Focuses on the centralized, online, shared-cataloging facility of the Australian Bibliographic Network operated by the National Library of Australia. Existing automated library systems in Australia, selection and implementation of Washington Library Network software, comparison of Australian and U.S. automation, and projections for future…

Five brief articles examine new library technologies and physical problems; potential health hazards posed by frequent use of photocopiers; psychological deterrence of electronic security systems; quality control of cooperative cataloging in a library network; and the billing system designed and programed for a medical library. Two articles…

Describes the MALMAD (Israel Center for Digital Information Services) consortium that was set up by the eight universities of Israel to serve as a common framework for the procurement and licensing of digital information. Discusses the organizational framework, budget, services, and future plans. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the process of creating bibliographic and cataloging standards, after the implementation of the VTLS (Virginia Tech Library System) integrated library system, in major Polish academic libraries. Examines the adoption of the USMARC bibliographic data exchange format; authority control; subject cataloging; topical and name heading…

This second article on standardization in the application of computerized automation to materials in special collections libraries focuses on map collections and archives. Highlights include the use of bibliographic utilities; MARC formats; the use of microcomputers; databases; and examples from North America and Western Europe. (Contains 18…

Describes CBUC (The Consortium of Academic Libraries of Catalonia) (Spain) that includes eight universities and the state library. Highlights include structure; funding; programs for increasing document accessibility, including the collective Web-based catalog and interlibrary loans; the Digital Library of Catalonia; and programs for facilitating…

Examines the issue of standardization in the application of computerized automation to rare book and art collections in libraries and describes recent examples of applications in North America and in Western Europe. Topics addressed include bibliographic control, the development of national and international databases, and the use of videodisks.…

Traces introduction of automation in National Scientific and Technical Information Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, highlighting online applications in English and Arabic. Systems developed (bibliographic control, union lists, circulation control, indexes) and use of STAIRS storage and retrieval system for integrated databases are…

Discusses the processing of Arabic materials at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Saudi Arabia) library and describes the creation of an Arabic online catalog that supplements the catalog for non-Arabic materials. User needs are reviewed, library automation is discussed, and search strategies in the Arabic catalog are described.…

Reports the methodology and results of a study which explored the potential of three approaches to sampling the Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN) database files for determining collection overlap among Australian libraries. (Author/CLB)

Describes ALEPH, the research library network in Israel, and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of its decentralized structure. Highlights include comparisons between RLIN and ALEPH; centralized versus decentralized networks; the format of ALEPH; authority control in ALEPH; and non-Roman scripts in both networks. (16 references) (LRW)

Describes GAELIC (Gauteng and Environs Library Consortium), the largest academic library consortium in South Africa. Formed in response to conditions in higher education and the need to become more cost effective, GAELIC is working to overcome the effects of the previous government's discriminatory approach through resource sharing and…

Describes CALIS (China Academic Library and Information System), a nationwide academic library consortium funded primarily by the Chinese government to serve multiple resource-sharing functions among the participating libraries, including online searching, interlibrary loan, document delivery, and coordinated purchasing and cataloging, by…

Sketches history, design, and future plans of VUBIS (joint development of VUB--Vrije Universiteit Brussel/Free University of Brussels, and IS--Interactive Systems, Inc.), an online, user-friendly, public access library system for a European academic library. Search capabilities, cataloging subsystem, and software are discussed. Thirteen references…

Describes the development of the national integrated online information network in the Republic of China. Highlights include a history of library and information automation in Taiwan, the coordination efforts of the central government, creation of the Chinese MARC format, and automation under the leadership of the National Central Library.…