Technology makes it possible to redefine libraries and make them relevant to the public once again. But how good are the digital services offered by public libraries today? The digital services department team of the Pode project at Norway's Oslo Public Library has spent the last 2 years investigating the possibilities available in order to…

The rumored death of librarianship caused by the advent of technology has not, and will not, come to pass. In this article, the author describes how technology has exponentially increased the librarian's ability to provide library service at the Calcasieu Parish Public Library, where she serves as head of Collection & Computing Services. The…

Since the adoption of faceted search in a small number of academic libraries in 2006, faceted library catalogs have gained popularity in many academic and public libraries. This dissertation seeks to understand whether faceted search improves the interactions between searchers and library catalogs and to understand ways that facets are used in…

The technology of the 21st century has had no shortage of challenges for libraries, but it has also brought opportunities. Operating systems, databases, and application environments that can use cheap off-the-shelf hardware to scale and handle hundreds of millions of transactions were not developed for libraries. However, libraries have taken…

The last 5 years have heralded a number of important changes to virtual libraries in academic and public settings. Despite this continual effort to improve library catalogs and websites, the fundamentals of these online spaces remain relatively unchanged. Digital collections are within reach of many libraries, yet they remain difficult to…

It's well known that technology is changing at an increasingly rapid pace and that many public libraries throughout the United States are attempting to adopt new technologies to better reach their patrons. In trade journals, blogs, and at library conferences, professionals in the field have continually discussed the best methods for using web…

With the aid of a grant from the Council on Library Resources, The New York Public Library's Research Libraries conducted an experiment lasting from July 1971 through March 1972. The object of the experiment, which was in three parts or phases, was to determine the acceptability of microfilm as a substitute for the public card catalog, the new…

In 2001, WorldCat, the primary international bibliographic utility, contained 45 million records with over 750 million library location listings. These records span over 4,000 years of recorded knowledge in 377 languages. Under the auspices of an OCLC/ALISE (Online Computer Library Center/Association of Library and Information Science Educators)…

Some 16 videotape programs produced by the San Francisco based California Video Resource Project (CVRP) in 1975-76 are cataloged. Listings, which include the length of the program, its purchase price, and a brief content description, are presented in three categories: entertainment, information, and public libraries. The first category subsumes…

Technological developments of the past twenty years have resulted in renewed interest in book-form catalogs. Users were surveyed at two libraries to determine that their satisfaction with bibliographical data, entry points, and physical form. (17 references) (Author/DH)

The Vigo County Public Library studied patron use of the card catalog by reviewing nearly 300 questionnaires completed by student and adult users. The results indicate that the catalog is used equally to find author, title, and subject -- with the latter a bit more prevalent. Most users did not find the filing difficult, and preferred use of the…

THIS STUDY, COVERING BOTH TECHNICAL AND PUBLIC SERVICES, IS BASED ON TWO YEARS' OPERATION OF THE CENTRAL LIBRARY AND BRANCHES OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY--THE LAST YEAR THE CARD CATALOG WAS USED AND THE FIRST YEAR OF USING THE COMPUTER-PRODUCED BOOK CATALOG. THE FIGURES, CONTAINING SOME EXTRAPOLATIONS, WERE OBTAINED FROM THE LIBRARY'S…

The Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury, Connecticut received a state grant in 1976 to provide increased accessibility to their services through a books-by-mail program. In 1975, 9,750 catalogs listing the books-by-mail collection were mailed to local households. Newspaper publicity requested that households that received the catalogs share them…

Questionnaires completed by library catalog users revealed that catalogs are more widely used in academic libraries than in public libraries, especially at the county level. Guidance in use of the catalog by librarians promotes use by library patrons. Reasons for non-use and methods of using the catalog were surveyed. (4 references) (SJ)

This catalog lists all the 16mm films available in the collection of the Rhode Island Film Cooperative, a central film depository which loans films and media equipment to member libraries. Films are listed alphabetically by title, and each listing includes the name of the filmmaker, the length of the film, the intended audience level, and a brief…