Discusses changes in information management and their effects on technical services librarians. Topics discussed include changes at the Library of Congress; the development of national and international bibliographic systems; expansion of local library catalogs; commercial full text databases for end users; new roles for professional librarians;…

Discusses results of a survey of state-level school library officials conducted via fax to determine statewide school enrollments, funding, media center staffing, state-mandated minimum levels of staffing for school libraries, the ratio of students per school library media specialists, staffing standards, staff shortages, and technology and…

Excerpts from testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources regarding the proposed Technology for Education Act highlights the need for strong school library media collections and programs in addition to the latest technology. Highlights include funding, expenditures, media centers and student achievement, librarians'…

Describes the changing role of the library and the reference librarian and the effects of new information technology, changing demographics of student populations, and patrons' expectations for personalized service versus library instruction. Fees for meeting rooms, photocopying, videos, printouts of articles from online full-text, information…

Discusses the issue of access versus ownership of academic library materials necessitated by rising costs, declining budgets, and increased scholarly production. Highlights include technological advances in resource sharing; performance criteria for access; costs; speed (user expectations, turnaround times); and reliability (fill rates of…

Describes the formation of an automated School and Public Information Network (SPIN) in Grosse Pointe (Michigan) among the public libraries and public school libraries for the purpose of resource sharing. Topics discussed include management issues, organizational perspectives, management by committee, the importance of cooperation and…

Describes how BookshelF software, a library management system, has been integrated into the library and information management curriculum at Manchester Polytechnic (England), and discusses the learning objectives that have been achieved. The use of BookshelF modules for ordering, circulation control, cataloging, OPAC (online public access…

Discusses "Information Power" and its effects on school libraries. Topics discussed include social changes and cultural diversity; technological changes; networking and resource sharing; the access, evaluation, and use of information; partnerships between librarians, principals, and teachers; flexible scheduling; and statistics for…

Describes the development of a wide area network (WAN) in the Bismarck Public School District (North Dakota). Topics include design goals, network infrastructure, implementing library access, sharing resources across platforms, electronic mail, dial-in access, Internet access, adhering to software licenses, shareware and freeware, and monitoring…

Describes New Jersey libraries' specific goals for providing the public with electronic access to bibliographic data and government information as well as electronic interlibrary loan and document delivery. Other highlights include results of a public library survey concerning electronic access to information, dial-in access to online public…

Provides an overview of library and information technologies in Tennessee. Highlights include the information infrastructure; school library connections to the Internet; networking among public libraries, including interlibrary loan and Internet access; automation and networking in academic libraries; library and information science education; and…

Provides an overview of library automation and public policy initiatives in the state of Washington. Highlights include access to government information; public library initiatives, including Internet access; access in rural areas; partnerships between libraries and government; higher education cooperation; community and technical college…

Describes the historical role that community and junior college (CJC) library/learning resources centers have played in their efforts to establish technology-based learning initiatives and resources on CJC campuses. Palomar College Library/Media Center's services illustrate this experience, which serves as a model for campus-wide technology-based…

Libraries subscribe to thousands of electronic journals and they are difficult for end-users to find. Journal and publisher interfaces and functionalities differ considerably. The recent development in e-media calls for central management of the resources. Lund University Libraries' Head Office has developed a service for presentation and…

The goals and guiding principles of the Maryland State Library Network are defined by the State Library Network Planning and Resource Sharing Task Force. The following goals are asserted: (1) state residents will have improved access to the state's information resources through the work of a State Library Network Coordinating Council; (2)…