Discusses important considerations for library media specialists creating a virtual-resources-collection policy, including selecting the right resources, navigating licensing fees, and free, searchable online sources. A sidebar lists resources for evaluating Web sites and places that lead to recommended sites for students. (AEF)

The eLib-funded FIDDO (Focused Investigation of Document Delivery Options) project provides library managers/others with information to support policy decisions. Senior libraries were interviewed about the future of document delivery and interviews were analyzed with the support of NUD*IST (Nonnumerical Unstructured Data by Indexing, Searching and…

Discusses new roles for school librarians as electronic access to information increases, including instructional partners with classroom teachers; information specialists; Internet navigators; evaluators of information found on the Internet; program administrators; staff developers; and parent Internet educators. Lists pertinent Web sites. (LRW)

Assesses the publication impact of a digital library of aerospace scientific and technical information through usage statistics and citation analysis. Examines the Langley Technical Report Server available on the World Wide Web, compares usage with the hardcopy distribution center, and suggests retrieval analysis as a complementary metric to…

Discusses the decline in reference statistics in academic libraries and considers the role of access to information via the Internet. Highlights include patron expectations and demands; commercial Web reference services; and virtual reference desk software so libraries can offer 24 hour service, including public libraries. (LRW)

Discusses changes in distance education and considers the resulting need for new types of library services. Topics include new Web-based contact center software; how to conduct virtual reference interviews; online reference service; the role of the physical library; staffing changes; and future possibilities, including impacts on costs of library…

Traces the development of information retrieval/services and suggests that the creation of large digital libraries seems inevitable. Examines possibilities for increasing electronic access and the role of artificial intelligence. Highlights include: searching full text; sending full texts; selective dissemination of information (SDI) profiling and…

Discusses how librarians in scientific and technical libraries can contribute to an accessible electronic library environment for users with disabilities to ensure independent access to information. Topics include relevant assistive technologies; creating accessible Web pages; monitoring accessibility of electronic databases; preparing accessible…

Discussion of electronic access to information focuses on a study conducted at the library of the College of William and Mary that used 40 reference desk questions to assess the value of printed sources, CD-ROMs, databases, and the World Wide Web. Also discusses the reference librarian as omnipaedia. (LRW)

The Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute (HATII) at the University of Glasgow (Scotland) carried out a study of the opportunities and obstacles posed by the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the heritage sector in order to establish a funding policy. This article discusses the need for national…

Outlines the services that could be provided by a national digital library for science, mathematics, and technology education. Provides a list of links that lead to further discussion about the possible uses, architecture, and features of such a digital library. (AEF)

Describes the development of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System's live, online chat reference service, a pilot project for public libraries in Suffolk County (New York). Topics include chat software selection; a virtual reference collection; marketing; funding; staffing; evaluation; expanded hours of service; email; and extracting data from…

Today's school libraries must meet student needs as both a physical and virtual space. Existing both offline and online, they must offer around-the-clock access as well as instruction and guidance that support the face-to-face interactions of students with librarians and classroom teachers. Although students are often technologically proficient,…

Academic libraries are at a crossroads, facing increasing competition from other student services within their institutions and from commercial entities that duplicate their services. Examining some broader trends in education leads to suggestions as to how libraries might re-examine legacy services and assumptions and consider new directions.…

This article proposes that a viable approach archivists might consider to meet increasing demands for access to digital images with functional presentation tools is to develop a reciprocal partnership with a digital library. The University of California's experience with the federation of licensed and UC-owned digital image collections is…