Discusses copyright issues that arise when creating digital archives. Highlights include public-domain material; fair use of copyrighted works; uncertain copyright status; cooperative projects; acquiring or accessing digital archives; and copyright for works the library digitizes. (LRW)

Considers whether libraries are artifact-bound institutions and therefore will be replaced as the dominant technology for information communication moves from tangible objects to electronic bits on a network. Topics include what libraries are for; libraries as information subsidy; subsidies for networked information; and the digital library as…

Introduces content locality--the degree to which content-similar documents are colocated in a distributed collection--in distributed digital libraries. Proposes two metrics for measurement of content locality, one based on topic signatures and the other based on collection statistics. Provides derivations and analysis of both metrics and uses them…

Describes the Open Journal project, funded by the United Kingdom Electronic Libraries (eLib) program. Discusses aspects of publishing being transformed by the World Wide Web; Open Journal demonstrators and linking features and types; user responses; building better open journals; and post-project application plans of publishers. (Author/AEF)

Describes the development of electronic finding aids for archives at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign that used XML (extensible markup language) and EAD (encoded archival description) to enable more flexible information management and retrieval than using MARC or a relational database management system. EAD template is appended.…

Discusses the digitization of culturally significant library materials based on evaluations at the Council on Library and Information Resources. Highlights include a definition of digital information; preservation questions, including authenticity and integrity; access to information, including the World Wide Web and copyright issues; and digital…

Discusses how to support effective interaction of users with heterogeneous and distributed information resources in a digital library environment. Compares usability, user preference, effectiveness, and searching behaviors in systems that implement interaction with multiple databases through a common interface, and with multiple databases as if…

Discusses future possibilities that libraries must consider in a digital information age. Topics include how the Internet has transformed the way people look for information; the need for better Web search engines; electronic publishing; and an information infrastructure that supports the delivery of digital objects and 24-hour reference service.…

This interview with Stephen M. Griffin, program manager of the Digital Libraries Initiative at the National Science Foundation, discusses the terms "electronic library,""digital library," and "library of the future"; electronic access and intellectual access; implementation and social effects of digital libraries; the…

Discusses technical services as a reader service in academic libraries and suggests that the successful implementation of digital libraries needs a systems approach that crosses functional and administrative boundaries. Describes the need for the integration of technical services with other reader services and explains forces pushing for and…

Considers relationships between the fields of library history and historical bibliography. Topics include the act of reading versus the cultural institutions of reading; description and cataloging; book production; paradigm shifts; classification systems; electronic libraries; and the need for theory to grow out of practice. (LRW)

Explores some of the issues surrounding library and information technology support for virtual learning environments through a focus on four models, each illustrated by a world-class example, that demonstrate good practice. Concludes with observations on the mutual need that virtual and physical libraries have for each other. (EV)

Views assessment of "Costs of Electronic Reference Resources" both in a general descriptive framework and within the context of a specific model for costing of library operations and services called LCM, the Library Costing Model. Examples of costing data uses are provided, and categories of costs are related to types of electronic…

Presents an abstract for a planned technical session to discuss the report of the Committee on the Information Technology Strategy of the Library of Congress, developed by the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Academies. Highlights include digital information, Web links, preservation, and the management of libraries.…

Adopts an interpretive and situated approach to observe and assess learners' problem solving using hypermedia. Conducts the evaluation in context by considering the use of Perseus, a hypermedia research project and online digital library developed at Tufts University, in particular undergraduate learning situations, and makes recommendations for…