Data are a valuable national resource for a variety of stakeholders across all sectors of society. Dramatic advances in information and communication technology have opened up unprecedented opportunities for broad public access, innovative research, and citizen engagement, but this potential can be realized only if data are properly managed and…

Libraries have welcomed the opportunity offered in the twenty-first century to place content on the roads and channels that are now available through the Internet to provide access to our rich and diverse collections. Amidst the enormous amount of information available the great collections sometimes are "dead ends" from a reader's point…

Libraries have been increasingly concerned with data creation, management, and publication. This increase is partly driven by shifting metadata standards in libraries and partly by the growth of data and metadata repositories being managed by libraries. In order to manage these data sets, libraries are looking for new preservation and discovery…

What do Google Maps and a library's Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) have in common? Google Maps provides users with all the information they need for a trip in one place; users can get directions and find out what attractions, hotels, and restaurants are close by. Librarians must find the ultimate OPAC that will provide, in one place, all the…

Research and professional practice in librarianship has increasingly turned to community-focused information services (CIS), which allow people to participate in creating and sharing information about themselves and their communities. These information services have a great potential to empower and engage marginalized communities; however, in this…

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 has provisions covering telephone service, telecommunications equipment manufacturing, cable television, radio and television broadcasting, and the Internet and on-line computer services. Most critical for rural areas are universal service provisions that ensure reasonably priced services to all regions and…

Changes in library services due to advancing information technology constitute a revolution comparable to invention of the printing press. Democratization of access to knowledge is a positive development, but it should not be confused with democratization of knowledge. This is where any system of information networking may be misleading; in…

Asserts that the Internet plays a vital role in providing college library users equal access to government information, and that government depositories must promote their collections, especially what is available on the Internet. Provides a partial bibliography of Internet information for U.S. government publications. (CW)

To prevent vastly different Internet access policies from creating uneven service for patrons from community to community, the author argues that librarians, as the logical champions, must define "universal service." Offers hardware, software, Internet functions, training, and service as some of the elements of access that should be…

Discusses libraries and democracy, one of three major themes for the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services. The roles of newspapers and journalists are considered and the censorship of textbooks, library materials, art, and movies is discussed. (LRW)

Outlines the basic options that schools and libraries have for accessing the Internet, focusing on four models: direct connection; dial access using SLIP/PPP (Serial Line Internet Protocol/Point-to-Point Protocol); dial-up using terminal emulation mode; and dial access through commercial online services. Discusses access option issues such as…

Describes the Cleveland Free-Net, an information networking project of Case Western Reserve University and the Community Telecomputing Laboratory that provides electronic access to resources such as library catalog and reference services, government information, and health information to Cleveland's citizens. (EA)

Highlights dangers on the Internet that parents should be aware of and provides suggestions on how parents can ensure their children's safety on the Internet. Describes how librarians can help parents by establishing Internet policies, providing access to quality Web sites, resolving filtering issues, and providing instruction for children and…

This bibliography contains 159 entries related to information dissemination in rural areas and the role of rural libraries in accessing information. The entries were derived from the AGRICOLA database produced by the National Agriculture Library (United States Department of Agriculture) and cover such topics as information needs in rural…

This books deals with the logical intersection of technology and management in the context of libraries and other information centers. It is divided into the following sections: Effects of Technology on the Institution and its Management; Effects of Technology on Services and Users; and Special Issues in the Management of Technology. Chapters are…