The problems and prospects faced by involving the nonprint informational units in interlibrary communication and information networks are described. Nonprint materials are defined as those materials not totally dependent on the printed word for meaning. Nonprint materials were further identified as storage devices for information or…

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…

A full-service national network of library and information services can only become a reality if there is careful articulation among local, state, multistate, and national planning and implementation activities. The role of the state library agency as coordinator, catalyst, initiator, and even-handed funding agency is essential, difficult, and…

Explores issues relating libraries, telecommunications, the Communications Act of 1934, the Federal Communications Commission, and the common carriers. Computer networking technologies and standards are discussed and progress in library networking is compared to the development of a planned national science network. Future public policy issues…

Defines certain progressive changes that the library can and probably should implement internally whether or not the university is willing to improve the librarian's lot in the larger community. (NH)

Presents new perspective on computerized information interchange within library community, and explains Open Systems Interconnection Model promoted by International Organization for Standardization, American National Standards Institute, and National Bureau of Standards. The Linked System Project undertaken by Library of Congress, Research…

Reviews the benefits and disadvantages of online searching in the context of cooperative reference network services. The cost effectiveness of centralization of online information retrieval services, problems associated with doing searches at the network level, and subsidizing search services are discussed. (Author/JL)

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…

Highlights both the benefits and the problems associated with networking in libraries and discusses circumstances that are forcing information centers in the Arabian Gulf region to begin thinking about library networking. Topics include governing models, resource sharing, timeliness, cost effectiveness, currency, reliability, and a union catalog…

Describes online catalog research being conducted in Europe in the areas of interaction and interface design, subject access, functional improvement through the application of information retrieval techniques, and library networks. Three operational online catalogs, not available outside Europe, are discussed. (30 references) (CLB)

A personal evaluation of OCLC's overall impact and performance, from a managerial viewpoint, with special suggestions for handling current problems, especially governance. (Author/KP)

This document presents a current strategic business plan for the implementation of digital systems and services for the free national library program operated by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, its network of cooperating regional and local libraries, and the United States Postal Service.…

Libraries need to adapt their systems for the collection, preservation, organization, and distribution of information to take advantage of new technology and communication tools. Libraries that successfully adapt these systems will become a more central institution in the community served. (AEF)

Proposes a strategy that librarians can consider when implementing SGML (Standard General Markup Language) applications on top of existing products, or when embedding these in end-user services. Experiences of SGML within a Belgian library network are discussed, including local journal article databases, current awareness, and digital libraries.…

This paper presents guidelines for establishing a QuestionPoint collaborative virtual reference partnership between academic libraries in Australia/New Zealand and the US. These guidelines reflect the practices of the state-of-the-art collaborative QuestionPoint partnership, "AskASERL" as well as the unofficial standards and guidelines…