Presents the 1997 U.S. Periodical Price Index sponsored by the Library Materials Price Index Committee of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. Finds that the average price increased 9.9%, .9% below 1996's rate. Includes seven tables, a chart, and a summary sheet. (PEN)

Discusses the history of the "Guide to Reference Books" and reviews considerations that have informed planning for the new edition planned for 2004 which will be called "Guide to Reference Sources" to reflect the change from print format to a Web-based online product. (LRW)

Discusses the expanding role of public libraries in providing videos to the community and describes existing reference, selection, and current awareness tools to aid in video selection. Materials described include books, mass media magazines, professional journals, videos, review indexes, and directories. (CLB)

Selective listing of material available in microform in the field of Afro-American studies is organized into two categories: papers, records and collections; and special areas of interest. Information is also provided about preservation microfilming at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library. (two…

This book repair manual developed for the Illinois Cooperative Conservation Program includes book structure and book problems, book repair procedures for 4 specific problems, a description of adhesive bindings, a glossary, an annotated list of 11 additional readings, book repair supplies and suppliers, and specifications for book repair kits. (LRW)

Describes the services offered to librarians by book vendors and addresses the effects of increasing costs and decreasing funds on library acquisitions and publishers as well as on vendors. The costs of ordering and processing library materials are discussed, and labor-saving devices in acquisitions are suggested. (LRW)

Discusses the early history and current proliferation of computer viruses that occur on Macintosh and DOS personal computers, mentions virus detection programs, and offers suggestions for how libraries can protect themselves and their users from damage by computer viruses. (LRW)

Addresses issues that are central to the acceptance and integration of electronic scholarly monographs and textbooks into the academic library, based on research in the United Kingdom. Findings suggest a slow acceptance of nearly all digital textual resources other than journals as well as low use of electronic information resources in general.…

Addresses some traditional assumptions librarians have made about the use of monographic collections. Topics include the myth that monographic literature becomes obsolete and of less utility to users over time; limitations to obsolescence studies, including evaluating monograph utility through measuring its circulation rate; and the Columbia…

Beginning in 1995, the University Libraries of Virginia Tech embarked on a major shelf-load reduction/storage project. Every effort was made to communicate the scope of the project to the teaching/research faculty of the university. This article presents an overview of the project, with emphasis on ways in which sensible criteria, advance…

Up until fairly recently, library collections have consisted of physical things--books; journals; audiovisual materials; and, in some libraries, collections of realia. Now, however, collections often include materials that cannot be placed on library shelves either because they are digitized versions of primary sources or because they exist only…

The author of this article shares her opinions and feelings on attending the American Library Association (ALA) Conference. She admits that she hates going to the exhibits. In this article, the author shares a list of hints to make exhibit time more productive.

A library collection is a community asset. Studies indicate that chess is a healthy mental pursuit for children of all skill levels; the educational nonprofit Chess-in-the-Schools. www.chessintheschool.org reports improvements in reading scores and a variety of other intellectual and social benefits for kids who accept the rigors and rewards of…

In this article, the author poses the question: What is the importance and impact of this research on the environment we develop in our libraries? To her, they are inextricably intertwined. The author argues that the library is the information centre of the school, and its staff are the information specialists. It is them, through the programs and…

BookExpo America (BEA) had some extra zing this year, especially for librarians. A record 1800 library professionals preregistered for the book fair in Chicago, June 3-6, a leap beyond the 750 last year in Los Angeles. They found an industry that has shaken off post-9/11 doldrums. Bill Clinton's keynote to kick off the show and promote My Life…