Discussion of reference librarians in higher education focuses on experiences at the University of Southern California. Topics include reference costs and time demands; reorganization and cutting costs; merging computer departments with libraries; Internet advantages, including the Internet Public Library; attitudes and creativity of librarians;…

Presents security procedures for protecting a library's computer system from potential threats by patrons or personnel, and describes how security can be breached. A sidebar identifies four areas of concern in security management: the hardware, the operating system, the network, and the user interface. A selected bibliography of sources on…

Provides an overview of the state of libraries and their resources in Croatia. Highlights include destruction of libraries resulting from the war; the need for centralization, uniformity, and standards; the role of the National and University Library; processing library materials; and the development of an automated system and network. (Contains…

Examines how and why new roles are developing for paraprofessional copy catalogers in academic libraries, including new attitudes toward professional and nonprofessional work assignments, using staff resources differently to accomplish cataloging objectives, new cataloging practices and technologies, and workflow efficiency and productivity.…

Reviews library automation efforts in West Virginia. Topics include information equity and rural areas, library systems and resource sharing, statewide connectivity, a higher education telecomputing network that has expanded to include elementary and secondary school libraries, multitype library cooperation and staff training, and academic library…

Describes ILLiad (Interlibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database), software that examines the current state of interlibrary loan borrowing requests at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Topics include system requirements, user procedures, staff procedures, copyright clearance, OCLC, and future developments. (LRW)

Explains a team approach to writing grants that was developed at the Southern University (Louisiana) library to meet their need for updated technology. Discusses the need for outside funding sources for academic libraries; team responsibilities; the library director's role; and the role of the Internet as a source of information. (Contains 2…

Discusses implementation of the automated recording of reshelving statistics for print reference materials and the use of these statistics in reference-collection development and management, especially in making acquisitions and weeding decisions, based on experiences at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. (Author/LRW)

Describes the electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) program at the University of Virginia (UVA). The system is designed to be easy and self-explanatory. Submission instructions guide the student step-by-step. Screen messages, such as errors, are generated automatically when appropriate, while email messages, regarding the status of the…

Presents a metric for comparing the performance of common classes of Internet information retrieval tools, including human indexed catalogs of Web resources and automatically indexed databases of Web pages. The benefit of the proposed metric is that it is relevance-based, and it facilitates the comparison of the performance of different classes of…

Reviews the use of computerized monitoring to study the behavior of remote users of online library resources. Highlights include synchronous and asynchronous information transfer; behavioral traits of remote users; challenges to library services; the needs and wants of remote users; academic libraries and distance education; and…

The paper gives a brief overview of the use of digital video in distance education, the background to The Open University's Digital Video Applications (DiVA) Project, the contexts in which the Digital Video Library system is being used and some evaluation findings. Through DiVA, the university is investigating how it can use its video assets…

Purpose: To provide a general list of factors that affects and determines the full use of library information management systems (LIMS) by library staff. Design/methodology/approach: The factors, which were identified mainly during participation in the implementation of automation projects in Greece, are listed and briefly analysed in categories…

Purpose: To detail a user's experiences of the digital archive project of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) (RGS-IBG). The "Unlocking the Archives" project has five facets: construction and conservation at its London archives; an online catalogue of its collections; digitisation of images and…

Patrons in academic libraries want convenient 24-hour access to full-text journals in a rapid, convenient manner. They want "anytime, anywhere" access to information and they do not want to enter a library to obtain it. This article describes how Eastern Washington University Libraries provide access to full-text journals through several…