This article features the University of Liverpool's arts and humanities library, which applies a new search tool to improve the user experience. In nearly every way imaginable, the Sydney Jones Library and the Harold Cohen Library--the university's two libraries that serve science, engineering, and medical students--support the lives of their…

In a year where the general economy presented enormous challenges, libraries continued to make investments in automation, especially in products that help improve what and how they deliver to their end users. Access to electronic content remains a key driver. In response to anticipated needs for new approaches to library automation, many companies…

Every year, more and more reference sources go from print to online, from the stacks to the library's homepage. The librarians at Quinnipiac University's Arnold Bernhard Library in Hamden, Connecticut, realized that these subscriptions are more than the occasional web offering to supplement the library's mission. They have become an important…

Social networking and other Web 2.0 technologies led the social whirl of the information industry. Publishers and librarians tried to keep their products and services relevant by mixing authoritative content with user involvement, but that was not enough. Enhancing interfaces, adding new forms of content, and making strategic acquisitions--all are…

Reviews automated-systems activities in libraries during the past year and profiles major vendors. Topics include new partnership arrangements driven by competition; library-systems revenues; Y2K issues; Windows-based interfaces; consulting; outsourcing; development trends; global system sales; and sales by type of library. (LRW)

Digital libraries of the future will be shaped by the technologies, standards, and models adopted today. This article examines interoperability of library systems, metadata standards, copyright management, fair use, preservation of digital information, problems resulting from technological advancement, costs, print versus Web resources, and…