The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) received a year's grant from the Council on Library Resources to design and develop a library network for the 17 western states. Major activities of the first quarter included: (1) hiring a systems analyst, cost study investigator, research assistant, and secretary, and selecting a…

The purpose of this report is to summarize the activities and status of the Southwestern Library Interstate Cooperative Endeavor (SLICE) Project during the second quarter of the Council on Library Resources (CLR) funding. The report highlights progress, identifies problems, and outlines the future direction of the Project. Consistent with the…

This project was an experimental effort to study, analyze, and understand interlibrary networks. The immediate purpose of the project was to develop methodologies for evaluating or analyzing networks; the ultimate purpose was to provide planning assistance to network funders, designers or operators. The project was conducted in four simultaneous…

Legal and contractual aspects of networks are reviewed from a lay practitioner's viewpoint. The legal basis for establishment of networks determines the authorization to enter into contracts, receive and convey funds, cross state lines, etc. Existing state laws (or lack of appropriate state laws) hinder development of networks by the process of…

Establishing the Southwestern Library Interstate Cooperative Endeavor (SLICE) Office and developing the SLICE Project as an integral part of the Southwestern Library Association (SWLA) has been achieved this quarter. Identification of the Oklahoma MARC Services as the unique resource for sharing among the six states has been followed by…

The Cost and Funding Studies project of the proposed Western Interstate Bibliographic Network began activities in July 1975. The goals of the project were: (1) to determine representative costs of present library services in the West; (2) to estimate future costs of library services in the West with proposed network support; (3) to evaluate and…

An institute was conducted to introduce Western state library administrators to methods for planning staff development training. The intent was to strengthen staff development programs and to build a network of individuals interested in staff development in Western libraries. The program introduced a variety of training tools and presented a wide…