Describes the results of a survey of public libraries in Connecticut that was conducted to identify the factors that influence library administrators' decision-making process regarding library automation. Discusses vendor selection, funding, and costs, and copies of the survey questionnaires are appended. (Author/LRW)

Explains 10 basic steps for librarians who are interested in applying for E-Rates, the Universal Service Fund financed by the telecommunications industry as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Provides discounts on technology services including telecommunications services, Internet access, and internal connections for all public and some…

Results of interviews with 13 pharmaceutical sales representatives, five sales managers, and six human-resource managers and 47 survey responses showed that introduction of information technology was seen as purely technical; human-resources departments played no role; and informal communication procedures enabled management to ignore individual…

Discusses and describes automated instructional design (AID) tools that assist instructional designers and others in creating instructional products to improve learning. Highlights include expert systems; advisory systems; information management systems; electronic performance support systems; and authoring tools for computer-based instruction.…

Addresses the growth of signatures in document management. Describes the three basic types of electronic signature technology: image signatures, digital signatures, and digitized biometric signatures. Discusses legal and regulatory acceptability and bringing signatures into document management. (AEF)

Describes Pharos, a prototype that automatically classifies and summarizes Internet newsgroups using the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) scheme. Topics addressed include the methodology of collection summarization and selection, constructing an online LCC outline, evaluation, limitations of the system, and classification of nontextual…

Reports an approach to interactive information seeking that is grounded in the idea of summarizing query results through automated document clustering. The authors' prototype acted as an intermediate layer between the user and a commercial Internet search engine. Data was processed from 36 users and it was concluded that the prototype improved…

New alternative models for selecting automated systems emphasize uniqueness of each institution, involve more staff, and do not rely on requests for proposals (RFPs). Vendor demonstrations are extremely important in the evaluation of system capabilities when RFPs are not used, and scripts prepared by institutions ensure that vendors focus on…

Explores the theme of self-censorship in libraries in relation to new technologies. Highlights include the results of investing in high-cost electronic resources at the expense of traditional, lower-status formats; the effect of information technologies on literacy and historical records; and market censorship, including centralization and…

Outlines a planned panel discussion on electronic books and DRM (Digital Rights Management). Highlights include publisher's choice of format to protect content; institutional needs; circulating library materials to authorized users; integrating the electronic collection with the rest of the collection; integrating DRM with current library…

Many a great idea has first taken shape as a simple drawing sketched by hand on a piece of paper, but in an increasingly high-tech world, such drawings are more often being created--or at the very least perfected--with the aid of a computer. And in today's highly automated workplace, manufacturing a finished product from that great idea will…

Thirty years ago most resource sharing took place between libraries, with a few formal organizations (library consortia) providing logistical support. Today there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of organizations around the world facilitating resource sharing. Automation has greatly accelerated the growth of resource sharing. As access to…

The author investigates issues faced by academic research libraries in providing virtual reference services to unaffiliated users. These libraries generally welcome visitors who use on-site collections and reference services, but are these altruistic policies feasible in a virtual environment? This paper reviews the use of virtual reference…

The author of this article, a card-carrying member of the American Library Association (ALA), discusses her views on how difficult it is for some leaders to accept that this is the 21st century. She feels that people do not need to choose between blogs and printed text, because people can read both. She also feels that library shelves have room…

This article argues that developing technologies have resulted in rapid and fundamental changes in the way libraries conduct business. It is argued that, in light of these changes, academic librarians need to reconfigure the way their time and resources are allocated in order to assist users in making the most effective use of networked…