Whether you are a new school library media specialist just starting in the profession, or a more experienced librarian who may not have the time to research and gather the information you need, this comprehensive guide provides an excellent overview of numerous topics related to school libraries. Written in easy-to-understand language, this…

Briefly outlines the impact of computerization upon library services and administration, discusses the evolution of library education and the new skills that will be needed by the electronic librarian, examines the nature of libraries as organizations, and presents recommendations for the development of the library curriculum. (JL)

Places the cost considerations associated with public library automation in a framework of public finance comfortable to most administrators, discusses the importance of experience with use patterns in the electronic library in opening up new and innovative financing methods, and stresses the role of the library in the information industry. (JL)

College and university libraries, it is suggested, must cooperate as budgets dwindle and the need for more new periodicals escalates. A national periodical center modeled after the British National Lending Library is suggested, along with library automation at central storage libraries. (Author/MLW)

Since libraries make obvious targets for economizing, their existence is threatened. Librarians have plans to save them, but strong support is needed from trustees and administrators. Library-faculty partnerships, resource sharing, and the applications of communications and computer technology to bibliographic processes are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Discusses technological change in the telecommunications industry; changes in job content and skill levels; decreased labor requirements in the telephone industry; the impact on labor and employment; trends in productivity and investment; and the social and economic ramifications of communication technology changes. (MF)

Discussion of automation and school library media specialists focuses on library Web sites. Highlights include characteristics of library Web sites; examples of high school, middle school, and elementary school library Web sites; an evaluation methodology; and a list of useful online library research sites. (LRW)

Describes the State of Iowa Libraries Online project (SILO) which was developed to demonstrate new information technologies available to libraries. Focuses on two interlinked components of the project: Web-based union catalog development and statewide deployment of the ANS/NISO Z39.50 information retrieval standard. Includes recommendations for…

Addresses the topic of digital libraries from a planning perspective and examines policy issues. Discusses developing collections by providing access to remote files and/or creating a local collection; funding; considering what to digitize; copyright issues; storage costs; converting paper-based collections and catalogs; and reasons why to…

Describes SALOMON (Summary and Analysis of Legal texts for Managing Online Needs), a system which automatically summarizes Belgian criminal cases to improve access to court decisions. Highlights include a text grammar represented as a semantic network; automatic abstracting; knowledge acquisition and representation; parsing; evaluation, including…

The bookmobile of Lancaster County Library (Pennsylvania) provides library services to the home schooled children of isolated, rural communities. Home schooling and bookmobile usage have increased proportionally, and bookmobiles act as "library periods" for the home schooled, provide materials to support curricula, and supply…

Prison libraries present a growing employment opportunity for librarians, but there is little statistical or descriptive information about prison libraries. A survey was conducted of Ohio prison libraries to create a profile and increase appreciation and understanding of them. Information was collected about library users, types of materials,…

This study examined job descriptions (1975, 1981, 1990) of three paraprofessional jobs in an academic library technical services department at a small, private liberal arts college to determine changes occurring as a result of automation. It found no significant differences. Although changes were more idiosyncratic than expected, they may indicate…

Library patron demands will exert increasing influence over the allocation of materials budgets. To determine the extent to which data produced by automated systems are used to guide collection development, a questionnaire was sent to the 108 university library members of the Association of Research Libraries. Responses (n=79) showed that such…

Reports on a symposium that was held at Hofstra University (New York) in March 1996 on library systems in Russia and international cooperation. Topics include automation; the Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology; and the Russian-American Information, Library, and Analytical Center for interlibrary loan and online document…