The digital library encompasses the application of high-performance computers and networks to the production, distribution, management, and use of knowledge in research and education. A joint project by three federal agencies, which is investing in digital library initiatives at six universities, is discussed. A sidebar provides issues to consider…

Summarizes users' opinions of a networked electronic library at Cornell University's Mann Library as part of the planning process for a major redesign. The system's impact on library collection development, preservation, technical services, information services and delivery, instruction, and computer support are described; and plans for library…

In July 1996, the Library Director of Cornell University's Mann Library formed a working committee to explore the technology solutions to providing a library presence with remote users. The committee began its explorations by brainstorming possible services that would utilize technology to bring the library closer to the remote user. After…

Two strategies used by the Stevens Institute of Technology (New Jersey) library to manage acquisition of periodicals are described. The first involved a study of circulation of existing titles to pare unused subscriptions, and a concurrent monitoring of faculty research productivity. The second was a shift in resources to electronic media and…

Information technology is having a profound effect on higher education in North America, and Brandon University in Manitoba (Canada) is in a position to join this movement in its early stages. The case for integrating information technology into the curriculum is argued, and the potential role of the new library complex in the teaching function is…

The Intermountain Community Learning and Information Services (ICLIS) project was begun in 1985 to provide rural communities in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming with greater access to information and educational programming. Computer centers were housed in nine rural public libraries to provide services related to literacy, career guidance,…

This paper investigates the need for electronic provision of information, and advises that the purpose and motivation for providing electronic resources be explored before embarking on a project to provide them. Many projects at universities and other institutes have been begun arbitrarily just because there happened to be financial resources…

Suggests guidelines to help libraries formalize their electronic reference services. Covers the following issues: administration/management (library division/department, library administration, campus administration, academic departments); services; primary clientele; personnel; infrastructure/facilities; finances; and evaluation. (AEF)

This book addresses many of the practical issues involved in developing the virtual library. Seven presentations from the Eighth Annual Computers in Libraries Conference are included in this book in augmented form. The papers are supplemented by "The Evolving Virtual Library: An Overview" (Laverna M. Saunders and Maurice Mitchell), a…

Explores the relationship between collection development and the system of scholarly communication in academic libraries. Ownership of versus access to information is discussed; use-based criteria are considered; and strategies for collection development in a networked electronic system are presented. (Contains 17 references.) (LRW)

Outlines the issues and concerns of providing spatial data that have been encountered by the Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC) at the University of Connecticut's library. Highlights include collecting and archiving, cataloging and indexing, networking, distribution, user education, geographic information systems, and a glossary of key…

Examines the changes that are affecting academic library collection development. Highlights include computer technology; digital information; networking; virtual reality; hypertext; fair use and copyrights; technological infrastructure; digital libraries; information policy; academic and scholarly publishing; and experiences at the Johns Hopkins…

The six papers in this collection, which were presented at the 1991 Library Association of the City University of New York (CUNY) Institute, focus on the theme of library collection development: (1) "Evolving Knowledge Resource Access Systems: Keynote Address" (Peter R. Young, Executive Director of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and…

Productivity of University of Wyoming (UW) subject bibliographers can be significantly increased by developing a network of microcomputer-based workstations with custom and off-the-shelf software; telecommunications to CARL (Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries), OCLC, and other databases; and a network server to provide special services and…

Presents guidelines for identifying, evaluating, and selecting Internet resources based on a conceptual model and organizational framework of a collection development policy formulated at Cornell University's library. Topics include collection development in an electronic library and a taxonomy of Internet resources. (Author/LRW)