Libraries in Louisiana strengthen the economy and serve the people. Libraries and their employees play a significant role in the Louisiana infrastructure, consuming state goods and services, complementing educational institutions, creating a literate citizenry, and providing cost effective access to information for business, industry, government…

Examines what Australian university libraries can and cannot do for independent scholars, scholars with no formal university affiliation. Argues that university libraries are not able to accept acquisition proposals from independent scholars because of shrinking acquisitions budgets and cites acquisition cooperation, especially of electronic…

This four-part report describes the development of a plan for Hennepin County (Minnesota) Library's (HCL) next steps in the automation of operations including the public catalog, cataloging, circulation control, and acquisitions. The objectives of the plan were to improve patron access to materials and to provide for cost effective operations.…

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…

Discusses the idea of a national electronic library as a possible solution to current economic trends in the information industry. Topics addressed include commercial entertainment ventures; the decreasing buying power of library acquisition budgets; the need for free access; government's role; cooperation; serials publications; licensing…

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit compiled by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) contains documents pertaining to bibliographic access in ARL libraries. Data collected in a 1975 SPEC user services survey are presented in two tables to illustrate new, eliminated, and planned services in ARL libraries and methods of…

Discusses the National Library of Australia's leadership of the Australian library system in light of the failure of key electronic aspects of the Strategic Plan. Topics include overseas collecting; electronic access; the Distributed National Collection (DNC); culturally discriminatory collecting policy; and costs of access, including user fees.…

This paper provides background on The National Library of Estonia (NLE), discusses a fellowship project for developing the National Library, and presents the impressions of the author, an Estonian American, who traveled to Estonia. The NLE looks to the West for automation, information, and institutional modeling. The NLE is Estonia's equivalent of…

Describes the facilities, collections, services, and personnel of three libraries in Santo Domingo: the National Library, created to collect bibliographical materials worldwide; Lincoln Library, sponsored by the United Nations Information Service; and Enrique Apolinar Henirquez Library, a private facility. The effect of the political climate on…

Describes the history of multitype library networks; examines the reasons why special libraries and other network participants have resisted the inclusion of special libraries in these networks; and discusses the benefits to both special libraries and to other libraries in the network that would result from special library participation. (17…

Considers future possibilities and needs in libraries, including fewer acquisitions due to rising costs; the demise of older materials; the influence of the nature of access on the direction of scholarly inquiry, i.e., the influence of technology; using electronic resources appropriately; and questioning established routines. (LRW)

This book shows librarians the strengths and weaknesses of electronic resources and the implications these resources have on collection management. It helps librarians incorporate electronic resources into their collections. The book examines the history of electronic resources in document collections and analyzes the gains and losses libraries…

Papers on national libraries which were presented at the 1986 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Dangers for the Modern Information Society in the Computer Age" (Franz Georg Kaltwasser, West Germany); (2) "Functions and Objectives of the National Libraries in the Developing…

Describes CETUS (Consortium for Educational Technology for University Systems), a partnership among the libraries of California State University, City University of New York, and State University of New York. Topics include changing roles of library staffs, ownership and fair use of copyrights, acquisition and access, and distance learning. (LRW)

Reviews the development of the Vatican Library from the papacy of Leo III (795-816) to the present. The current status of the library is described, including print and nonprint collections, acquisitions and major bequests, access to the collections, and programs and services offered to scholars. (CLB)