Summaries of the welcoming and opening remarks for a symposium on the standards issues that will affect the federal government's planning, acquisition, and use of integrated computer and telecommunications systems over the next five years set the stage for the keynote address by Joseph Timko of IBM entitled "Standards--Perspectives and Evolution."…

Designed to provide an overview of the range and quality of services provided by the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS), this annual report focuses on the 1987 activities of APLS. A report on the activities of the Library Development Division shows the allocation of state aid and Library Services and Construction Act (LCSA) Titles I and III…

This symposium examined issues in the planning, development, and implementation of library automation and the effects of electronic publishing. The following presentations are included in this collection: (1) "Will There Be Electronic Anarchy?" (Helen Henderson); (2) "Ergonomics in the Electronic Era" (Andrew Torok); (3)…

Critics call computerized innovations and other changes in the workplace examples of the employers'"dumbing down" of jobs for illiterate workers. Others disagree and say the changes free workers from routine, monotonous tasks and permit them to learn more complex procedures and to take on more responsibility. Findings of a survey of business…

This report examines ways of providing technician training in the operating principles of robotic devices. The terms "robotics" and "robotic arms" are first defined. Some background information on the principal features of robotic arms is given, including their geometric arrangement, type of actuator used, control method, and…

Replacing a January 1980 publication of the same title, this collection of cost tables and other documentation from library materials cost studies conducted by members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) or by library vendors contains excerpts from: (1) local cost studies conducted at Colorado State University, Indiana University, Iowa…

In order to study the effects of introducing an automated circulation system at Oberlin College, Ohio, data were collected from September 1978 until June 1982 on book availability, usage of library facilities, attitudes of library users toward the library, and the efficiency of circulation activities. Data collection methods included circulation…

A survey of public library authorities located in the 34 London boroughs was conducted during the summer of 1982 to determine the characteristics and extent of library automation and to assess changes since a similar 1978/79 study. Replies were received from 33 authorities, of whom 30 reported using computerized techniques. Information on library…

The Subject Access Research Project was initiated by OCLC in August 1979 to study the process of subject searching in the library catalog, with the objective of identifying features for an automated subject retrieval system which would support the present search tactics employed by library users performing manual subject searches at the library…

As part of a project which evaluated online public access catalogs (OPAC's) through analyses of library patrons' needs and perceptions, self-administered questionnaires were completed by library patrons who were OPAC users and non-users at nine academic and public libraries. Focus group interviews were conducted with OPAC users and non-users, as…

America is no longer an industrial society but an information society made up of knowledge workers as opposed to production workers. As America accelerates into the information society and the technology it offers, Americans must view themselves as part of three worlds, each affected by society--professional, personal, and social. Significant…

Based on a study of the need for, and alternatives to, significant expansion of space for state college and university libraries, this report discusses the resultant recommendations, which address both the long term and the immediate space needs of the state's academic libraries. Following a description of the role of academic libraries and a…

This feasibility study assesses the potential of optical technology in the development of accessible bibliographic and location data networks both in Canada and within the international MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloging) network. The study is divided into four parts: (1) a market survey of cataloging and interlibrary loan librarians to determine…

The second phase of a 1977 University of Pittsburgh research study that focused on the resistance to technology in libraries, this parallel study of library school students and faculty continues the investigation to determine: (1) the extent to which technological transformation of library systems will tend to encounter resistance as…

This report describes a study undertaken by the Library Advisory Committee (LAC) to identify the crucial issues and trends affecting public academic libraries and to provide a set of recommendations to the State Board for Higher Education in these areas. The report focuses on the changing role and nature of academic libraries in Maryland as they…