Provides an overview of the development of electronic resources over the past three decades, discussing key features, disadvantages, and benefits of traditional online databases and CD-ROM and Web-based resources. Considers the decision to shift collections and resources toward purely digital formats, ownership of content, licensing, and user…

Although making college libraries accessible by computer appears simple to laymen, developing a fully digitized library is not simple. Many technological and behavioral questions are unanswered, concerning copyrights, accuracy, and the issue of who will use the new technology and how. In addition, users' desire for hard copy persists. (MSE)

Discussion of special collections materials focuses on independent research libraries. Topics include how collection development differs; who they serve; access to the collections, including digital access; and future challenges, especially the need for increased financial support, changes in scholarly communication, and the need for increased…

Digital library systems focus principally on the reader: the consumer of the material that constitutes the library. In contrast, this paper describes an interface that makes it easy for people to build their own library collections. Collections may be built and served locally from the user's own Web server, or (given appropriate permissions)…

A group of entrepreneurs is promoting an ambitious commercial venture to sell electronic books to university libraries. The library can buy an electronic copy of the book for the print version's price; provide users access through special formatting and software, allowing users to highlight and annotate but not print; and restrict access to one…

Presents the Brown University Library experiences in purchasing electronic services to serve as a model for issues of budgeting for electronic materials in academic libraries. Topics include politics of budgeting; education of users; availability issues; access issues; consortia issues; ownership issues; tracking electronic product prices; and…

This paper presents an annotated bibliography of 69 articles published in the 1990s that examine the impact of technology on reference service in public, school, and academic libraries. The paper is organized in the following seven parts, each dealing with a different type of application of technology: (1) "General Change Caused by…

Discusses collection development and acquisitions in virtual, or networked, libraries. Topics include electronic versus digital libraries; philosophical issues of library acquisition; user expectations, including wants and needs; strategic planning, including resource sharing agreements, retrospective conversion, and staff training; collection…

This book shows librarians the strengths and weaknesses of electronic resources and the implications these resources have on collection management. It helps librarians incorporate electronic resources into their collections. The book examines the history of electronic resources in document collections and analyzes the gains and losses libraries…

This selective bibliography is organized by subject headings that include administration and personnel; bibliographic instruction/information literacy; cataloging and classification; children's and young adults; collection development; copyright; customer service; distance education; electronic libraries; evaluation of library services; fund…