This article draws on parallels between outsourcing in business and in libraries to examine the difficulties and implications of outsourcing the catalog department. Topics include outsourcing at Wright State University (Ohio), management concerns, vendor objectives, cataloging as a noncore activity; and selective versus total outsourcing. Contains…

Describes the DOBIS/LIBIS system and its capabilities for automated management of individual libraries and library networks. DOBIS/LIBIS is an integrated, interactive system that includes the major library functions of searching, cataloging, circulation, and acquisitions processing for a network of libraries. (Author/RAA)

Jacob Fried and Paul Molnar developed a model to simulate the interaction between technological change and social interaction which consists of two zones: (1) task requisites; and (2) the corresponding organizational responses. To define task requisites for library collections, it is necessary to identify the dimensions of the problem and the…

Reviews attempts by Library of Congress in the 1940s to resolve the cataloging crisis that preceded changes in cataloging rules in the 1950s and 1960s. Recommendations of an unpublished report on reorganization, simplified cataloging, cooperative cataloging, personnel policy, and cost analysis changes are examined, and results of implementation…

In response to an ambitious acquisitions effort at Trinity University's Elizabeth Coates Maddux Library during 1980/81, the library's cataloging department quintupled its monographic processing output while increasing its staff only by the addition of seven permanent and two temporary support staff members. Production standards, initially…

In 1905, Library of Congress Processing Services had about 100 employees in 2 divisions: Catalog and Order. Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress since 1899, cataloging chief James Hanson, and chief classifier Charles Martel were engaged in restoring order to library's collections and centralizing cataloging activity for entire country. (41…

Includes three articles that address issues associated with the automation and management of library acquisitions departments. Highlights include the systems librarian's point of view; restructuring the cataloging and acquisitions departments in a large academic library after NOTIS implementation; and the workflow in a smaller university library.…

A feasibility study identified the information requirements and alternative solutions for the Hawaii State Library System. On recommendation of the library service directors, the Book Inventory Building and Library Oriented System (BIBLOS) was purchased and installed. The system presently provides for automated acquisitions, orders, accounts,…

Provides description of four branches of the National Library of Papua New Guinea: (1) Readers Services Branch (reference, film, serials, and Papua New Guinea collections); (2) National Archives and Records Service; (3) Advisory Services (provides support to special, public, and school libraries); (4) Technical Services Branch (acquisitions,…

Reviews the ways in which technical processing personnel enable libraries to provide fast and accurate access to information, and discusses the impact of technological change on the role and duties of technical processing personnel, the nature of library service, and existing organizational structures. (CLB)

This report discusses the implementation of DOBIS, an online, integrated library system run on a shared-use mainframe computer, at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Library during 1984 and 1985. General information about BCIT, the library, and DOBIS is provided, and the project background is discussed. An overview of the…

The activities of the Library of Congress (LC) for the 1980-1981 fiscal year are described in this report. Its seven main sections cover the areas of administration, national programs, services to Congress, processing services, research services, the LC Law Library, and the Copyright Office. Lists of officers and consultants of the library and an…

Written when an in-house retrospective conversion project on the monographs collection of an academic library was 80% complete, this paper presents factors for consideration by decision-makers prior to establishing a similar project. Topics considered together with a description of how North Carolina State University (NCSU) handled each, include:…

The activities of the Library of Congress (LC) for the 1978-1979 fiscal year are described in this report. Its seven main sections cover the areas of administration, national programs, services to Congress, processing services, research services, the LC law library, and copyright services. Appendices provide data on the LC trust fund board,…

A system study of the Shelter Rock Public Library was conducted using available documents, background statistical data, and site visits. The library was found to be a strong public institution. The study group's major recommendations included: reorganization of the staff into three major departments--public services, technical services, and…