This review of current applications and future possibilities of optical disk technology in law libraries covers the basics of what optical disks are and their advantages and disadvantages in terms of storage capacity, durability, speed, cost, and information retrieval. A sampling of commercial products is provided. (Author/EM)

Traces history of private library of German scholar, Leopold von Ranke, which was purchased by Syracuse University in 1888. Efforts of librarian Charles W. Bennett in 1870s and Professor James Powell beginning in late 1960s, and restoration and cataloging of collection are highlighted. Items from the collection are noted. (EJS)

Reviews the use of microfilm as an acquisitions and preservation tool in academic libraries, and discusses how this use has fallen short of predictions that microfilm would revolutionize research methodology and scholarly productivity. This history is used to provide cautionary guidance in approaching the era of electronic documentation. (35…

Continuing disintegration of portions of research collections printed on unstable paper threatens the national capacity for productive scholarship. Effective solutions will require a heightened awareness of the fragility of the modern book and a coalition of scholars, university administrators, and librarians committed to cooperative action on a…

For a researcher with a serious interest in studying popular culture, the collective negligence of the entertainment industries, the scholarly community, and the government is a given, but some action to preserve American mass media artifacts can be undertaken. Contrary to the myth of unlimited access to information, certain regions of the public…

Presents a discussion of laser disk systems developed by different institutions to store and distribute information and visual images. Includes information on storage, preservation, and use in the classroom or for research. Evaluates image quality, storage capacity, and transmissibility. Urges use of the videodisk to organize information and…