This article presents an interview with SirsiDynix CEO Gary M. Rautenstrauch and newly appointed VP of library relations Berit Nelson about some of the issues that have been roiling the ILS world and the company itself, among them the recent consolidation of SirsiDynix's offices, customer service, the state of library budgets, the rise of ebooks…

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…

Explains portals as tools that gather a variety of electronic information resources, including local library resources, into a single Web page. Highlights include cross-database searching; integration with university portals and course management software; the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) Scholars Portal Initiative; and selected vendors…

We should be grateful that Terry Reese had to work his way through college. As a work-study student, taught to do cartographic cataloging in the University, of Oregon's map library, he discovered the mental challenges libraries offered. Later he became Oregon State University (OSU)'s cataloger for networked resources and digital unit production…

Identifies factors which may account for user dissatisfaction with online public access catalogs (OPACs) and discusses some advantages of OPACs over card catalogs: (1) design for subject searching; (2) flexibility; (3) browsing capability; (4) precision; (5) availability of status information; and (6) development of microcomputer software to…

Describes results of a survey of librarians conducted using the Internet, regarding their attitudes toward electronic mail and networking. Topics addressed include software; the effect on job descriptions; privacy issues; use in academic libraries; navigation problems; discussion groups; and perceived value. A sidebar discusses network etiquette.…

Summarizes four options for libraries that want to offer end user searching: end user systems (Bibliographic Retrieval Service's Afterdark, DIALOG's Knowledge Index); front-end microcomputer software (Sci-Mate Searcher, Pro-Search, WILSEARCH); gateway services (EASYNET); and local databases (now available on floppy and compact discs). Advantages…