In his article "The McDonaldization of Academic Libraries?" Brian Quinn explores to what extent and to what effect academic libraries have become "McDonaldized," according to the concept developed by sociologist George Ritzer. Quinn identifies a number of ways in which the four dimensions of…

When an institutional program review determined the Hillsborough Community College Libraries Web site was out-of-date, lacked resources, and was in desperate need of a makeover, the authors embarked upon a redesign project. The article describes the challenges and considerations that contributed to the authors' decision-making and design…

Twenty-three scholarly papers and twelve abstracts comprise the content of the eleventh annual Brick and Click Libraries Symposium, held at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The peer-reviewed proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the symposium, portray the contemporary and future face of…

The feasibility of undertaking a major university-wide library systems development program for the University of California libraries was studied from July 1970 to March 1971. The findings indicate that such a program can provide significantly improved library services while at the same time offering long term fiscal advantages to the University…

Discusses the introduction of new technologies into library activities, focusing on benefits, expectations, staff, services, comparison of situations before and after adoption of new technology, costs, funding, and economic considerations. Thirteen references are cited. (EJS)

The Minnesota Computer Aided Library System (MCALS) provides a basis of unification for library service program development in Minnesota for eventual linkage to the national information network. A prototype plan for communications functions is illustrated. A cost/benefits analysis was made to show the cost/effectiveness potential for MCALS. System…

Decision-making framework proposed for librarians making automation decisions for their libraries is composed of hierarchically related levels: library functions; services and products; activities; resource components; and measures of costs, performance, attributes, and effectiveness. An economic model based on this framework is used to determine…

Librarians have an alternative to providing library services with their own resources. The alternative is to purchase these services from outside contractors. The library manager must carefully consider several service and economic factors along with the range of available services. (7 references) (Author/DH)

Discusses the relationship between technology and librarianship and suggests questioning new technology, including whether it benefits the user and whether it is accessible, affordable, and cost effective. Considers Google's success, recommends that libraries become more involved in technology development, and includes a sidebar describing new…

Discusses the advantages of parallel processor computers in terms of expandibility, cost, performance and reliability, and suggests that such computers be used in library automation systems as a cost effective approach to planning for the growth of information services and computer applications. (CLB)

Discusses optical character recognition (OCR) for use with MS-DOS microcomputers. Cost effectiveness is considered, three types of software approaches to character recognition are explained, hardware and operation requirements are described, possible library applications are discussed, future OCR developments are suggested, and a list of OCR…

Adams Memorial Library (Pennsylvania) and Wichita Public Library Comotara Branch (Kansas) are examples of libraries that successfully partnered with supermarkets to house their facilities. Library services are automated, convenient, and make access easier for users. Conflicts occurred when trying to match library hours with store hours, but such…

This volume is designed to be a comprehensive guide to the evaluation and use of computers and modern data processing systems in libraries. It is organized into four sections, each covering a major facet of library automation. Part 1 provides a mechanized introduction to library data processing, including its benefits and costs, a review of its…

Presenting this cost analysis as a supplemental volume, separate from the main report, allows the chief activities in implementing the Processing Center Design to be correlated with costs as of a particular date and according to varying rates of production. In considering the total budget, three main areas are distinguished: (1) Systems…

Outline of basic requirements needed to outfit a small public library with microcomputers discusses necessary equipment, cost effectiveness, management information systems, statistics generated, software available, and library procedures to be automated. Fifteen references are cited. (EJS)