Describes the American Antiquarian Society, including its history, the evolution of its collections, and the relationship between its staff and readers that make it a leading humanities research center. Discusses the institutional culture and the development of a new area of study, the history of the book in American culture. (Author/LRW)

Reviews efforts by academic research institutions to capture and preserve archival records of American labor institutions, focusing on a recent project to assess the state of labor archives efforts and the challenges facing union officials and labor archivists. Describes the Labor Archives Project (LAP), including the research methodology and…

Reviews the experiences of 12 research libraries that participated from 1984-86 in the retrospective conversion of approximately 21,000 data records describing archival materials using RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network). Factors affecting the amount of time spent on the project--the integrity of finding aids and authority work--are…

Includes a 1991 lecture on the future of rare book libraries and a commentary from 2003. Topics include paper-based collections versus electronic resources; changes in general research libraries; budget shortages; changing priorities; reformatting library materials; and education for rare books and special collections librarians. (LRW)

Examines the current international economic disruption and its effect on scholarly and academic communities, including a shift in donor philosophy. Considers how academic and cultural institutions are reevaluating traditional areas of support; discusses implications for research libraries, including special collections; and offers suggestions for…

Examines indicators of quality in academic and research libraries, especially community college libraries. Topics include standards of the Association of College and Research Libraries; standards of the business community, including Total Quality Management; quality management as systemic change; impediments to quality; and information literacy.…

Discusses an apparent case of censorship via card catalog indexing in a Florentine research library. The challenge to the authenticity of a fresco by Simone Martini is explained, the ethics of collegiality are considered, and attempts to find redress through various library associations are recounted. (18 references) (LRW)

Discussion of special collections materials focuses on independent research libraries. Topics include how collection development differs; who they serve; access to the collections, including digital access; and future challenges, especially the need for increased financial support, changes in scholarly communication, and the need for increased…

Reviews the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) activities regarding special collections. Highlights include local and collaborative approaches; budget pressures; access to special collections; digitization programs; recruiting qualified staff; results of a survey of ARL special collections; and the need for ongoing statistics for special…

Discusses issues in the management of volunteers in research libraries, outlining the benefits to volunteers and libraries, as well as potential hazards. The volunteer program at Chicago's Newberry Library is described, focusing on recruitment, job assignments, motivation, staff attitudes, retention and library benefits. (26 references) (EA)

Discusses the development of a new culture of research librarianship that is customer-focused, based on experiences at the University of Arizona library. Highlights include cooperative partnerships with users; LibQUAL+ as a tool to learn how users perceive library services in relation to their expectations; and staff participation in strategic…

Discusses the impact that network technology, electronic publishing, and Internet communication are having on collection development policies in research libraries. Highlights include changes in the research library environment, including financial difficulties; scholarly communication; workstations for material selection; and materials in…

Briefly describes the career of Herbert Goldhor and discusses two aspects of his contributions to librarianship: public library service and administration, including the collection and publication of data for analysis and use by researchers and decision makers; and scientific research in librarianship. A chronological list of over 175 publications…