The lead article in this section argues that the profession's current focus on technology has compromised academic librarianship's scholarly values, eroded the quality of rhetoric between librarians and patrons, and contributed to the ascendancy of information over knowledge. Renewal of the teaching function and reaffirmation of traditional values…

Contains reprints of four articles showing that librarians foresaw the impact of technology on libraries: (1) "Copyright and the Future of Authorship" (Barbara Ringer); (2) "Inventions and Books--What of the Future?" (Ethel M. Fair); (3) "The Changes Ahead" (Lowell A. Martin); (4) "Trial by Computer" (Basil…

Discusses document delivery services in the light of new technology. Topics addressed include the historical influences of the printing press; the influence of microcomputers on the publishing industry; copyright issues; the changing role of publishers, researchers, and academic librarians; information partnerships among publishers, librarians,…

Suggests that current trends in public library expenditures and buildings are not meeting user needs and criticizes the American Library Association's policy statement, "The Decade of the Librarian," for focusing on librarians rather than service. The future of libraries and the library profession, particularly the impact of electronic…

Three award-winning papers from an Illinois Library Association competition discuss topics related to the future of libraries: recruitment and education of young librarians; traditional roles of librarians in the future, including preservation of books and the historical record; and rapid change in the library environment in response to…

Reports the results of a survey of the "Bowdoin List" group of liberal arts colleges. The survey obtained information about (1) automation modules in place and when they had been installed; (2) financing of automation and its impacts on the library budgets; and (3) library director's views on library automation and the nature of the…

Discussion of the influences of technology on the publishing industry focuses on locally loaded databases and database licensing to help integrate a variety of data into one system for libraries. Local online systems are described, and the responsibilities and roles of the library, the publisher, and the vendor are discussed. (LRW)

Offers definitions, statistics, and suggestions for public librarians working with homeschoolers. Library concerns are addressed, including censorship, negative staff attitudes, technology demands, and administrative limits; and ways to make homeschoolers more welcome are suggested, including compiling homeschooling resource materials, library…

The Council on Library Resources, which for many years has identified library issues and developed new approaches to library operations, is interested in addressing the challenges public libraries face in an era of information revolution. Through a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Council has established a program to study innovation…

Official opening statements, organizational reports, and papers on libraries in a technological world, which were presented at the 1983 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) welcoming addresses by Franz Georg Kaltwasser and Mathilde Berghofer-Weichner; (2) opening speeches by Else Granheim (IFLA president)…

Papers on information technology, which were presented at the 1983 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference, include: (1) "Automation's Impact on (Information) Users" by Arja-Riitta Haarala (Finland); (2) "Economics and Politics of Information Technology: Some Trends in Its Application to Information for…

The adjustment of librarians to technological change has been difficult because they have been too close observers of the present at the expense of daydreaming about society's likely future. The brisk pace of business, industry, and Wall Street has been accelerated even more by developments in information technology and computer communications. A…

The Ad Hoc Committee on Future Information Services explored possible future directions for information services at Texas A&M University Library and developed a plan to guide the library into the next decade in terms of automated access to information. In exploring future directions for automated information services, the committee members…

The use of microforms in academic environments has become a general source of concern to all those involved with it. To some extent, the issues underlying the concerns of these groups can be summarized as a question: How can an academic library achieve full benefit from microform media? To develop information and to probe the difficulties of…

The developing role of the library as a center for cultural activity was the principal subject of discussion at the sixth Anglo-Scandinavian Library Conference. Aspects of this growing function which were treated in participants' papers included: the spectrum of activities which is encompassed by the word "cultural"; the library's role…