Last year, OCLC Research and the UK's Research Information Network (RIN) undertook a pair of parallel studies in the US and the UK on the theme of research support services in universities (Kroll and Forsman 2010; CIBER 2010). In the US, the library and scholarly information consultancy Kroll Research Associates was commissioned, and in the UK the…

People live in an era of social, enterprise-oriented, and increasingly cloud-based technology; a dramatic shift away from stand-alone isolated silos that previously dominated. Computing systems can flourish today only when built to easily exchange data and services. An application that stands alone may provide practical functionality but may not…

While not a brand new phenomenon, online social networking sites continue to be exceedingly popular and seem to be where students spend much of their time. Not only are participants blogging, texting, chatting, sharing files, gaming, and existing virtually online, they also are forming communities and new cultures and exhibiting new informational…

Social networking sites cast a wide net, not only in the sheer number of sites that exist on the Internet but also in terms of their application and usefulness. The last column, in "PSQ" v.4 (3), examined sites that could assist professionals with outreach, networking, and collaboration. In this second column dedicated to social networking sites,…

Stanley Milgram's 1967 "small world" social connectivity study is used to analyze information connectivity, or patron information-seeking behavior. The "small world" study, upon examination, offers a clear example of the failure of social connectivity. This failure is used to highlight the importance of the subjectivities of patron experience of…

The process followed by Yugoslavia in developing a national interdisciplinary information system included surveys of existing library practices, identification of potential databases, processing of library materials, production of national bibliographies, production of catalogs, and use of the system. (FM)

Four speakers presented their points of view on library networks and automated systems at the April 1, 1970 meeting of the Catholic Library Association's College and University Libraries section. Carlos Cuadra gave the keynote address "Library Automation and Networks" which stresses the potential application of automated information systems to…

Speeches and tutorials of the ASIS Workshop "Quantifying Quality" are summarized. Topics include quantitative methods for measuring performance; queueing theory in libraries; data base value analysis; performance standards for libraries; use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences in decision making; designing optimal information access…

Focusing on networks, this review of some of the major library news stories of 1987 discusses OCLC, the Linked Systems Project, and rural needs in the context of networking. Salaries, preservation, funding, and several other issues are also discussed. (MES)

Discussion of increased automation in the book trade and in library acquisitions systems, which will lead to a new type of bookseller-library interface and relationship, notes electronic equipment, library requirements, book-trade response, and design of interactive systems. Thirteen references are provided. (EJS)

Discusses legal, political, and economic implications of technological advancement that may affect the operations and services of libraries. The emphasis is international; however, many problems have national counterparts. Included is a description of ownership and copyright problems experienced by the international MARC network. (Author/RAA)

In the development of gateways to archives there are two different approaches, one focusing on the descriptions of the material and the other on the creators. Search and retrieval with precision and quality require controlled access points and name authority control. National registries of private archives have a long tradition in implementing the…

Formed in 1996, Internet2 is a not-for-profit advanced network consortium led by the U.S. research and higher education community. Its goals are to provide leading-edge network capabilities and to facilitate the development, deployment, and use of revolutionary Internet technologies. Starting with 34 universities, Internet2 has grown to more than…

Facsimile is an electro-mechanical system for transmitting and receiving images. Libraries began to take an active interest in using facsimile equipment in the latter part of the 1960s. Since that time, telefacsimile has been used by libraries primarily as a method of reducing document delivery time between cooperating interlending institutions.…

This discussion of nongovernmental public- and private-sector fee-based information services in the changing library, social, and technological environment includes descriptions of the relationships between libraries and commercial firms, types of fee-based information services, and the services provided by commercial information vendors. Brief…