Discusses the development of Electronic Library at TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi). Highlights include: hardware and software used; the digital library/Virtual Electronic Library; directory of Internet journals; virtual reference resources; electronic collection/Physical Electronic Library; downloaded online full-length…

Discussion of cataloging U.S. government documents collections focuses on a study that examined two methods offered by commercial vendors for matching library holdings against machine-readable cataloging records produced by the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). A third method, using specific Superintendent of Documents classification numbers,…

Discusses four kinds of computerized access tools: online catalogs; computerized reference; online database searching; and compact disks and read only memory (CD-ROM). Examines how these technologies are changing research. Suggests how research instruction in advanced writing courses can be refocused to include the new technologies. (RS)

Discussion of automation in the Oxford College Libraries (England) begins with background on the university library system, which consists of numerous independent libraries. Centralized and decentralized automation activities are described, and hardware and software for the microcomputer-based system at the University College Library are…

Examines the dilemmas of participation in resource sharing library networks and proposes solutions based on shifting inducements toward contribution by remunerating the contributing library for the unit cost of original cataloging. A "contribution pricing" model recently announced by OCLC is also evaluated as a possible solution. (21…

Describes the functions of the National Zoological Park Branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, which is dedicated to supporting the special information needs of the zoo. Topics covered include the library's history, collection, programs, services, future plans, and relations with other zoo libraries. (two references) (Author/CLB)

Surveys some of the traditional and nontraditional electronic sources of information that can be of use in research and teaching. The discussion includes information about: 1) cost; 2) ease of use; 3) the earliest bibliographic entries; and 4) the frequency of updates. (Author/LMO)

Presents an evaluation model that is appropriate to the assessment of the effect, from the perspective of the user, of variations in the interface to an information retrieval system. The application of the model to the evaluation of an experimental online catalog is described. (11 references) (Author/CLB)

Describes a simulation of OCLC's TAPECON retrospective conversion service and its impact on an online catalog in a large university research library. The analysis includes results of Library of Congress Card Numbers, author/title, and title searches, and hit rates based on an analysis of OCLC and locally generated reports. (three references)…

Explores the qualities of bibliographic and object entities that contribute to the similarities and differences in the data describing them and the possibility of cooperation between indexers of art objects and indexers of bibliographic information. The discussion covers the role of authority control as the linking component between bibliographic…

Explores issues related to bibliographic database authority control, including the nature of standards, quality control, library cooperation, centralized and decentralized databases and authority control systems, and economic considerations. The implications of authority control for linking large scale databases are discussed. (18 references)…

The introduction to a special issue on locally loaded databases in online library systems discusses three trends in using technology to provide greater access to materials available in library collections: unification of local collections; access to outside resources; and inclusion of reference works and full text in online catalogs. (three…

Working conditions in library technical services departments can be a problem for catalogers in need of a quiet work environment. Based on a successful program for indexers at the National Agriculture Library, a proposal for an experimental telecommuting program for original cataloging at the Michigan State University Libraries was developed and…

The percentage of books in a research library having personal authors that were cataloged and entered in a one-screen minicatalog was determined to be 36.6 percent when searched. Libraries can reduce cataloging costs and increase user access to information by simplifying cataloging. (AEF)

Examines the major depositories of Hebraic manuscripts in the Russian State Library in Moscow, with emphasis on the Baron Guenzburg collection. Highlights include the history of the collection, access to the materials, microfilming, and catalogs. (Author/AEF)