Discusses the purpose of mathematical models and reviews the phases of the modeling process--defining performance, representing the problem, predicting performance, estimating parameters, defining optimization criterion, determining solution, and implementing results. Reviews of book-use, resource allocation, and library network models are…

Eight of the 13 publications listed describe state library networking programs; network governance, children's services, and guidelines for special libraries are also cited. (BBM)

Considers the incorporation of school libraries and media centers into a national bibliographic system, and discusses questions pertaining to the contributions, advantages, points of access, obstacles, and international implications of such a program. A bibliography of additional readings is provided. (FM)

Random samples of monographic materials from U.S. and Canadian public libraries were matched with collections from similar libraries of different sizes. Strong positive correlation appears between percentage find rate and target library size, with regression analysis suggesting linearity over a wide range of collection sizes. (Author)

Describes the ways public libraries make use of the products of the information industry, and suggests areas for cooperation between the two communities. (PF)

Describes major changes made in bibliographic control systems in the past three decades and discusses why these changes have occurred. (Author)

Discussion of union catalogs and bibliographic networks covers library cooperation, interlibrary lending, the British Library Lending Division, and other functions of bibliographic networks such as cataloging. Criticisms of bibliographic utilities are also presented, including the negative effect of library cooperation on local book availability.…

Eight articles describe the development, content, and structure of databases outside of the United States. Features discussed include library involvement, authority control, shared cataloging services, union catalogs, thesauri, abstracts, and distribution methods. Countries and areas represented are Latin America, Australia, the United Kingdom,…

Reviews the history of libraries in Lithuania from 1940 to 1992. Highlights include early book collections, and attitudes toward books and reading; changes after the Soviet invasion, including censorship, lack of timeliness, and information barriers; library networks; library education; research trends; library legislation; library literature; and…

Summarizes responses from an international survey of automated library system vendors who offer integrated, multi-user, multi-function systems running on mainframes, minis, and micros using multi-user operating systems. Companies were questioned about their computer systems, products, customers, staff, and sales figures. A comparative analysis of…

Describes the emergence of resource center forums (i.e., popular information networks) in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. Background and objectives are summarized for the Transkei Fieldworkers' network, Natal Resource Centre Forum, Cape Inter-Resource Forum, Transvaal Resource Centre Network, Sekhukhuneland Educational Projects forum, and…

Sandra Tauler has tailored her collection and services to the needs of a community that is 97 percent Hispanic. Unfortunately, that's only half the job. The other half is getting potential users through the door. The solution Tauler and other Imperial Valley librarians came up with was Proyecto Televista. With LSTA funding, and the assistance of…

It is tough to make the staff of a large, highly centralized urban library system believe they should make their own decisions and even take risks--all to serve their community better. But that is what Mary Graham has achieved as Brooklyn Public Library's director of the Office of Neighborhood Services. A study of Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) in…

In the contemporary library environment, the presence of the Internet and the infrastructure of the integrated library system suggest an integrated internal organization. The article describes the example of Douglass Rationalization, a team-based collaborative project to refocus the collection of Rutgers' Douglass Library, taking advantage of the…

Fourteen years after its establishment, the Distance Learning Section is one of the fastest growing sections in the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association. Based on Section archives and secondary literature, this article traces the organization's development from its beginnings as a…