In 2010, after two previous unsuccessful attempts at electronic resources management system (ERMS) implementation, Texas A&M University (TAMU) Libraries set out once again to find an ERMS that would fit its needs. After surveying the field, TAMU Libraries selected the University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries-developed, open-source ERMS,…

Purpose: The present study aims to investigate the experience, contribution and opinions of users of respective institutional repositories (IRs) developed in India. Design/methodology/approach: The survey method was used. The data collection tool was a web questionnaire, which was created with the help of software provided by surveymonkey.com…

Charles E. Bracker was a professor of botany and plant pathology at Purdue University from 1964 to 1999. His late wife, Anri, was an orchid enthusiast who began collecting and housing orchids in the 1980s. In 2009, Bracker's 30,000 digital orchid photographs were donated to Ball State University Libraries, where both of this article's authors…

Distance learning has flourished in Sudan during the last two decades; more and more higher education institutions offer distance learning programmes to off-campus students. Like on-campus students, distance learners should have access to appropriate library and information support services. They also have specific needs for library and…

This article describes the fundamental challenges to data curation, how these challenges may be compounded for smaller institutions, and how data management is an essential and manageable component of data curation. Data curation is often discussed within the confines of large research universities. As a result, master's and baccalaureate…

The management and curation of digital geospatial data has become a central concern for many academic libraries. Geospatial data is a complex type of data critical to many different disciplines, and its use has become more expansive in the past decade. The University of Idaho Library maintains a geospatial data repository called the Interactive…

"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") is a bimonthly report from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). This issue includes the following articles: (1) Strategies for Opening Up Content: Laying the Groundwork for an Open…

"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") focuses on current and emerging topics that are strategically important to research libraries. The articles explore issues, share information, pose critical questions, and provide examples. This special issue presents a report released by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Joint Task…

Gathering qualitative information about usage behavior of library Web sites is a time-consuming process requiring the active participation of patron communities. Libraries that collect virtual reference transcripts, however, hold valuable data regarding how the library Web site is used that could benefit Web designers. An analysis of virtual…

York University, Toronto, Canada has been acquiring e-books from different publishers and content providers. At present our University subscribes to electronic content from NetLibrary, ebrary, EBL, Oxford Scholarship Online, Oxford Reference Online, MyiLibrary, Safari, Springer, Oxford University Press, Knovel, Books24x7, Synthesis Engineering…

Describes the ongoing Electronic Library Project at the University of South Carolina, aimed at integrating digital resources within the traditional university research library setting. Discusses the development, implementation and future plans of the Electronic Science Library and Electronic Academic Library. (AEF)

When the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), an academic consortium of 12 major teaching and research universities began implementing the Virtual Electronic Library, a Continuum of Security Needs list was created which outlines the security and authentication issues that must be addressed. The thirteen security items on the list are…

As in past years, this 17th volume of "Advances in Library Administration and Organization" brings together a number of articles relating to issues that affect the lives of library managers. Articles include: "Promotion and Tenure for Academic Librarians: Current Practices at Selected Institutions" (W. Bede Mitchell); "The Relationship between…

Introduces five articles on Cornell University's (New York) Mann Library by discussing the ideal research library; traditional and new models of the research library; how Mann Library is evolving to meet user expectations; and staff participation. Sidebar articles cover selected digital library projects, online primary journals, and a project…

Discusses issues facing research libraries relating to information technology and access to information. Considers the proliferation of digital information; the reliability of digital information; traditional library roles in the support of scholarship and research; future issues; and current projects relating to digital information. (LRW)