This document explores the transition from an analog to a digital environment for knowledge access, preservation, and reconstitution, and the implications of this transition for managing research collections. The volume comprises three reports. The first, "Can a New Research Library be All-Digital?" by Lisa Spiro and Geneva Henry,…

Most librarians know the importance of disaster preparedness. Many disasters could have been prevented altogether or have had reduced impact if institutions had been better prepared. This resource guide suggests how disaster preparedness can be achieved at cultural institutions. Twenty-three basic resource articles are presented to introduce…

This document presents three essays which challenge the image of women librarians as passive and subservient; reexamine the feminine ethic of caring; and document the power of a pervasive women's network that was generational as well as hierarchical and social. The first paper, "Invisible, Indestructible Network: Women and the Diffusion of…

Library binding is one of the activities typically included in newly created preservation departments, but librarians continue to discover that transforming a traditional binding program into one that better meets preservation objectives requires considerable investment of time. This resource guide is intended to help libraries review their…

At a conference in 1988 the Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona) began the process that resulted in development of the Ocotillo Action/Research Groups to study the development of educational technologies in the community college setting. This year-end report presents the following reports of the various working groups, which summarize activities…

Growing from a 1988 conference on educational technology, the Ocotillo Action/Research Groups of the Maricopa Community Colleges in Tempe (Arizona) have continued to explore ways of enhancing and developing the use of instructional technologies in the community colleges. This report presents the following annual reports of the groups, which…

The introduction to this Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit explains the Conspectus method, which was developed in 1980 by the Research Libraries Group (RLG) as a means of systematically and qualitatively evaluating large library collections. The discussion considers advantages and disadvantages of this tool, which evaluates past…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) kit provides a sample of excerpts from technical and planning documents contributed by 40 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries that are planning to install or have already implemented optical disc technology. Selected to represent a variety of media and applications, the…

This resource guide focuses on handling library materials that are too deteriorated to benefit from other preservation treatments. Hopeless case items, that would require an unreasonable amount of conservation work to fix, can be resolved through a process of reselecting items by replacing them or reformatting them. The reselection integrates…

Collections conservation is an approach to the preservation treatment of books and book-like materials that is conceptualized and organized in terms of large groups of materials. This guide is intended to enable a library to evaluate its current collections conservation activities. The introduction describes collections conservation and gives…

As background for its fifth meeting, Ocotillo, the faculty-driven think tank for instructional technology issues of the Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona), presents reports from its working groups for 1991-92. The groups explore the uses and development of educational technology, particularly in the community college setting. The reports are:…

This resource guide considers issues in the staffing and organization of preservation activities. It provides guidance in implementing a systematic preservation program and evaluates the structures of various types of preservation programs. The following articles complement the discussion of program models and implementation: (1)…

Based on telephone interviews with 12 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries, this report presents the underlying reasons for the libraries' decisions relating to the design and implementation of automated library systems. The survey results are summarized, a list of respondents is provided, and profiles of present and planned…

This resource guide provides information about the range of activities that can be implemented to maintain and improve the condition of research collections to ensure that they remain usable as long as possible. After an introduction that describes the major activities and a review of an investigation process that gives an overview of good…

This resource guide briefly defines, describes, outlines, and exemplifies a program with the goal of reaching library employees and library users with a message that states the positive benefits of enhanced collection preservation, longevity, usability, and access. The guide is organized and arranged to enable a library to evaluate its current…