Considers some of the major technical and organizational issues involved in virtual-catalog production, contrasting them with the traditional union catalog approach exemplified by COPAC, an online public-access catalog composed of academic libraries in the United Kingdom. Suggest a method of integrating these two models of the union catalog.…

This paper describes how SDLIP and STARTS, two complementary protocols for searching over distributed document collections, were combined. The resulting protocol, called SDARTS, is simple yet expressible enough to enable building sophisticated metasearch engines. SDARTS can be viewed as an instantiation of SDLIP with metasearch-specific elements…

University libraries are realizing that in an age of increasing electronic access to information, providing electronic cataloging to complement other electronic services is essential. (MSE)

Describes the design and development of the Mercury Electronic Library Project at Carnegie Mellon University that resulted in a library information system that provides access to the library's online catalog as well as to other databases. The distributed architecture of the system is explained, and future plans are discussed. (two references) (LRW)

Access to online public access library catalogs and similar information networks by scholars in the humanities is discussed. Tools and approaches available for scholars to navigate the systems, their utility and contribution to "location independence" in information seeking, and the evolving relationship between libraries and their…

Presents results from a survey examining how academic libraries in the United States manage and promote their state document collections. A questionnaire focusing on general information, coordination of state documents, use of state documents, and electronic access to state documents was distributed to 350 libraries with 277 returned. (Author/AEF)

The eLib (Electronic Libraries) Program in United Kingdom higher education began in the spring of 1995, as a result of the Follett Report (Joint Funding Councils' Libraries Review Group, 1993) that emphasized the need for higher education libraries to be involved in the development of information and communication technologies. A "clump"…

Discusses the impact of internetworking on academic research libraries with special emphasis given to collection development and resource sharing in an electronically networked environment. Topics addressed include a brief history of the Internet, NSF-Net, and NREN (National Research and Education Network); and future trends in the development of…

This workbook for a library and information skills course at the University of South Florida (USF), Tampa campus, contains the following sections: (1) syllabus; (2) tentative course outline; (3) statement of the course goal, general objectives, and objectives related to LC (Library of Congress) classification and the online catalog, dictionaries…

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…

Considers the increase in the variety of electronic reference options in academic libraries based on surveys of ARL (Association of Research Libraries) members. Discusses online catalogs; CD-ROM databases; World Wide Web access; and changes in library instruction, including formal instruction, point-of-use instruction, and Internet instruction.…

Describes Pica, an organization in the Netherlands which evolved from the Project for Integrated Catalogue Automation that includes the National Library and all university libraries. Topics include the organizational structure, the shared online cataloging system, interlibrary loan, library networks and database access, and electronic document…

Describes the history of consortia and cooperative efforts among libraries and their role in distance learning in higher education. Discusses shared online catalogs; purchases of electronic resources; supporting distance learners' information needs, including virtual reference; staff training; change management; cooperative planning; vendor…

This special theme section describes the University of Wisconsin-Madison's experience building its Electronic Library. Highlights include integrating resources and services; the administrative framework; the public electronic library, including electronic publishing capability and access to World Wide Web-based and other electronic resources;…

Discussion of the use of computer networks in academic libraries focuses on a technical-services perspective in the United Kingdom. Topics include access to electronic resources; standards; change management; the changing nature of the library catalog; redefining the local catalog; cataloging versus indexing; the Z39.50 information retrieval…