The third volume of this handbook for professionals in librarianship, archival studies, and information science in Eastern and Southern Africa focuses on the user of information and documentation establishments in Kenya. The six papers included in this collection are: (1) "The Online User in a Developing Country: The Case of Kenya" (S.…

This kit reports on a survey which focused on the methods by which libraries practice online authority control to ensure that names, subjects, and uniform titles are consistently applied and maintained in bibliographic records. Questionnaires were sent to 32 selected member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to determine the…

Five years ago, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) funded an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) study of the impact of new information and communications technologies on the roles of health sciences libraries in a radically changing health care and educational environment. A key recommendation of the resulting report called for…

Based on an October 1982 survey of 31 selected members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), this report presents library planning documents, general system descriptions and reviews, and examples of library specifications--all dealing with integrated library information systems (ILIS). An ILIS is defined as a fully interactive integrated…

A national study of users and non-users of public access online catalog systems (OPACs) was undertaken at 29 libraries, representing 15 computer systems, to provide data and interpretations useful to system designers and library administrators. The findings indicate that users have overwhelmingly positive responses to OPACs. Non-users have…

This report covers the background, scope, and findings of a multifaceted research project which focused on data collection and analysis related to online public access systems (OPAC's); the ultimate goal of this project is to improve information access through OPAC design and enhancement. To assist library decision-makers when planning for the…

Prior to describing methods employed to teach both library users and staff how to use the online catalog at Ohio State University (OSU), this paper presents a background of the development of the online catalog, now called LCS (Library Computer System), and a chronology of important points in the 17-year development, enhancement, and evolution of…

This collection of materials on small computer applications in research libraries, assembled by the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), includes documents from ARL and non-ARL libraries illustrating local, commercial, and word processing computer applications. Among the contents of the…

Papers on library and information networks which were presented at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Introduction to the Open and Closed Networking Concepts" by R. M. Bennett (Canada), which differentiates between space-biased and time-biased communications media, relates these…

Twelve articles published between 1982 and 1984 and cited in "Current Index to Journals in Education" are listed in this bibliography on public service applications of microcomputers in libraries. Topics include provision of free public access to microcomputers (justification, objectives, equipment specifications, uses and software,…

A survey was conducted of school media centers throughout the United States to determine: (1) how computers are being utilized by these centers, (2) the levels of satisfaction with present services, and (3) whether or not the services being provided by the computer are cost effective. Responses to survey forms returned by 20 school districts and…

These seven papers on library management and networks focus on: (1) computerized access to archival and library materials, describing the methodological problems associated with a pilot project in the German Democratic Republic, as well as the efficiency of data bank systems; (2) present and future development of libraries and information centers…

Conducted to review the present status of computerized bibliographic centers in Canada and to report on the most effective means of promoting computerized library network development in that country, this study summary of the findings of seven substudies (1) describes the salient features of 20 Canadian and United States centers; (2) reviews major…

This study to determine the hardware and computing facility costs of establishing and operating a British Columbia Library Network (BCLN) for current members of the B. C. Union Catalogue used empirical data regarding their performance of the DOBIS system and estimates of workload, and compared those data with the costs of obtaining current…

Library staff training methods and training manual construction should be part of the overall implementation plan for an online processing system. An effective training program to introduce staff to the new system and increase confidence in it would aid in efficient implementation. A manual consisting of a detailed outline of the training plan and…