The following papers were presented at a joint conference of the Colorado Library Association and the Mountain Plains Library Association (MPLA) in October 1986: (1) "Development of a Strategic Plan for the Harold B. Lee Library--A Model for Public Service" (Larry Ostler); (2) "The Library Committee in MPLA Libraries" (Ronald…

A new industrial era based on electronics and the microprocessor has arrived, an era that is being called intelligent automation. Intelligent automation, in the form of robots, replaces workers, and the new products, using microelectronic devices, require significantly less labor to produce than the goods they replace. The microprocessor thus…

By means of a humorous description of a series of meetings between a college provost and several faculty and staff members, this article illustrates the difficulties of determining what a university's highest priority should be, in the light of different and conflicting opinions and interests among the faculty. (KM)

The General Accounting Office recently studied automation, especially the advent of microelectronics, and its impact on unemployment. The study included identifying available information sources and obtaining opinions on the impact of automation on employment, federal efforts to predict its impact, the dissemination of information about the job…

The Canadian and American academic library environments are remarkably similar. This factor is traceable to similarities between the nations themselves and their academic institutions. Both countries have experienced comparable shifts in governmental support and growth patterns in the academic library sector. This has led many to observe that…

Written when an in-house retrospective conversion project on the monographs collection of an academic library was 80% complete, this paper presents factors for consideration by decision-makers prior to establishing a similar project. Topics considered together with a description of how North Carolina State University (NCSU) handled each, include:…

The first of two volumes, this document describes the planning process of a 5-year plan for meeting the telecommunications and automatic data processing (ADP) needs of the federal government, examines the planning efforts of several typical agencies, and explores issues involved in managing new technology as it evolves. For each agency,…

Problems and opportunities resulting from the implementation of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd edition (AACR 2) are examined in 12 essays by a representative sample of librarians at various New York State public, community college, college, and school libraries. Eight papers relate specifically to implementation experiences at these…

The computer design of the system serving the 53 library systems of the Washington Library Network provides nine online files through its integrated bibliographic and acquisitions subsystems. The bibliographic subsystem provides an authority file of author, title, series, and subject headings; a bibliographic file of MARC records on books, films,…

This report addresses the critical importance of measuring and evaluating information systems functioning within computer network environments. The focus is on the significant benefits associated with using automated monitoring as the primary information system measurement mechanism within such computing architectures. The large scale,…

An overview of "Viewdata," an interactive medium that connects the home or business television set with a central computer database through telephone lines, is presented in this paper. It notes how Viewdata differs from broadcast Teletext systems and reviews the technical aspects of the two media to clarify terminology used in the…

This report on an IBM-assisted Application Transfer Team study by Clemson University Library to develop planning for and design of an integrated library automation system concentrates on the design of a serials subsystem. Data gathered from students, faculty, and library staff members through the structured interview technique focused on…

This report describes an online minicomputer-based system, one combining library inventory control with catalog access, that was implemented at Virginia Tech's main library in order to meet the demands of increased circulation activity and rising staff costs. Following overviews of the institutional environment, the systems development department,…

SUCH QUESTIONS AS WHY AND HOW OPERATIONS RESEARCH (OR) AND SYSTEMS ANALYSIS ORIGINATED, WHAT THEY ARE, AND WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS THEY MIGHT MAKE TO INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA PROGRAMS ARE ANSWERED. "OR" ORIGINATED AT THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II WHEN MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH HAD BEEN DEVELOPING THEIR TECHNOLOGY FASTER THAN IT COULD BE…

TWO PROJECTS ON THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF A MAN-MACHINE SYSTEM FOR COUNSELING IN THE PALO ALTO AND LOS ANGELES SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE REPORTED. THE EARLIER PHILCO 2000 COMPUTER PROGRAMS SIMULATED A COUNSELOR'S WORK IN THE EDUCATIONAL PLANNING INTERVIEW BY ACCEPTING INPUTS SUCH AS SCHOOL GRADES, TEST SCORES, AND…