Presents a marketing-based approach to college recruitment publications based on three steps: defining the audience; creating the concept or message; and developing the call to action. Fifteen basic axioms for making publications more effective are provided. (TE)

Defines and describes three roles of library collections: archival, dispensing, and bibliographic. It is argued that the rise of remotely accessible materials makes possession less important relative to access, has implications for all three roles, and indicates a shift in emphasis away from collection development and conventional catalogs and…

Describes a low cost study of the transaction logs of an online catalog at an academic library that examined failure rates, usage patterns, and probable causes of patron problems. The implications of the findings for bibliographic instruction and collection development are discussed and the benefits of analyzing transaction logs are identified.…

Available computer hardware, software, and computer use strategies that can facilitate bibliographic management for the individual researcher are discussed. (MSE)

Discusses two problems related to the use of online catalogs: (1) staff training has not kept pace with new catalogs, resulting in a lack of search expertise in staff and patrons; and (2) users expect instant access to materials found in the catalog. It is argued that these problems must be addressed to adequately serve library patrons. (CLB)

Two articles describe the experiences of Loyola University of Chicago and Texas A&M libraries with locally mounted online databases under the same user interface as the online catalog. The Multiple Database Access System (MDAS) offered by NOTIS is explained, its impact on the libraries is described, and student and faculty reactions are…

Describes the accomplishments of a cooperative effort to develop an online inventory of research library collections. Topics covered include the development of collection mapping tools and resources; the establishment of general requirements and policies; and the implications for the future of coordinated management of research collections. (20…

Describes the history and functions of the Minnesota Zoological Garden library. Topics covered include the library collections; library services, including online search capabilities; and the various groups of users served by the library. (three references) (CLB)

Discusses the application of information science concepts to problems in museum collections management and describes a project in which the Vancouver Maritime Museum recataloged its historic watercraft collection. A list of fields to be used in computerized cataloging of historical watercraft is proposed, as well as cataloging protocol. (29…

Summarizes the steps in introducing CD-ROM in an academic library and lists producer/distributor, system requirements, price, and description/comments for CD-ROM products in the categories of educational research; library catalog support; curriculum development aids; reference sources; and administrative aids. A sidebar discusses CD-ROM use at the…

Six studies of general education are described. A Penn State survey details changes in general education requirements over 15 years. UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute used the college catalog to furnish information about curricular dimensions and others attempt to determine the effects of general education. (MLW)

A study for assessing automatic vocabulary switching from a thesaurus to Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) revealed that a maximum 61%, but a more realistic 41.5%, of the terms could be switched automatically; as long as LCSH is used for subject descriptions in online catalogs, interfaces for vocabulary switching can only be partially…

Discusses use of the MARC format for cataloging Internet resources. The benefits of MARC, importance of integrated information resources, and the guarantee of public access are cited as major reasons for using traditional cataloging and library OPACs. Suggests Internet resource collection criteria and the roles of various groups of people needed…

Identifies and discusses themes and resources related to American academic fiction, novels whose main characters are professors, college students, and those associated with academia, and includes bibliographies on American academic fiction. Sidebars present the best academic fiction for 1980-1994, online catalog search strategies to access…

Examines the provision of in-person help to users seeking information on online public access catalogs (OPACs). A significant change in the demand for service was identified when there was a change from offering traditional from-the-desk service to point-of-use help at the OPAC terminals. Results suggest that while it is important to continue to…