Examines some of the issues that public libraries have had to deal with in delineating and pursuing as a specific organizational goal the provision of access to information. The perspective adopted is historical but not strictly chronological. Thirty-six references are listed. (Author/LLS)

Administrators relate their experiences in development and governance of library networks--AMIGOS (an OCLC local system); network developed by University of Minnesota Libraries; the California Library Authority for Systems and Services (CLASS); OCLC--and note past accomplishments and future prospects of the National Commission on Libraries and…

This tenth annual report of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS)--a permanent, independent agency in the Executive Branch--covers the period which marks the end of the first decade of the Commission's programs, and therefore a review of past accomplishments and a brief history of the origins of NCLIS are included.…

This report documents the findings and recommendations of a study conducted by the New Jersey Library Protocol Committee, which was formed to study and recommend changes in the current organizational and operational structure of the existing statewide multitype library network and in the patterns for networking and informational services among…

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) had its beginnings in the Library of the Army Surgeon General's office established in 1836. Dr. John Shaw Billings, who was in charge from 1865 to 1895, greatly influenced the growth of the library and also initiated production of the widely used "Index Catalogue" of author and subject listings as…

This report discusses the importance of state libraries to the system of Australian library resources and outlines the relevance of state library resources to the present and future information needs of the Australian community. The nature and function of state libraries are reviewed and placed in a historical context. An outline of the challenges…