Foresight and planning in adopting any automated system helps to keep options open for future changes due to changing needs. The promise of future technology should not keep libraries from deciding to use the technology of today. (Author/MBR)

Describes the development of a CD-ROM public access catalog (CD-PAC)-circulation system interface at the Tacoma (Washington) Public Library. Cost considerations, advantages and disadvantages, access time, and currency of the CD-PAC are discussed. Sidebars cover CD-ROM and the library market, future technologies, and comparisons of prices for…

Discussion of the philosophy of reserve collections in academic libraries focuses on how the University of Canterbury Library (New Zealand) deals with high demand materials and the role an automated library system can play. Comparisons of reserve materials are made by subject areas and level of study, and future possibilities are considered.…

Discussion of growth trends involving use of new technology in the library (mainly computers and their devices) outlines recent advances in Canada, discusses current activities, and presents views of library functions 10 years from now. Issues and questions are presented and their impact on the library profession is discussed. (EJS)

Describes the functions and characteristics of the microcomputer and discusses library applications including cataloging, circulation, acquisitions, serials control, reference and database systems, administration, current and future trends, and computers as media. Twenty references are listed. (CHC)

This essay defines traditional library technical services (acquisition, cataloging, processing, circulation control) and addresses questions concerning impact of automation on future of these services in following areas: professional and paraprofessional staff, reorganization, relationship between technical services and other areas of library,…

This study describes the design and implementation of the Automated Library Information System (ALIS) as the pilot project for the Dallas County Community College District's Automated Information Resources System (AIRS). The focus of the report is the online circulation subsystem of ALIS, which was implemented in September 1977 as phase one of…

An automated library system usually consists of a number of functional modules, such as acquisitions, circulation, cataloging, serials, and an online public access catalog (OPAC). An "integrated" library system is an automated system in which all of the function modules share a common bibliographic database. There are several ways the…

Discusses the need for resource sharing among libraries to go beyond traditional interlibrary loans. Topics addressed include resource sharing via circulation; a new publishing model; shared cataloging, acquisitions, serials control, management, personnel and expertise, and facilities; paying for services; and the role of networks. (LRW)

Describes how BookshelF software, a library management system, has been integrated into the library and information management curriculum at Manchester Polytechnic (England), and discusses the learning objectives that have been achieved. The use of BookshelF modules for ordering, circulation control, cataloging, OPAC (online public access…

Describes OhioLINK, a statewide academic library automation project being developed for state colleges, selected private universities, and the state library. Topics addressed include cost savings; centralized funding; vendor selection; bibliographic and circulation information; commercial databases; cooperation between vendors and librarians; and…

Examines the present services offered by university libraries in Nigeria, future users' expectations, the role of information technology, the type of staff needed, and the impact of computers on acquisitions, circulation, interlibrary loan, serials control, and online information retrieval. Finances, staff development, and the need for library…