Investigates the capability of three library automated systems to generate some of the datasets necessary to form the ISO (International Standards Organization) standard on performance measurement within libraries, based on research in Liverpool John Moores University (United Kingdom). Concludes that the systems are weak in generating the…

Examines the growth of automation at two university libraries, with particular attention to the stages in the evolution of the academic systems librarian. Discusses a growth in digitized resources; integration of systems; developments in client/server technology, especially as they relate to the World Wide Web; and changes I organizational…

This 48-item annotated bibliography includes recent, substantive materials on automated circulation systems of all types (batch, online, in-house, commercially packaged) with emphasis on online turnkey systems. Items are categorized into five general sections: general overviews, vendor-specific information, case studies, patron acceptance and…

A general description of microcomputer-based spreadsheet software capabilities and their usefulness in library management analysis and planning are presented. Five specific spreadsheet models which apply to retrospective conversion cost and scheduling, COM and book catalog costs, and acquistions processing costs are discussed and displayed in…

Discussion of issues in management of library automation includes: (1) hardware, including systems growth and contracts; (2) software changes, vendor relations, local systems, and microcomputer software; (3) item and authority databases; (4) automation and library staff, organizational structure, and managing change; and (5) environmental issues,…

Contributors from five libraries--Bentley College, Boston University, the College of Charleston, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, and the Resource Sharing Alliance of West Central Illinois--describe their automation projects, including staff impact; costs and funding; time and schedules; users; computer support; vendors; and consultants.…

A forum of five articles discusses the lack of new master of library science (MLS) degree holders being educated to support the potential of library automation, and the resultant hiring of non-librarians to cope with technical details. Suggestions for developing managerial competence in the automation area through education initiatives are…

A library automation plan must not only produce an optimum system, but prepare staff, institution, and clientele for far-reaching change. This change can be accommodated by a functional model consisting of three phases: organization and overview; project expansion; project consolidation and preparation of system plan. Twenty-eight references are…

The "average" costs of integrated library system components--including hardware, software, and related expenses--are outlined to assist in projecting the costs of a small system. Potential benefits of such systems, i.e., areas in which operational costs can be reduced through their use, are also reviewed. (EJS)

Describes experience of Boulder Public Library, where management and support personnel established pre-experiment baseline data for comparison with quantitative and qualitative results of experiment to determine the impact of telecommuting (work-at-home) on worker productivity. Background, methodology, equipment enhancements, and data analysis are…

Discusses new services that academic librarians are offering to users involving digital data, such as geographic information systems laboratories and electronic text centers. Suggests that human factors, such as management, organizational climate among the staff, and the development of a user community will determine the success or failure of the…

Through a single computerized system, the Libraries Information Access System provides interactive, integrated access to a range of information functions in support of services meeting both academic needs (bibliographic access for research, instructional support) and administrative needs (processing, inventory control, communications, record…

The Memex Research Institute (MRI), an independent nonprofit research and development organization, has created an electronic library program of shared research and development to make the collective vision of Vannevar Bush's "memex" more concrete. Program is working toward the creation of large, publicly available indexed electronic image…

Presents an analysis of the Internet Public Library (IPL) from an economic perspective, using the model of the cost-minimizing firm. Highlights include application of the model to the IPL, analysis of revenue and cost in the reference department, analysis of reference statistics, and unit cost of reference service. (AEF)

This special theme section describes the University of Wisconsin-Madison's experience building its Electronic Library. Highlights include integrating resources and services; the administrative framework; the public electronic library, including electronic publishing capability and access to World Wide Web-based and other electronic resources;…