The world of readers' advisory (RA) is embracing many of the tools that collectively are referred to as Library 2.0. RA has long shared many of the beliefs supported by Library 2.0--well before there even was such a thing--including conversations with readers, valuing and empowering the experience of the reader, and near constant reevaluation of…

This article describes the opportunities out of the 2007 turmoil precipitated by the dramatic shifts that redefined the industry in 2006. The turmoil made companies that avoided major business transitions more attractive and sparked explosive interest in open source alternatives. Some companies held a steady course and benefited from the fallout.…

The information industry continues to consolidate, just as agribusiness has consolidated and now dominates farming. Both the family farm and the small information company still exist but are becoming rarer in an age of mergers, acquisitions, and increased economies of scale. Small companies distinguish themselves by high quality, special themes,…

After decades of costly and time-consuming effort, nearly all libraries have completed the retrospective conversion of their card catalogs to electronic form. However, bibliographic systems still are really not much more than card catalogs on wheels. Enriched content that Amazon.com takes for granted--such as digitized tables of contents, cover…

Traces activities, problems, and decision making in converting from a card catalog to a computer output microfilm (COM) catalog in an academic library. (KP)

Outlines innovations in library tools made possible by use of computer output microfilm. (PF)

Description of "Decision-Analyst," microcomputer software tool designed to analyze complex decisions involving many alternatives, highlights step-by-step approach, documentation, microcomputer requirements, and purchasing information. Two microcomputer users' groups (Apple Computer, Microcomputer Users Group for Libraries in North…

Side by side articles pose questions and provide replies about Books in Print.'' Subjects covered include: its completeness, whether it is an index to The Publishers' Trade List Annual,'' how information is compiled, its reliability, redundancy, cost, legal responsibility and time factors involved. (DH)

Advocates replacing the traditional library card catalog with a more effective system. Technological developments such as machine-readable catalogs, automated authority control, and computer-output-microform make possible integration of nonbook media, government documents, journal literature, and local information into the main catalog. (SW)

As public and academic librarians rely more heavily on electronic resources to satisfy patrons' information needs, seamless searching across print and electronic holdings gets more and more essential. Enter the integrated library system (ILS)-independent electronic resource management system (ERMS), which promises to integrate, search, and expose…

Discusses the need for Spanish language materials in public libraries, and describes support systems that aid in the selection of materials. A directory of 50 vendors of Spanish language books, with brief information about the scope of materials and services they make available, is provided. (CLB)