This paper examines the characteristics and functions of governmental libraries and information systems which contribute to the decision making activities of governmental institutions. It explores the governmental planning process to outline sources of information, subject specialities, information formats, classes of users, and information…

This paper on the 21st century information environment begins with a section that discusses the impact of e-commerce over the next ten years. The second section addresses government focus areas, including ensuring a telecommunications infrastructure, developing the IT (information technology) industry, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship,…

This essay explores the somewhat uneven course of the public library as a knowledge institution in America and its relevance during the current information age, particularly in the United States, where there is a basic connection between access to knowledge and the political system. The public library situation is considered in terms of the…

The movement of society into the Information Age raises a number of important issues in the field of library and information science, including the role of libraries and information in building a learning society and helping individuals to learn. The library/information community also needs to address the issue of the government's role in…

This paper examines the increasing output of South Korean government publications in social science titles. It attributes the cause primarily to modernization and democratization combined with economic development and growth in associated social life indicators. Government sponsorship of education and research also plays a critical role. The…

This comprehensive report of the pre-White House Massachusetts Governor's Conference on Libraries and Information Services includes background and planning information, a summary of events and speeches at the conference, and the resolutions resulting from the conference. Participants were predominantly lay people with some representatives of the…

Discusses features of the National Literacy Act that are of interest to librarians. Highlights include a new definition of literacy; cooperation between providers and government agencies; new programs, including state resource centers, national workforce strategies, services for prisoners, and family programs; amendments to existing legislation;…

This paper examines Australian progress in addressing the implications of two certainties about the 21st century--change will be a constant, and it will be a century of data and information abundance. The focus is on the higher education sector, consisting of 36 public and two private universities. Topics discussed include: (1) characteristics of…

This paper discusses changes in technology in libraries over the last decade, beginning with an overview of the impact of databases, the Internet, and the World Wide Web on libraries. The integration of technology at Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) is described, including use of scanning technology, fax, and e-mail for document…

This paper discusses the problems and difficulties faced by school libraries in the United Kingdom (UK), specifically England and Wales. These problems are lack of funding, lack of a central role in the curriculum, lack of a central role in the management structure, and inadequate staffing. Lack of library funding stems from overall under-funding…

The issues addressed in this conference report concern budgeting, the resourceful manager, extramural funding, employer-employee interaction, management information systems, and management of the university in the future. Contents include: the keynote address by F. E. Balderston; "University Budgeting in an Era of Scarce Resources," by F. M. Bowen…