This article argues that developing technologies have resulted in rapid and fundamental changes in the way libraries conduct business. It is argued that, in light of these changes, academic librarians need to reconfigure the way their time and resources are allocated in order to assist users in making the most effective use of networked…

Corporations employ data mining to analyze operations, find trends in recorded information, and look for new opportunities. Libraries are no different. Librarians manage large stores of data--about collections and usage, for example--and they also want to analyze this data to serve their users better. Analysts use data mining to query a data…

Google's extraordinary success is usually attributed to innovative technology and new business models. By contrast, this paper argues that Google's success is mostly due to its adoption of certain library values. First, Google has refused to adopt the standard practices of the search engine business, practices that compromised service to the user…

This article discusses the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), a plan that is quickly gaining the support of library organizations around the globe. The FRBR Study Group was appointed by International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and issued its final report in 1998. The report redefines the basic unit of…

Blogging offers an alternative and sometimes superior way to communicate with library patrons. It provides an opportunity to speak more directly to them, and it does so in a manner that is more comfortable and convenient for all involved. A library's Web site may be the only interaction that patrons have with the organization, so it makes sense to…

The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) serves a dispersed patron base, and its library has developed, over time, a circulation system for distributing physical research materials to its patrons throughout the United States. This article discusses the development of this system and its associated interface/database management system…

Lippincott Library's Historical Corporate Annual Reports Collection contains useful primary sources of information for several disciplines, including applied accounting and business history. They also are reflections of the societal and cultural mores of the times. Unfortunately, these reports are fragile, difficult to locate, and hard to access.…

Most school librarians do not think of copyright compliance and facilities planning in the same breath. Yet the design of space--physical and virtual--can discourage or promote compliance, or even help police it. Placement of and access to equipment, traffic patterns, signage, and student workspace all may influence copyright-compliance behavior…

This descriptive study surveys the staff of all 18 founding member libraries of OhioLINK to see whether or not they prefer the new system or the old one and why. The purpose of the study is to determine if resistance to change, computer anxiety and technostress can be found in libraries converting their automated systems over to the OhioLINK…

This report presents the results of a study the objective of which was to determine how widespread automated acquisitions systems are in North Texas' Association of Higher Education (AHE) libraries and what the characteristics of these systems are. The paper is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the paper and an…

Lamentably, the likelihood is that cataloging information provided by the Library of Congress will continue to function inadequately in the communication process unless we at the local level do something about it. (Author)

Gallaudet College's special collection on deafness, and efforts to transform the college library into a functional, user-oriented information center are described. (Author/PF)

This workbook, which was provided for the participants in a 1988 Texas State Library workshop on CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) technology for libraries, begins with a series of outlines of workshop topics. These topics include: (1) standards for and the creation and operation of CD-ROM; (2) types of CD-ROM products; (3) procurement…

This seminar and workbook are designed to aid librarians in planning and designing attractive and efficient libraries in light of the changing technologies of the 1980s. It is based on the premise that the electronic revolution of the 1980s will cause substantial changes in the work force, work processes, and the nature of physical layouts of…

Minutes from the 1984 Membership Meeting of the Association of Research Libraries include the full-text of four presented papers: "The Next Generation of Telecommunications Systems" (William F. Utlaut); "Structure of the Present Telecommunications Network" (Donald J. Muccino); "Alternatives to the Bell System" (C.…