Discusses the role of the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) in the development of the electronic information industry in Europe. Activities aimed at libraries are described; the IMPACT program for developing the market for information services is explained; and problems of multilingualism are addressed. (LRW)

This article examines the role of advanced networks such as the National Science Foundation Network, with emphasis on their potential in improving information distribution and access in college and university libraries. Questions are posed concerning technical, political, institutional, and human aspects of networked information. (DB)

Discussion of the importance of adhering to standards in the library community focuses on standards related to linking systems, such as bibliographic utilities and circulation systems, and online catalogs. Three areas in particular are highlighted: (1) communications standards; (2) data format standards; and (3) user interface and indexing…

Describes the Kentuckiana Metroversity Linking project, a consortium of academic and public libraries using the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol to provide service to Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana. Topics addressed include the Z39.50 standard, the consultant's role, addressing technical issues, Internet vs. dial-in access,…

Contains three special reports: developments in copyright law, 1997 (World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) legislation, Ashcroft Bill, No Electronic Theft Act, database protection, Conference on Fair Use (CONFU), judicial decisions, principles for licensing electronic resources, and Uniform Commercial Code Article 2B); Internet2 and the…

States that several states are establishing networks for resource sharing. Florida offers these resources through the Florida Distance Learning Library Initiative, Wisconsin has BadgerLink and WISCAT, TexShare provides library resource sharing in Texas, and Louisiana has LOUIS and LLN. These are some of the states successfully demonstrating…

Because North Carolina's telecommunications services have been unable to provide cost-effective, statewide dial-access service to public libraries, the state library has had to identify a suitable alternative for public library network access. This article outlines the state library's efforts to provide access to the Internet and to electronic…

Describes how the New Main San Francisco Public Library was created in spite of budget cuts and threats of shutting down library branches. Discusses community support, the political approach to fund raising, collection development and increased patronage, and linking branch libraries to the New Main's system. (AEF)

Describes eight multilibrary automation and connectivity initiatives in Alabama that involve public libraries, regional library systems, county library systems, library networks, academic libraries, and public school libraries. Addresses and contact people are supplied for each organization. (LRW)

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) launched Oklahoma's statewide database program in 1997. For the state's academic libraries, the program extended access to information, increased database use, and fostered positive relationships among ODL, academic libraries, and Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE), creating a more…

The Northeast Kansas Library System's filtering project started out as a response to the passage of CIPA, the Children's Internet Protection Act, in January 2001. Originally called "onGuard," it was a service that the Northeast Kansas Library System created for its members. When the Supreme Court ruling did uphold the constitutionality…

Integrating news services into an intranet can be tricky. Even within related organizations, slight differences in subscriptions and end-user needs can necessitate different integration approaches. This article examines how the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund took separate approaches to tackle the same integration challenge in…

In 2004, Georgia State University (GSU) Library's Southern Labor Archives, located in Atlanta, began working with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) to plan for the digitization of the union's 105-year-old journal. With generous financial support from IAM, the authors, who are GSU staff members, began…

Internet Access for Florida's Public Libraries was a pilot project that linked six public libraries to the Internet for twelve months between October 1993 and September 1994. The project sought to collect information and identify issues that would help in devising future plans and policies for network development for libraries. The project…

This book focuses primarily on interlibrary loan, defined here as one library lending its materials to another library. A nationwide survey of mutltitype libraries was conducted and the results are reported throughout the body of the book. Each chapter is devoted to a particular aspect of interlibrary loan (ILL) and is followed by an extensive…