This article discusses how a special library can meet the needs of a specific industry. The author focuses on India's National Insurance Academy (NIA) Library, which serves the insurance industry of India and some neighboring countries. It is where the author serves as the chief librarian.

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…

As a concept, the next-generation catalog (NGC) is not new to librarians, who have been wishing for better OPAC interfaces for their integrated library systems (ILSs). The NGC has been the focus of discussion for more than 5 years now, from the 2006 report of the implementation of Endeca at North Carolina State University, to Marshall Breeding's…

Sir Syed Ahmad founded the Madrasatul Uloom in a small city named Aligarh in India. The establishment of this institute, which was later known as Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College and has now become Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), marks one of the most important events in the educational and social history of modern India. The Maulana…

Richmond Public Library (RPL) is a four-branch suburban library with the highest per capita circulation of any comparable library in Canada. While DVDs naturally fit into RPL's emphasis on popular material, circulating them using the standard model proved problematic: Long hold queues built up, DVDs idled on the hold shelves, and the circulation…

India is a huge country with a population of more than 1 billion. In India, by tradition, education and learning are highly valued. In fact, India has one of the largest higher education systems in the world, with regard to the number of institutions. Education is a necessity. It is the most effective instrument with which to imbue people with the…

In the past, it took the library staff of the University of Bath in United Kingdom around two weeks each autumn to produce cards for the main intake of its undergraduates. In this article, the author describes how he transformed the school's traditional library card production into a low-cost self-service system. He also describes how the new…

Discussion of software tools for accessing information on the Internet focuses on the WorldWideWeb (WWW) system, which was developed at the European Particle Physics Laboratory (CERN) in Switzerland to build a worldwide network of hypertext links using available networking technology. Its potential for use with multimedia documents is also…

Describes how a university library uses the WorldWideWeb (WWW) to enable users to access resources mounted on a local Z39.50 server and to order prints from articles stored on a CD-ROM jukebox. The software used in the construction of the system, necessary modifications to the software, and software ordering information are covered. (KRN)

Short on funding and IT staff, a Western Canada library struggled to provide adequate public computing resources. Staff turned to a Linux-based solution that supports up to 10 users from a single computer, and blends Web browsing and productivity applications with session management, Internet filtering, and user authentication. In this article,…

Describes issues an organization must consider when preparing for the creation and installation of an international wide area network (WAN) to help link developing countries. Hardware and software needs are considered; the use of commercial vendors is discussed; a needs assessment is described; and technical and cultural difficulties are…

Describes the development of a hypertext-based library instruction program at Algonquin College (Ottawa) that used a shareware program called Simply Help! for developing help screens. Topics include a prototype program; pilot testing the library instruction, including faculty response and student surveys; and evaluation after full implementation.…

Offers guidelines for consultants from developed countries who are establishing automated libraries in developing countries. Topics discussed include needs assessment; collection characteristics; computer needs of the institution; user characteristics; funding; physical environment; personnel; local resources and services; and choosing…

Discussion of the use of microcomputers in school libraries in the United Kingdom focuses on three models of school library computerization: (1) a library management-centered model, which addresses routine library operations; (2) a pupil-centered information skills model; and (3) a curriculum-centered model, which furthers pupil learning in…

Describes the Adonis project, a CD-ROM database of biomedical journal articles that was designed to investigate ways in which publishers could maintain the income they received from publishing scientific journals. User studies are described that were conducted at University College London to evaluate user satisfaction with Adonis searches. (five…