Provides percentages of children ages 3 to 5 who were read to, told a story, or taken to the library by a parent or other family member. (Author/SLD)

Describes the work of rural-circuit medical librarians and explains the development of mapping techniques and information systems they use, based on an oral history. Discusses the use of oral history as a research method; cultural landscaping and mapping; and maps as cultural artifacts. (LRW)

Discusses the adoption of the pinyin Romanization standard over Wade-Giles and considers the impact on retrieval in online library catalogs. Describes an investigation that tested three factors that could influence retrieval efficiency: the number of usable syllables, the average number of letters per syllable, and users' familiarity with the…

Describes the formation and role of a consortium for cooperative purchasing formed by the Council of Chief Librarians for the California Community Colleges in fall 1998 called the Electronic Access and Resources Committee. Its charge is to evaluate electronic, proprietary databases and negotiate prices for the community colleges as a group. (VWC)

Discusses interoperability as a key challenge to digital libraries and describes efforts of the Open Archives initiative (formerly Universal Preprint Service initiative) to develop an open architecture that supports simultaneous searching and retrieval of papers from disparate archives. Highlights include scientific information and journal…

Describes an online service on the World Wide Web called the DOE (Department of Energy) "Information Bridge" that replaced distribution of physical paper reports and serves as an archive for electronic copies of DOE-sponsored technical reports. Explores the capabilities of the new site and examines implications for users and librarians.…

Discusses the McDonaldization thesis that suggests that many aspects of the fast food industry are making their way into other areas of society. Explores whether this thesis is applicable to academic libraries, focusing on efficiency, calculability, predictability, control, user expectations, pros and cons of teams, and creativity and information…

Discusses changes in the location and provision of information services that have resulted from online technologies, particularly the World Wide Web. Highlights include knowledge management in digital libraries; the importance of research on information technology and digital libraries; semantic indexes; concept switching; information analysis;…

Explains the E-rate as discounts provided by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that are available to schools, libraries, and rural health care providers on telecommunications services. Lists E-rate resources including Web sites, FCC and Department of Education sites, and Listserv discussion groups. (LRW)

Observes and interviews three families in a public library over an 18-month period. Notes that the traditional link of parents reading to children was not present, yet other caring, personal, and powerful links to literacy were. Argues that awareness of diverse family experiences linking love to literacy provides platforms upon which educators can…

Reviews the changes in scholarly publishing from the mid-1980s development of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Electronic Information Delivery Online System (EIDOS). Highlights selected initiatives in electronic publishing: Project MUSE, JSTOR, Academic Press' IDEAL, and Springer-Verlag's LINK Information service. (PEN)

Presents a new client-centered typology of the information professions with special emphasis given to the empowering professions, including librarianship, which enable clients to use knowledge to take control of their lives. Topics include increasing self-efficacy; reducing self-blame; developing group consciousness; and assuming responsibility…

A special package of articles explores the push toward electronic textbooks and libraries, the businesses behind the drive, and the fears of many academics about the trend. (EV)

Describes the REUSE projects in Germany that were the result of the demand for harmonization of German cataloging rules with AACR2 (Anglo American Cataloging Rules 2). Discusses the comparison of bibliographic data; international authority files; USMARC format; and the trend toward internationality. (Author/LRW)

Explores how a new school facility can be important, not only as a community center, but also as a resource center for library services such as computer labs, Internet service, and current periodicals. The article also examines how one Missouri school district planned its new school library to serve the community. (GR)