Today's Libraries Research Articles

The Multi-Purpose Library Computer Lab

ABSTRACT Within today's academic libraries, computer labs are designed and built to satisfy multiple needs, such as an open lab, instructional facility, and staff development center. To accomplish this, it is necessary to focus on issues concerning staffing, scheduling, security, and maintenance, as well as address the conflicts that often arise among them. Learn how Rider University has successfully operated and managed a multi-purpose lab at Moore Library.

Library Science Education in the U.S.A.

Classical librarianship drowns in the sea of change. in the United States our profession had indicated a profound change -especially in the last 20 years. Until 1976, 15 schools or departments of librarianship had been closed, and the rest had undergone a serious transformation. During the last 20 years, library education became no more homogeneous as it was in the past. New educational programs show vast diversity. The scope of the mission of library services became enlarged. Type of students, ways of teaching had also indicated a substantial change. On the other hand, the librarian of today requires lifelong self­education.

When Libraries Made Headlines

Long before ‘public relations’ and ‘marketing’ became terms commonly employed in librarianship, the Munn-Pitt Report of 1935, Australian libraries: a survey of conditions and suggestions for their improvement1, became big news across the country. This publicity coup did not come about by chance. Evidence is presented that the authors of the report and their allies carefully planned ways to influence those who could improve the state of libraries in Australia. Does this early example of library promotion contain lessons for today's library supporters?

Participatory Management

Today's library leaders pay considerable attention to the participatory management model of decision making. Because this model incorporates into the decision making process the collective knowledge and experience of many librarians, it serves to help them make sound decisions about highly complex issues. However, as does any management model, it comes with its own unique set of difficulties. It must be used with discrimination, staff need to be trained in participatory management processes, and not everyone wishes to participate in management decisions. Also, it is a time consuming process, may cause resentment among staff, and may serve as a convenient mask for poor leadership.

Serials Management Information for the 21st Century

This article discusses the value of management reports produced by serials vendors using state-of-the-art business systems. It describes a dedicated project by the Faxon Company, a member of the Dawson Information Services Group, to design and produce two series of collection development and financial reports from its recently developed business system, using input provided by the client community. New reporting capabilities from a sophisticated electronic information delivery system, Information Quest, are also discussed. Examples of these reports are provided. Collection development, acquisitions and serials librarians are urged to examine the benefits of vendor reporting and to continually provide input into the enhancement of currently available data and the development of creative new management reports required for today's library environments.

The Other Side of Burnout

In many of today's academic libraries, budget limitations have been a major factor in the blurring of dividing lines between library departments. Many technical service librarians are now required to spend time performing public service duties. This article is a humorous look at how one cataloger overcame her fear of teaching library classes.

The Business and Technological Warfare Affecting the Internet and Electronic Journals: Terminology of Major Hardware and Software Components and Competing Strategies of Major Players

Fortunately for libraries and librarians, e-journal terminology and software are heading for at least a momentary plateau in which certain winning terms and technologies are being accepted as standard. Today's library administrators, already preoccupied by issues of how much they have to pay for their subscriptions and what kind of deals can be gotten through site licences for their e-journals or those of their consortium must now focus on the key technological issue of their perceived necessity-or lack of it-of having to buy new hardware and software every 18 months or so. This is because what these librarians spend on technology tends to be substracted from what they have available for content. What follows, in this article, is the recent history of current e-journal terminology and technology, with discussion on the remaining unresolved issues.

Content Management for the 21st Century

This article examines the role of the collection development leader in today's academic library and provides a framework for leadership utilizing the concepts of shared vision and mission, teaching and learning, and stewardship. These concepts are designed to enthuse the seasoned selector, and ensure the appropriate hiring of new selectors, who thrive on change, ambiguity, and constant learning. The leader's role is to provide experiences which teach that content and people are the core work of subject specialists. Content management leadership requires that leaders be exceptional listeners and subject to the same need to continually learn.

University of Illinois the Federation of Digital Libraries: Interoperability Among Heterogeneous Information Systems

Summary This paper briefly reviews some of the trends and issues now challenging today's digital library that need to be addressed in successfully federating multiple heterogeneous databases. Trends include the development of loosely-coupled federations that combine object technology with client-server architecture. Issues include those dealing with heterogeneity, especially the problems associated with schema translation and integration. The paper also addresses the benefits of SGML in facilitating the searching of full-text documents with a high degree of precision.

Local Information

Today's librarians are expected to be aware of the needs of their patrons, not just at the reference desk, but also in terms of the collection. While there are several articles written about collection development and the many tools available, few address how to take advantage of local resources to develop a patron profile. The purpose of this article is to discuss local collection development tools available to librarians on their college or university campus.

Resource Sharing

Fast and cost-effective resource sharing is a necessity in today's library world. This paper includes a view of resource sharing within the historical focus of library efforts and within current developments in higher education and the larger world. Some predictions about the future are made and obstacles still to be overcome are outlined.

20th Annual Spring Meeting and Workshops of the Society for Education in Anesthesia

20th Annual Spring Meeting and Workshops of the Society for Education in Anesthesia

Reality Check: Today's library automation marketplace

Judging from the press, conference exhibit halls, and titles of papers at library conferences everyone is automating with Web browsers, graphic interfaces, client/server interfaces, and new operating systems. But how many libraries really have implemented these technologies?

International Dateline-An American in Moscow: Discovering Today's Libraries in Russia

International Dateline-An American in Moscow: Discovering Today's Libraries in Russia

The library in the digital age

Electronic publication is an increasingly popular forum within the scientific community, and many are talking about the possibility of dispensing with paper publications entirely in years to come. How likely is this to happen, and if so how quickly? What will be its impact on the way we use and contribute to the scientific knowledge base? This article discusses the elements of today's digital library and how they might evolve as we confront the online world.

Electronic Library Resources

ABSTRACT With the availability of so many electronic databases in today's libraries, patrons often have difficulty selecting the most appropriate resource. An examination of CD-ROM usage at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale shows that many students do not always select the best database for their research needs. This article identifies database selection and searching problems. It also suggests introductory workshops on electronic library resources to assist students in making better choices from the available CD-ROM databases.

Using your local library

The image of a gloomy old library with a librarian telling children to be quiet is, thankfully, a thing of the past. Today's libraries are lively, welcoming places with a vast number of resources to help your child develop their reading and learning skills.

Stragetic Positioning of Information Services in a Competitive Environment

Cet article presente les quatre elements que doivent prendre en compte les gestionnaires de services d'information pour survivre dans un monde des affaires tres competitif : un bon sens de la notion de mission professionnelle ; une bonne vision du futur qui mettra l'accent sur l'environnement electronique de l'entreprise ; une comprehension et une pratique de l'activite de positionnement strategique ; et enfin, le gestionnaire du service d'information de l'entreprise doit avoir une certaine competence dans la mise en place d'alliances strategiques

The interpretations of library use in the age of digital libraries: Virtualizing the name

There have been numerous changes in the way that libraries organize information and how users seek, gain access to, and obtain library materials. These changes have modified many traditional library services, introduced new jargon, and created new library uses. If students are to become self-sustaining and effective users of information sources and services, they need to understand various library uses. This article reports a case study designed to examine the extent to which college students agree in interpreting the term library use. The degree of variation in how these students interpret basic library activities is high. The study's findings suggest that the notion of the library as a space is better agreed upon than the notion of the library as a store or service. Since the library use study is carried out in the context of rapidly changing information technology, this two-prong article will first discuss five different shifts that characterize the transitional nature of today's libraries; then the library use study will be discussed, and possible conclusions will be drawn. The findings have wide implications for designing user-centered information access instructional programs.

Technology and dust mites

Libraries of the future will be providing information to clients via the Internet. This paper discusses the attitudes towards information technology current in today's library profession. Several issues are raised which support the view that virtual libraries are a reality and that the potential for librarians to apply what they already know to the future and to work with people from other professions is an exciting and potentially rewarding possibility.