Discusses virtual libraries in corporate settings from the viewpoint of five special librarians. Highlights include competitive advantage, space and related collection issues, the use of technology, corporate culture, information overload, library vulnerability and downsizing, and the importance of service over format. (LRW)

Describes the framework in which the research library at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) reengineered its technical services operations. Focuses on the activities of the "Before Team" in evaluating, measuring, and redesigning the work processes that occur before the library receives an item. Discusses the results. (Author/AEF)

An American delegation assesses how children are faring as libraries in China adapt to the contradictions of a socialist market economy. Discussion includes examples of public-, academic-, and school-library programs, librarian attitudes, technology, and future changes. (AEF)

The purpose of this research was to identify the service factors that influence judgments of customer satisfaction in the academic library/media center. The study, conducted at Florida State University examined the relative importance of these determinants of service quality and compared these results to earlier studies conducted with customers of…

Describes the Scoville Learning Center at Adirondack Community College (Queensbury, New York). Discusses the layout and functions of the building's three floors and learning-resources services, including staff, library instruction seminars, the online catalog, outreach, equipment, computer labs, and future plans. (AEF)

Describes the use of questionnaires and interviews for a study on the use of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Library (Nigeria) by international students. Problems faced by students are highlighted, including the language barrier, new services, and unfamiliar library terminology. (Author/LRW)

Describes a correlation method for calculating reference statistics using weekly door counts that was tested at the University of South Carolina while studying a sampling technique for collecting reference statistics. Results indicate this method may offer libraries an accurate and less time-consuming procedure for keeping reference statistics.…

Describes the experiences at the Williamsburg (Virginia) Regional Library when the children's department closed for two months for renovations and temporary quarters were created in a bookmobile in a nearby parking lot. Discusses technology challenges involved in hooking up computers, selecting an appropriate collection that would fit, and…

Gives examples of the pornography and worse dangers that await young children who go online unsupervised. Describes steps libraries are taking toward Web safety. Discusses how to provide Internet safety at home; types of Internet filters; and corporate Internet control. A sidebar offers a list of rules to follow for online safety. (AEF)

Reviews two projects incorporating document delivery into ready reference and acquisitions and provides an analysis of four major document-delivery vendors, as part of a research project funded by the University of Montana (Missoula) Faculty Grant Program and the Mansfield Library. Findings support integration of document delivery within a…

Discusses new developments in online library catalogs, including Web-based catalogs; interconnectivity within the library; interconnectivity between libraries; graphical user interfaces; pricing models; and a checklist of questions to ask when purchasing a new online catalog. (LRW)

Provides tips for designing effective training programs for library assistants. Discusses general points to consider; acquainting new assistants with the library; and assigning jobs that reflect assistants' interests. Suggests special projects for assistants including: arranging displays; cataloging; covering paperback and hardback books;…

Discusses how collection-development librarians can customize their workstations by building a Web page to cover public service and outreach efforts to constituencies, links to tools to enable selectors to use the Web and work more efficiently, and selection of Web resources. Describes Web sites in the three categories of communication with…

Discusses results of a citation analysis of 61 library and information science doctoral dissertations that examined publication patterns to help provide better service to researchers and scholars in the field. Considers gender, the nature of materials cited, journal rankings, interdisciplinarity, countries of origin, and currency. Contains 46…

There is an electronic revolution in the library which may prove to be a revolution in the humanities and in the nature of learning and education. The humanities are an essentially human enterprise of which the record reposes in books in libraries. The central role of libraries in preserving these ideas must survive the electronic revolution.…