the networked digital world, the basic principles of copyright are more difficult to apply. Digital copies are easy to create, modify, and manipulate, they are extremely easy to distribute widely over networks,…

"Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs," which was published jointly by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) in 1988, is the most recent in a series of efforts to articulate and encode professional program and practice standards that have…

For the purposes of this digest, productivity is defined as ways in which library and information services can assist agencies, industries, and individuals in producing goods and services effectively and profitably. Two fundamental issues that affect productivity are access and control; two major strategies for improving productivity are…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) released its first call for proposals for the National Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education Digital Library (NSDL) program early in 2000. Building on work supported under the multi-agency Digital Libraries Initiative, this program aims to establish a national digital library that will…

Over the past 20 years, library media professionals have worked to move from teaching isolated library skills to teaching integrated information skills. Effective integration of information skills has two requirements: (1) the skills must directly relate to the content area curriculum and to classroom assignments; and (2) the skills themselves…

This digest explores uses of the Internet for early childhood educators. The first section discusses six popular features of the Internet: (1) electronic mail, which provides educators with a worldwide group of peers with whom to share information; (2) Internet discussion groups, which provide users with the opportunity to be part of electronic…