Discusses collection management in academic libraries in light of computer-mediated access to remote electronic databases and online resources. Topics include the library collection, ownership of versus access to information, the selection process, collection evaluation, collection development policies, materials budget, serials, and user liaison.…

The ethics of book preservation are the same ethics held by institutions of higher learning: equitable access to information; protection of individual rights to privacy in using those resources; development of collections that are unbiased records of diverse viewpoints; and preservation of the human record with all its variety. (MLW)

The challenge in protecting the collections of the Library of Congress is to sustain and preserve these collections while making them maximally available to Congress and the American people. This article discusses types of materials in the collection; how the collections are made accessible; protection controls; and the framework of the Library of…

A study to explore public librarians' attitudes and opinions concerning issues of intellectual freedom, collection balance, and controversial materials focused on the availability of Holocaust-denial literature. Results indicate that librarians, regardless of outside pressures, would provide access to this material. A copy of the survey is…

Comments on the research finding that the personal convictions of the teacher-librarian about what is made available to secondary school students are more influential in the censorship of school library materials than external pressures to censor by school and community members. (six references) (MAB)

Noting that there has been a dramatic increase in the use of videotape in recent years, this paper explores videotape's potential as an archival medium. It is suggested that the nation's current videotape holdings should be surveyed to better define the relative importance of the records already documented, to identify records not previously known…

This book describes how the following 12 virtual libraries use library skills to organize Internet resources: Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC); Argus Clearinghouse; Blue Web'n; BUBL Information Service; Edinburgh Engineering Virtual Library (EEVL); INFOMINE; Internet Public Library (IPL); Librarians' Index to the Internet (LII);…

In 1996, the Czech National Library started a large-scale digitization of its extensive and invaluable collection of historical manuscripts and printed books. Each page of the selected documents is scanned using a high-resolution, full-color digital camera, processed, and archived on a CD-ROM disk. HTML coded description is added to the entire…

Considers the relationship of the quality of images with the needs of users of digitized manuscripts. Highlights include goals of digitization; for whom to digitize; experiences of the National Library of the Czech Republic digitizing and providing electronic access to historical documents; preparation of manuscript descriptions; usability of…

An experiment involving 10 university libraries and their patrons suggests that libraries may eventually buy access only to the specific journal articles that scholars want to read, rather than subscribe to the journals' complete contents. Three subscription types are being tested. So far, institutions are buying the least traditional form: access…

Purpose of this study was to examine whether data collected locally by biology faculty at a large research university may provide a better indicator of journals they value than data compiled over a broad geographic area, to relate those journal issues cited by faculty to the holdings of the library, and to determine how faculty access articles…

Electronic journals are both a blessing and a curse for libraries. To be meaningful in the current information environment--to meet users' ever-increasing demands--libraries must acquire as many appropriate full text resources as possible, as quickly as possible, and make them easy to use. This Digest provides tips for acquiring and providing…

Focuses on the origins of the reasons for the scarcity of books in law libraries and the legal profession in Nigeria. Publishing books locally with government assistance is advocated as a lasting solution, and cooperation and resource sharing among libraries is encouraged. (Contains 26 references.) (EAM)

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) Kit on serials control and deselection projects provides a timely review of the efforts of research libraries to control the increasing costs of serial subscriptions. This kit contains documents from 13 libraries: University of California at Los Angeles and Riverside; Universities of Florida,…

Presents a survey of 56 federal depository libraries in Illinois which covered the following: the depository name, the librarian's name, percentage of federal depository documents selected, collection strengths, length of retention, access to documents, Internet access, staff time devoted to collections and services, professional activities, and…