Reference services in public libraries are changing dramatically. The Internet, online databases, and shrinking budgets are all making it necessary for non-traditional reference staff to become familiar with online reference tools. Recognizing the need for cross-training, Chesapeake Public Library (CPL) developed a program called the Database…

Integrating news services into an intranet can be tricky. Even within related organizations, slight differences in subscriptions and end-user needs can necessitate different integration approaches. This article examines how the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund took separate approaches to tackle the same integration challenge in…

Corporations employ data mining to analyze operations, find trends in recorded information, and look for new opportunities. Libraries are no different. Librarians manage large stores of data--about collections and usage, for example--and they also want to analyze this data to serve their users better. Analysts use data mining to query a data…

Contains three special reports: developments in copyright law, 1997 (World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) legislation, Ashcroft Bill, No Electronic Theft Act, database protection, Conference on Fair Use (CONFU), judicial decisions, principles for licensing electronic resources, and Uniform Commercial Code Article 2B); Internet2 and the…

The papers in this proceedings describe similarities and differences in state libraries and examine the state library role in local, regional, and national network development and in the dissemination of information to various client segments. The papers are: (1) "The Commonalities of State Library Agencies" (Barrat Wilkins); (2)…

Examines the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) which provides access to the state's public library resources; federal, state, and regional information resources; and other electronic information resources. Describes OPLIN's role in Ohio, hardware and services provided, mission, origin, funding, staff training, databases, future plans…

Describes the Connecticut Library Network, which was created through state legislation to expand the state library's existing database; to link all school, public, and academic libraries and municipal government offices; and to make the state library's information resources widely accessible. Public library Internet access, National Information…