Discussion of digital imaging technology focuses on its potential use for preservation of library materials. Topics addressed include converting microfilm to digital; the high cost of conversion from paper or microfilm; quality; indexing; database management issues; incompatibility among imaging systems; longevity; cooperative pilot projects; and…

Describes the Freedom Forum International Library Network that has been established in Central and Eastern Europe since 1992 to provide journalists in formerly Communist countries with current, accurate information through print materials, online databases, and CD-ROMs. Plans for future expansion are also discussed. (LRW)

Describes two search models for school libraries. Models include searches defined by the student but conducted by a trained searcher, and student-conducted searches which teach search skills. Decisions about which model (or combination) to use should be based on the available resources and the purposes for conducting the search. (AEF)

Discusses the role of the information specialist as an intermediary and how each selection made in the process of providing information involves a value judgment. Topics include censorship, self-knowledge and censorship, censorship in the wider community, professional response to the demands of censorship and ethics issues, and academic…

Discusses the increased costs of library materials, the need for a new budgeting approach, and the impact of technology. The development of a library materials index that was developed at Ohio State University to provide a consistent source for measuring library materials expenditures against the marketplace is described. (Contains 14 references.)…

A study to explore public librarians' attitudes and opinions concerning issues of intellectual freedom, collection balance, and controversial materials focused on the availability of Holocaust-denial literature. Results indicate that librarians, regardless of outside pressures, would provide access to this material. A copy of the survey is…

The Leo Baeck Institute (New York, New York) is creating a database registering the Jewish archival holdings of repositories in Germany. Discussion includes project planning, creating a German-language version of the Library of Congress subject headings, enhancing access to collections, computerization of archival finding aids, types of materials,…

Describes efforts to conserve library materials in Cambodia being undertaken by a Cornell University library program. Topics discussed include the absence of educated librarians; environmental problems, including insects; an absence of preservation facilities and supplies; a lack of policies for the National Library; and physical and bibliographic…

Discussion of young adult (YA) literature and its "political correctness" argues that YA books should be judged not on their moral content, but on the quality of the writing and the realistic portrayal of adolescence; and that good YA books do not portray a politically correct world, but a real world with real characters. (LAE)

Discusses issues involved in public access to library materials and facilities and patron confidentiality. Topics discussed include children's access to adult materials; parents' right to know about their children's materials; First and Fourth Amendment protections; the Library Bill of Rights; and American Library Association (ALA) documents that…

Review of the 1991 literature on the preservation of library materials discusses paper quality and mass deacidification, cooperative programs, planning, conservation, microforms, binding, photographs, and digital and electronic media. (91 references) (MES)

A comparison of book reviews for humanities and social sciences books named to CHOICE's 1987 "Outstanding Academic Books" with a selection of books not named to the list showed no substantial difference in the number or quality of reviews received. Study suggests that libraries should be cautious in their reliance on published lists for…

Discusses a preconference at the American Library Association 1990 annual conference sponsored by the Bibliographic Control of Microforms Committee of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services/Reproduction of Library Materials Section (ACLTS RLMS). Highlights include microform cataloging, standards, preservation activities,…

Discusses the importance of including primary source material in school library media centers and points out that many are probably already in collection, e.g., the texts of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, videotapes and audiotapes of actual events and voices, photographs, and paintings. Some basic primary materials are recommended. (LAE)

Four articles review the development of the MELVYL system, which began as the online catalog for the University of California campuses. Topics discussed include union catalogs; local library systems versus bibliographic utilities; retrospective conversion; MELVYL as a reference tool; and an online survey of remote use of MELVYL. (LRW)