This article discusses the accessibility of two content management systems, Berkeley Electronic Press's Digital Commons and OCLC's CONTENTdm, widely used in libraries to host institutional repository and digital collections content. Based on observations by a visually impaired student who used the JAWS screen reader to view the design and display…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the functional attributes of the automated serials control systems of the libraries in seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and provide a comparative analysis. Design/methodology/approach: Features of the serials control modules of the library management systems (LMSs) in use in the…

This article discusses best practices for evaluating open source software for use in library projects, based on the authors' experience evaluating electronic publishing solutions. First, it presents a brief review of the literature, emphasizing the need to evaluate open source solutions carefully in order to minimize Total Cost of Ownership. Next,…

This study reviewed link resolver success comparing 360 Link and a local implementation of WebBridge. Two methods were used: (1) comparing article-level access and (2) examining technical issues for 384 randomly sampled OpenURLs. Google Analytics was used to collect user-generated OpenURLs. For both methods, 360 Link out-performed the local…

Sixteen scholarly papers and twenty abstracts comprise the content of the eighteenth annual Brick & Click Libraries Conference, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the conference, portray the contemporary and future face of librarianship.…

Library Web sites must compete against easy-to-use sites, such as Google Scholar, Google Books, and Wikipedia, for students' time and attention. Library Web sites must therefore be designed with aesthetics and user perceptions at the forefront. The Music and Performing Arts Library at Urbana-Champaign's Web site was overcrowded and in much need of…

The authors describe a collaborative study at two universities, one in Australia and the other in the UK. The main objectives of the study were to gain an understanding of the factors that influence a student's choice of location when using computing facilities, what applications they use, and how adequate various services and facilities provided…

This report describes a project which evaluated five IBM and Macintosh bibliographic formatting software programs--ProCite, Sci-Mate, Reference Manager, Notebook II, and Bibliography--and which was conducted by the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at the request of the campus microcomputer support center.…

Discusses online library catalogs that are accessible via the Internet and describes their use to create bibliographies using EndNote software. Three catalogs are described that need no further editing; two are described that need some editing; examples of records are given; and the systems are compared. (LRW)

Discussion of library digital reference services focuses on the features of instant messaging reference systems and the in-house development of a system that incorporates them at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Summarizes and evaluates library chat system features and compares commercial software that is available. (Author/LRW)

Describes the downloading capabilities of the WESTMATE version of the WESTLAW retrieval system and compares WESTLAW to LEXIS in terms of downloading functions and costs. The steps involved in WESTLAW access with standard communications software are outlined, and sample screen displays are appended. (CLB)

This paper provides an overview of thin-client/server computing in higher education. Thin-clients are like PCs in appearance, but they do not house hard drives or localized operating systems and cannot function without being connected to a server. Two types of thin-clients are described: the Network Computer (NC) and the Windows Terminal (WT).…

Compares the more positive library automation experiences of a small public library with those of a large research library. Topics addressed include collection size; computer size and the need for outside control of a data processing center; staff size; selection process for hardware and software; and accountability. (LRW)

Describes the results of a survey conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago that compared faculty use of, preferences for, and satisfaction with two software interfaces for the locally loaded ERIC database. Use of other local online databases was also examined. (Author/LRW)

A survey of 123 users at the National Agricultural Library and Purdue University showed that, for most measures of acceptability, users preferred online or digital videodisc versions of the Pork Industry Handbook to the printed version. User characteristics were examined as factors that might influence responses. (Author/MES)