Academic libraries are flocking to online social networking sites in an effort to meet users where they are. Pinterest is the latest of these rapidly growing online social networking tools. The author of this article reports results from a survey on academic libraries' presence on Pinterest. The survey found most academic library pinboards are in…

"Sense of place" no longer applies only to the physical library. All students are distance learners to one extent or another, and all distance services must be considered as a single virtual learning commons. Librarians at Bucks County (PA) Community College implement and integrate current teaching, learning, virtual reference, and mobile access…

Today's academic libraries must demonstrate their value to cost-conscious university administrators. Budget trade-off decisions that involve the library can be difficult for any university administrator to make, and such decisions are complicated by the recent appearance of massive global digital libraries that seem poised to replace the…

As a concept, the next-generation catalog (NGC) is not new to librarians, who have been wishing for better OPAC interfaces for their integrated library systems (ILSs). The NGC has been the focus of discussion for more than 5 years now, from the 2006 report of the implementation of Endeca at North Carolina State University, to Marshall Breeding's…

At the end of 2007, SirsiDynix introduced the first version of Symphony, its new flagship Integrated Library System (ILS). This article begins with a look at the evolution of Symphony, user reactions to Symphony, and Symphony's design and functionality. The authors, along with a team of librarians from various functional areas, have completed…

Included in the transcript of this semiannual meeting of the Assocation of Research Libraries (ARL) are the following: (1) papers by Sharon Hogan on the definition of data in an online environment, by John Black on ways of communicating data, and by Peter Wolters on data sharing and library networking in the United States and Canada; (2) a record…

Discussion of difficulties in finding tests and measuring instruments for academic library users focuses on electronic databases. Highlights include the Educational Testing Service collection; eight databases for finding measures; Internet access to databases; other national and local databases; print sources of measures; and obtaining copies of…

Describes beginnings, objectives, services and future developments of OhioLINK, the network for over 50 Ohio colleges and universities. Discusses the funding crisis and proposed solution; OhioLINK features (Central Catalog, inter-institutional patron online borrowing, core databases, document delivery, Internet connection, electronic journals, and…

Describes the creation of the California Digital Library (CDL) by the University of California (UC), as well as planning for the Science, Technology and Industry Collection. The initial focus of the CDL is to provide students and faculty with access to digital information, relieve pressures on print collections, and develop mechanisms to foster…

Discusses library networking from perspective of the Research Libraries Group (RLG), whose principle programs are collection development, preservation, resource sharing, and providing access to each others' collections. Development and highlights of the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN)--preservation program, East Asian program,…

Information on the growth of bibliographic utilities and academic library networking is presented in this report, as well as profiles of interlibrary loan activity at six academic libraries who are members of a major bibliographic utility. Applications of computer technology and network participation in academic libraries, and the major events in…

This summary briefly outlines a separate report containing information on the growth of bibliographic utilities and academic library networking, as well as profiles of interlibrary loan activity at six academic libraries who are members or users of a major bibliographic utility. Applications of computer technology and network participation in…

Presents a holistic view of the management of licensed, networked information resources in a university library. Highlights include licensing and copyrights; collection development and acquisitions; aggregators, which combine electronic resources from disparate suppliers or locations into larger resource units for users; consortia; managing…

This report reviews the background and rationale for a cooperative authority file building system and describes the services, products, and operation of the new Name Authority Cooperative (NACO). The document defines the relationship between NACO, other Library of Congress (LC) cooperative projects, and the Linked Systems Project (LSP). The…

The provision of equitable library services to distance learning students emerged as a critical area during the 1990s. Library services available to distance learning students included digital reference and instructional services, remote access to online research tools, database and research tutorials, interlibrary loan, and document delivery.…