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…

With changing user expectations, many libraries are moving toward digital content. Accessible from anywhere at any time, digital content provides users with efficient, on-demand information experiences. Accordingly, librarians are presented with challenges and opportunities to build, manage, and implement outreach strategies that promote their…

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…

It seems, at times, that a frantic race persists to ensure that a child, in the crucial learning stages of early elementary education, acquires the appropriate reading level before he or she "gets behind." Though there are obvious issues with branding a book "Grade Level One" or "Reading Level 2.2," it is nevertheless…

The five critical years in the development of OCLC (1951-56), the culmination of a century of cooperation between Ohio's colleges and universities, are used to underscore its expansion into a bibliographic utility interconnecting 2400 institutions in the United States and Canada. There are 19 references. (RAA)

This feasibility study was conducted to (1) estimate the alternative costs in 1980 Canadian dollars of using four bibliographic utilities to accomplish the retrospective conversion (RECON) of eight British Columbia public libraries' manual card catalog files, (2) make recommendations as to which alternative should be selected and how it should be…

This final report of the Committee on the Future of the Card Catalog at the University of Virginia considers the evaluative reports of three task forces on the effects of AACR2 and recommends that the university library set as a top priority goal the design, development, and implementation of an online catalog by 1983. The committee further…

Identifies the several functions which contribute to the total bibliographic record structure of the country, dividing the bibliographic record system by market type--government, nonprofit, and for-profit--and by function--shared cataloging, interlibrary loans, online catalogs, circulation control, serials control, and acquisitions. (Author/JL)

Compares the effectiveness of five online systems in facilitating interlibrary services. The OCLC Interlibrary Loan (ILL) subsystem, the Research Libraries Group (RLG) Message System, the University of Toronto Library Automation System (UTLAS), and two others are evaluated with respect to the request verification, location, request transmission,…

The purpose of the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) computerized regional library system is to provide an on-line system that makes available to faculty and students in individual colleges and universities the library resources throughout a region, while at the same time decelerating the rate of per-student library costs. The research and…

This report on the Automated Library Information Control System (ALIS) of the National Technological Library of Denmark focuses on the circulation control functions of the integrated, distributed processing system, which also functions as an online catalog for a bibliographic database of approximately 120,000 records with library location codes.…

Sponsored by the 28 member libraries of the British Columbia Union Catalogue (BCUC), this proposal requests funds from provincial government to establish the British Columbia Library Network (BCLN), a computerized library information system based on the existing BCUC organization and database. Chapters describe the need for the establishment of…

Prepared to inform and update Boston College faculty and administrative personnel on the impact of automation and resource sharing on the Boston College library system and the services it provides, this report contains sections on: OCLC and its interlibrary loan subsystem; the consortia in which the Boston College libraries participate; present…

This is a general descriptive and comparative report on alternative forms of library catalogs. The specific problems and factors associated with library catalogs are introduced briefly and then treated with respect to the following physical forms: card catalogs, book catalogs, microforms, and on-line catalogs. Whenever possible, examples of…

Presents the results of a survey of academic libraries belonging to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) concerning the availability and accessibility of OCLC (via dedicated or dial access terminals) for use by reference personnel. The methodology of the survey is described and data are presented in five tables. (JL)