How to best decide when it's time to replace your PC, whether at home or at work, is always tricky. Spending on computers can make you more productive, but it's money you otherwise cannot spend, invest or save, and faster systems always await you in the future. What is clear is that the computer industry really wants you to buy, and the computer…

In this column, the author outlines the details of this year's merger of Dynix and Sirsi, which resulted in the creation of the combined company, SirsiDynix. SirsiDynix is now the largest player in the library automation industry. Its earning power exceeds $125 million in annual revenue, and it will employ well over 700 and have a customer base…

The recent Library & Information Technology Association (LITA) National Forum was held in October in St. Louis, a city that was very focused on the present. The Cardinals were on their way to winning the National League Pennant, and across town, at Washington University, the presidential candidates were on stage with the second of their three…

Web 2.0 challenges libraries to change from their predominantly centralised service models with integrated library management systems at the hub. Implementation of Web 2.0 technologies and the accompanying attitudinal shifts will demand reconceptualisation of the nature of library and information service around a dynamic, ever changing, networked,…

This article attempts to offer an overview of the current changes that are being experienced in the management of audio-visual documentation and those that can be forecast in the future as a result of the migration from analogue to digital information. For this purpose the documentary chain will be used as a basis to analyse individually the tasks…

As campus renovation projects go, the Ohio State University's plan to turn its main library into "a library for the 21st century" is ambitious. The author describes the decade-long, $109 million transformation of the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library. The overhaul calls for a complete replacement of all mechanical and electrical…

Library Web sites must compete against easy-to-use sites, such as Google Scholar, Google Books, and Wikipedia, for students' time and attention. Library Web sites must therefore be designed with aesthetics and user perceptions at the forefront. The Music and Performing Arts Library at Urbana-Champaign's Web site was overcrowded and in much need of…

This article identifies and provides some commentary on the key issues emerging from research into the digitisation of Indigenous materials in collections conducted in collaboration with three state libraries. It situates the research project within the broader context of related activity aimed at addressing the ongoing challenges of access,…

The high rate of technological change that libraries are experiencing makes it seem that the future is closer than it used to be. Rather than having some notion of the future, particularly in emerging technologies, librarians need to be kept well informed and up-to-date in the potential uses of these technologies, especially those that apply to…

This preliminary study investigates the current situation of school library support of K-12 health education in China. A survey of 42 school librarians and 115 K-12 teachers from selected schools was conducted to find out their views about school library's role in school health education and their current practice of library use in health…

Purpose: Reports on the trial of an automated order routine for the University Library in Newcastle which began in April 1966. Design/methodology/approach: Presents the author's experiences of the manual order processing system, and the impetus for trialling an automated system. The stages of the automated system are described in detail. Findings:…

Purpose: To provide an overview of one person's involvement with computer systems in libraries over the last 40 years. Design/methodology/approach: Personal memories corroborated with published articles. Findings: There have been very many developments in libraries in a comparatively short period of time as a result of using computer systems, and…

It is hard to imagine operating a library today without the assistance of an integrated library system (ILS). Without help from it, library work would be tedious, labor would be intensive, and patrons would be underserved in almost all respects. Given the importance of these automation systems, it is essential that they work well and deliver…

The library and the computer are only tools to be used to render service. (PF)