It is important that librarians research and plan to make the relationship between library collections and remote access comfortable and successful for users and the library. This article discusses the political, social, and economic advantages and disadvantages of remote access. (JMV)

Library users' perceptions of the quality of interlibrary loan service are examined. Ten Greater Midwest Research Libraries Consortium members distributed surveys to patrons. Findings indicate patrons' satisfaction is minimally related to actual delivery speed; satisfaction and perceptions of timeliness are strongly correlated; a delivery speed of…

Describes an initiative of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Scholars Portal Initiative, a three-year collaborative effort which seeks to provide tools for an academic community to have a single point of access on the Web to find high-quality information resources and to deliver the information and related services directly to the…

Discusses collection development in research libraries and presents a model for organizing collection management that combines functional and team-based design principles. Traditional and new organization designs of university libraries are described, and collection development and management is defined in terms of reference and technical…

Considers the role of interlibrary loan and document delivery services in support of research collections and digital information. Highlights include current practices; licensing as it relates to interlibrary loan in the digital environment; distance education; the role of consortia; technical infrastructure; and archival retention versus…

Focuses on academic and research library networking in Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC), where a high level of library service has been achieved. Discusses the information challenges of the 1980s and 1990s to LAC countries; networking in LAC; Brazilian information services; the University of Sao Paulo integrated library system…

Compares interlibrary loan data from a 1995 survey of Greater Midwest Research Library Consortium and Association of Research Libraries members with a 1989 survey. Shows an increase in transaction to staff ratio and a negative correlation between transaction to staff ratio and lending fill rate. Relates factors affecting productivity, such as…

Compares the results of an interlibrary loan (ILL) user satisfaction survey conducted among the Greater Midwest Research Library Consortium members with institution-specific data from Iowa State University and University of Arkansas. Discusses contrasts in policies in light of results that show significant differences in supplier charges per…

Presents a background on the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) partnership with the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) and notes its achievements. Discusses the CIC Center for Library Initiatives; leveraging investments in libraries; maximizing use of information resources; improving delivery of information/library services; the…

Discusses issues related to managing electronic resources in academic libraries from a vendor's perspective. Topics include collection development policies; format and content; decisions to buy, borrow, or link to online resources; ethics and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition); service, cost, and value; vendors'…

Six papers from a seminar on special collections in research libraries address special collections and the scholarly community; the function of special collections in research and education; services and development issues; the evolving character of special collections; special collections in emerging information delivery programs; and the…

Describes the library at Rockefeller University and considers how it may be a model for future research libraries, i.e., the distributed library relying on remote resources. Highlights include resource sharing and interlibrary loan; research and scholarly interactions focused outside the library; decentralization of research information; and a…

Describes a model of Total Quality Management (TQM) developed by the Association of Research Libraries. The issues, elements and processes of a comprehensive TQM-based transition, including commitment by management, linkage to organizational strategic planning, organizational culture, understanding customers, and quality teams are covered.…

Contains 13 articles that discuss current issues, future directions, and critical questions regarding successful library resource sharing. The articles present economic decision models, consortia agreements, copyright dilemmas, technological advancements, and a national project to revamp interlibrary loan and document delivery. (Author/JMV)

Explores the value of Total Quality Management (TQM) for libraries as a management methodology to complement the changing needs of research libraries in light of changing information technology. The planning process for a new academic library which used many TQM elements is described. (EAM)