Describes the history and functions of the Minnesota Zoological Garden library. Topics covered include the library collections; library services, including online search capabilities; and the various groups of users served by the library. (three references) (CLB)

Describes a pilot project in automated storage and retrieval of library materials which uses miniload cranes to retrieve bins of materials, and an interface with an online catalog that patrons use to request materials. Savings in space and money and potential problems with the system are discussed. (CLB)

Describes a project in which OCLC retrospectively converted more than 27,000 serial titles held by the University of Massachusetts Library at Amherst. Details of the reasons for choosing OCLC, the contract between the library and OCLC, and the effectiveness of the project in meeting the library's goals are discussed. (Author/CLB)

Developed at the beginning of the decade to serve as a union catalog for identifying the holdings in all University of California (UC) libraries, the MELVYL online catalog as of October 1989 contained 10 million holdings for over 5 million monographic titles of print and nonprint materials, and more than 1.2 million periodicals holdings which…

Describes Web-based online public access catalogs (Web OPACs) and other Web-based tools as gateway methods for providing access to library collections. Addresses solutions for overcoming barriers to information, such as through the implementation of proxy servers and other authentication tools for remote users. (Contains 18 references.)…

In June 1988, the Director of the University of Missouri-Columbia libraries appointed a five-person task force to evaluate the libraries' service to undergraduates. The task force undertook an intensive year-long study of four areas: services, collections, facilities, and cooperation with other academic units. Twenty staff members were recruited…

Reports on new products and services unveiled at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in New Orleans, including a remote training service for librarians installing new automation systems which offers complete interactive user instructions via the Web; products for managing digital collections, including accessing online catalogs…

This report is an assessment of the National Coordinated Cataloging Program (NCCP)--a pilot project to test the idea that a set of libraries, working with the Library of Congress, can produce complete and accurate cataloging records to national standards for national distribution--and is composed of several papers and a summary report by the…

Examines retrospective conversion in Spanish university libraries. Highlights include automated book collections; standardization; library cooperation; personnel; user access to online catalogs; and the reconversion situation and methods. Found that the fastest method of reconversion is by employing a vendor. (AEF)

Addresses an article written by Nicholson Baker in 1994 that lamented the demise of the paper card catalog, and points out important aspects of online catalogs and library computerization not discussed by Baker: authority control, collection preservation, collection costs, and access to materials. (JKP)

Describes a project at the Harrand Creek Elementary School (Enterprise, Alabama) that used a library automation program to improve curriculum access to the easy reading collection in the school library media center. Curriculum surveys are described, and the selection of appropriate subject headings for a computerized catalog is discussed. (15…

Examines statistics for school library media centers that have installed both an automated circulation system and an online public access catalog and compares them with other library media centers at other levels of automation. Highlights include staffing, including salaries and experience; expenditures for technology and for print materials; and…

It is generally accepted in the library world that an automated catalog means more accessible data for patrons, greater productivity for librarians, and an improvement in the sharing of bibliographic data among libraries. While the desirability of automation is not a controversial issue, some aspects of automating remain problematic. This article…

This report offers a baseline survey of the retrospective strength of, access to, and preservation of Latin Americanist resources in North American libraries. Information about collections, online bibliographic control, and the need for preservation is derived from analyses of a 550-item sample of Latin Americanist materials published between 1935…

This book addresses the problem of when a library has limited catalog access, and explores various technological methods to expand the catalog beyond its traditional boundaries. Fourteen chapters describe catalog projects in individual libraries: (1) "Enhancing Access to Information: Building Catalogs for the Future" (David A. Tyckoson);…