A small, private academic library took the risk of moving from a traditional integrated library system to adopting a system "in the cloud." This case study presents the setting, history, and local needs of the library, including staffing challenges, and explains the decision-making rationale and process. A description of the library's transition…

At most colleges and universities, there are a number of small, nonlibrary collections across campus, such as those found in student centers or academic departments. Historically, at American University, partnership with these collections was done through absorbing them into the main library collection. Recently, however, the Library has seen…

In fall 2008, a collaborative partnership was formed between the libraries of two Indiana universities--Marian College's (now Marian University) Mother Theresa Hackelmeier Memorial Library, and the University Library at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The authors discuss the digital nature of this collaboration, which…

At least since the early 1990s, academic libraries have been merging Circulation and various other related functions into a single department typically labeled "Access Services." In many cases, however, that merger has proven to be administrative rather than functional, with minimal integration of common workflows. This article describes…

This article presents and discusses a 3-D online environment known as Teen Second Life. TSL is a virtual environment geared just for youth, ages 13-17. Its social appeal is huge, especially for teens who are developmentally inclined to seek out the company of their peers. In TSL one can meet friends or make new ones, hang out, listen to music and…

Libraries are constantly evolving and changing expectations for the user and the information environment. More than just being an authoritative source for research, expertise, and quality content in the form of books and journals, the information center is evolving into a more expansive role. With the growth of information technology awareness and…

The Southeast Florida Library and Information Network (SEFLIN) has presented the Sun Seeker Leadership Institute biennially since 1997. SEFLIN, a multitype library consortium headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, was one of the first groups to sponsor a library leadership institute held as a monthly series of events over the period of a year. One…

This article describes the development of the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA). The VIVA statistics-processing system remains a work in progress. Member libraries will benefit from the ability to obtain the actual data from the VIVA site, rather than just the summaries, so a project to make these data available is currently being planned. The…

As campus renovation projects go, the Ohio State University's plan to turn its main library into "a library for the 21st century" is ambitious. The author describes the decade-long, $109 million transformation of the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library. The overhaul calls for a complete replacement of all mechanical and electrical…

The Library Directors of Santa Clara County in July, 1972, organized the Cooperative Information Network (CIN), funded under the Library Services and Construction Act. The present CIN covers only information and reference services. CIN is composed of 83 libraries of six types: public, school, commercial organization, junior college, university,…

This working paper provides an initial discussion point for the construction of a national location service as a component of a national library and information service network. The study described had a dual purpose: (1) expansion of the Register of Additional Locations (RAL) data base by cooperative means, which involved identifying…

The Message Delivery System described, a facility that will link automatic bibliographic services and permit the transmission of messages among the various services, is one of the basic requirements for the development of a comprehensive computerized bibliographic system of nationwide scope. The system will enable users of one system to have…

This paper was commissioned in part to provide an institutional memory for the Network Advisory Committee, not only for its new members but for the entire library and information service community. The deliberations of this committee, which has been the catalyst for a number of significant efforts in networking, are presented in this detailed…

Describes the databases available to Canadian libraries through the Canadian Selective Dissemination of Information (CAN/SDI) Program: Library of Congress/MARC tapes, ERIC, Social Science Citation Index, and Psychological Abstracts. The CAN/SDI program is useful for the school librarian and teacher in the special profiles and online retrospective…

This discussion of the design, development, and operation of information systems functioning at the national or international level focuses on some of the current interests and concerns of those networks designed to facilitate the sharing or exchange of particular types of nonprint media (NPM) materials. Three categories of NPM materials/resources…