Eight articles deal with library networking issues: (1) the library role; (2) development of a real computer network; (3) attitudes toward networks; (4) the emergence of local systems; (5) the Western Library Network; (6) the Cooperative Library Agency for Systems and Services; (7) the future of OCLC; and (8) building a unified information…

Reviews the history of the relationship between OCLC and the regional networks, and examines current stresses in this relationship. Strategies that might be used to preserve this partnership are suggested. (1 reference) (Author/CLB)

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)

Argues that the growing use of technology is beginning to erode the free library ethic by blurring distinctions between commercial and not-for-profit information suppliers and fostering competition between and among various suppliers. It is suggested that libraries need to implement new entrepreneurially oriented management structures to cope with…

Examines the impact of information technology, the economics of information, and changing patterns of scholarly communication on the role of the academic library. Libraries are called upon to cooperate in building a national information network for scholarly communications based on existing bibliographic utilities and the developing academic…

Considers the role of librarians in the networked information age. Topics include contributions of librarians to information technology, including bibliographic utilities, online database searching services, and public access to electronic information; future challenges, including controlling costs; considering community objectives; and the…

Examines current OCLC practices and future possibilities under the leadership of K. Wayne Smith. Topics discussed include the changing roles of libraries, business, and government; the electronic information future; network possibilities, including the NREN (National Research and Education Network); future collaborations; online databases; and…

Written by a board member of OCLC, this paper discusses critical issues relating to OCLC for the remaining decade of the twentieth century. A brief history of OCLC traces its development and recounts its goals and missions to establish a computerized network to promote the evolution of library use, of libraries themselves, and of librarianship.…

This paper describes work being carried out in the fields of online education provision and library systems, beginning with a description of the current state of the art with regard to online learning environments and educational materials management. Suggestions and solutions for librarians dealing with the management of educational digital…

This report, which considers the role of networking activities associated with the technical telecommunication links that bind libraries, services, and patrons together, begins with a historical review of libraries and automation-based systems over the last 19 years. The importance of the development and implementation of standards in interactive…

The 25 articles in this book were written by librarians as a guide for reference services personnel working in two-year college libraries. Part I, The Community College Reference Mission, includes "Community College Services," by Derrie B. Roark; "Community College Librarianship: A Changing Frontier," by Marilyn Searson Lary; "Typical Is Atypical:…