Introduction: To provide valuable services in the future, libraries will need to create better information systems and set up an infrastructure more in line with the current technologies. The "Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records" conceptual model provides a basis for this transformation, but there are still a number of…

In April 2007, the University of Washington Libraries debuted WorldCat Local (WCL), a localized version of the WorldCat database that interoperates with a library's integrated library system and fulfillment services to provide a single-search interface for a library's physical and electronic content. This brief will describe how WCL incorporates a…

ERIC has evolved from a research database into a multi-faceted information system. At the heart of ERIC is the world's largest education database, providing abstracts of more than 850,000 journal articles and documents from a wide range of public and private sources. The system also features a variety of additional products and services designed…

The focus of this project is on the potential implementation of information systems in China which could provide better access to large North American bibliographic databases for the academic community. The development of a general model for implementing any educational innovation in any context is introduced. This general model is then used to…

This oversight hearing was held to review the status of the 21-year-old Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program, which is administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in the U.S. Department of Education, and to hear administration proposals for the redesign of the ERIC system. This report of the hearing…

This report on some of the strategic planning decisions that OCLC has made for the 21st century begins by describing the evolution of OCLC from a pioneer in the computer revolution with its Online Union Catalog and Shared Cataloging System in 1971 to a system that currently has nearly 60 distinct offerings. Corresponding computer and…

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…

Provides several examples of drawbacks encountered when technological improvements are applied to the public access of library databases. Suggests that technological advances all carry some trade-off and that they should be employed cautiously. (NRP)