We are building conventional library space without making the paradigm shift our digital environment requires. The chief obstacles to change lie in our conception of readers as information consumers, in our allegiance to library operations as the drivers of library design, and in the choice made between foundational and non-foundational views of…

The purpose of traditional copyright law was to encourage the creation of works based on and to ensure reasonable access to original thought. Despite this harmonious intent, an intrinsic tension exists between libraries and copyright holders, as the former promotes "free" access to information that ultimately reduces the income of the…

Personal Digital Assistant serials are not just a subset of electronic serials from an acquisitions/collection development point of view because of their total dependence on patron-owned technology. Even if viewed as a "free" resource there are issues of expense and effort involved in gathering, classifying, and providing access and awareness of…

Given the recent spate of library system vendor acquisitions and consolidations, integrated library system (ILS) migrations have become a hot topic again. Although ILS migrations happen all the time, they tend to be cyclical in nature. Today, people are thinking broadly about what options might be available to them. These include changing vendors,…

Discusses activities at the Library of Congress during 1996, including the Management Improvement Plan, legislative support to Congress, technology projects, service to Congress and the nation through technology, collections security, materials processing, storage, acquisitions, preservation, copyrights, exhibitions, restoration and renovation,…

Discusses changes taking place in the library systems of Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Topics reviewed include the influence of Soviet Russian library theory and practices; decentralization of library administration; library finances; library education; library employment; library technology; and censorship and collection policies.…

Describes the development of a multimedia library collection at Concorde Career Institute (Missouri) that specializes in allied health technical career training. Highlights include determining student needs, barriers to student and faculty use, instruction in library use, and working with instructors. (LRW)

Provides librarians who are responsible for implementing a new school library with an overview of the process. Topics include ordering circulating and reference books; computer hardware and software; supplies and other miscellaneous items, including other media formats such as videotapes; furniture and shelving; and a time line for planning. (LRW)

Library literature from the late 19th century to the present offers numerous guides to materials selection. Yet, collection development policies and lists of selection criteria are inadequate for humanities electronic texts. Libraries, humanities disciplines, and electronic texts are too complex for any rigid approach to acquisition. To meet goals…

As the purchase of virtual resources accelerates, particularly through consortial agreements, the autonomy of the local library will fade and the roles of librarians will change drastically. This rapid transformation is illustrated by a discussion of OhioLINK and its positive and negative effects on one member library. (Contains 21 references.)…

Describes the results of a survey of broadcasting libraries in Nigeria that used questionnaires, observation techniques, and interviews to generate data. Inadequacies regarding staffing, development, preservation and conservation practices, collection development, bibliographic control, space, and funding are discussed, and recommendations for…

This manual provides the steps in planning a post-occupancy evaluation of library facilities to determine how effective the designed environment is for users. Evaluating a building provides a feedback loop to the planning process and can help fine tune the building or help others. The first actions of the planners are to clarify the purpose; gain…

This cumulative report serves to keep a record of University of Guam Learning Resources (LR) activities, identify milestones in LR's history, review LR's past progress, and on the basis of the review results, plan for the future. It contains five major sections: "List of LR Administrators"; "List of Important LR Activities";…

The 133rd meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) focused on strategies for confronting critical challenges associated with the digital era and for fostering understanding from university leaders and supporters regarding the resources needed to perform successfully in this print plus digital environment. Program Session I,…

Small public libraries can deliver service like big libraries, without sacrificing hometown warmth and charm. By borrowing strategies used by successful small businesses in the private sector, defining goals and exploiting low cost technologies, small public libraries can serve customer wants as well as much larger institutions. Responding to just…