Arguing that library and information needs should be met at the national, rather than at the local level, this report analyzes ways to meet these needs with special reference to the role of national libraries. The first two chapters highlight such library and information concerns as: (1) collection and preservation of documents of national…

Reports on an agreement signed by 15 leaders of large U.S. research libraries and archives to collaborate on the establishment of a National Digital Library Federation which will implement an open digital library consisting of digitized collections accessible via the Internet. Also lists the federation's mission, goals, and participant names and…

Discusses the establishment of a digital National Library of Energy Science and Technology, a key initiative that the Department of Energy is pursuing to make its program and research and development information accessible to the public. Describes the program objectives, features of the National Library, potential performance measures, benefits,…

This paper provides background on The National Library of Estonia (NLE), discusses a fellowship project for developing the National Library, and presents the impressions of the author, an Estonian American, who traveled to Estonia. The NLE looks to the West for automation, information, and institutional modeling. The NLE is Estonia's equivalent of…

Places recent developments in German library and archival history in their historical context and summarizes information about collections whose status is likely to continue changing in the near term. The discovery and rehabilitation of five archives are described. The history of German library collections and their destruction and transfer to…

The responsibility of the National Library of Education (NLE) is to maintain a comprehensive collection of education information, to serve as a central point for education information services, and to establish a national network of education information providers. This report contains recommendations that are intended to challenge the NLE to…

This paper provides a brief survey of Australian newspaper publishing history and describes the National Library's Australian newspaper holdings. Its newspaper collection policy and some of the national issues and initiatives being undertaken to ensure access to and preservation of Australian newspapers are outlined. Highlights include: retention…

The National Film Registry, which is primarily a designated list of films to be preserved by the Library of Congress, is also a valuable tool for selecting "films that are culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant." Following a brief discussion of the history and selection process of the National Film Registry, Southeast…

Library collections and their value and uses in the Library of Congress are the topics addressed in this pamphlet, which features two opposing papers. In "Collections at the Core," Stephen Ostrow argues that priority should be given to such collection-based activities as developing, preserving, and providing access to, in their original…

This paper describes some basic architectural choices for the access to and preservation of digital objects at the National Library of Norway. A digital repository is a core element for the handling of both access to and preservation of the digital objects. Strategies for giving access to the complete holdings include the use of a powerful search…

A broad international perspective is taken in this examination of the objectives of national repository planning; general principles on which a plan should be based; selection for national retention; criteria by which alternative national systems should be judged; and the main alternative models assessed against these criteria. (5 references) (CLB)

Discusses the National Library of Australia's leadership of the Australian library system in light of the failure of key electronic aspects of the Strategic Plan. Topics include overseas collecting; electronic access; the Distributed National Collection (DNC); culturally discriminatory collecting policy; and costs of access, including user fees.…

The following 21 papers were delivered for the Special Libraries Division of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions at its 1992 annual meeting: (1) "From Indochina to Afghanistan: Arts from Abroad in Parisian Libraries" (M. F. Macouin); (2) "The Indonesian Archeology Photograph and Documentation System…

This paper discusses access to Asian serials (i.e., Asian and Western language titles, including publications from Asia, as well as serials about Asia produced elsewhere) in Australian libraries. Background is provided on the development of Asian collections since the 1950s. Results of a 1994 national survey of Asian materials are summarized.…