Results from one of a series of cooperative projects to study public access to online catalogs are discussed. This report focuses on a survey of 1,152 users and 1,315 non-users of six computer systems at seven libraries, with library participants including (1) Claremont Colleges Library, which uses the Claremont Total Library System; (2) the…

Computer numerical control (CNC) has evolved from the first significant counting method--the abacus. Babbage had perhaps the greatest impact on the development of modern day computers with his analytical engine. Hollerith's functioning machine with punched cards was used in tabulating the 1890 U.S. Census. In order for computers to become a…

The Processing Services department of the Library of Congress initiated a project to learn about expert systems technology and to examine potential applications of expert systems to functions in their department, e.g., acquisitions, cataloging, and serials control. (An expert system is defined as an artificial intelligence computer program which…

Analyzed is the energy management program implemented in 1984 at the Akron Public Schools of Ohio. The program was implemented to address the problems of rising utilities costs and uncontrollable energy use. Background information ranging from simple attendance statistics to the utilities budget are provided as well as the procedure for choosing…

For the purpose of this bibliography, international librarianship focuses on the role of information in society, and the methods of its acquisition, processing, retrieval, and dissemination across national boundaries by means of international library cooperation through the formulation and development of common standards, policies, and practices.…

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,…