News aggregator databases offer different content and features, but there is little guidance on how these databases compare. This article compares the coverage scope, availability of 35 U.S. newspaper titles, and features of six news aggregators available to U.S. academic libraries: "Newspaper Source Plus" (EBSCO), "Factiva,"…

The advent of large-scale digital repositories, along with the need for sharing useful data world-wide, demands change to the current information structure. The merging of digital scientific data with scholarly literature has the potential to fulfill the Semantic Web design principles. This paper will identify factors leading to integration of…

Addresses issues relating to federal legislation that provides electronic access to federal databases and information through the Government Printing Office (GPO). Highlights include the role of depository libraries; public access; funding; publishing restrictions; national standards; and political issues, including opposition from the National…

Discusses the control of digital content and the stakes for libraries and our democratic culture. Highlights include copyright term extension, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, use of contract law to limit the public domain, database legislation, trademarks versus the public domain, the void in our cultural vocabulary, and the concept of the…

This document contains eight papers by American participants in the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Seminar on Access to Library Resources through Technology and Preservation: (1) "The Automation of Libraries and Information Services in the United States" (Richard De Gennaro); (2) "Databases: Issues in the Bibliographic Control of Information in a…

Today's school libraries must meet student needs as both a physical and virtual space. Existing both offline and online, they must offer around-the-clock access as well as instruction and guidance that support the face-to-face interactions of students with librarians and classroom teachers. Although students are often technologically proficient,…

Describes Internet, a collection of telecommunications networks that links government agencies, educational institutions, and other research organizations so that users can share access to databases and files. Topics discussed include problems in identifying what is available; access concerns; ethical behavior; support and training issues for…

Discusses the final report of the American Library Association's Commission on Freedom and Equality of Access to Information, which addresses such issues as telecommunications, access to electronic and government information, preservation, illiteracy, censorship, copyright, libel, postal rates, and the future role of libraries in providing access…

Describes the Electronic Dissemination of Information database operated by Martin Marietta Data Systems, under contract to the Department of Agriculture, to illustrate the issues and problems librarians face in trying to provide access to government information in electronic formats, and to discuss the role of public and private sectors in…

Discusses the role of libraries in providing access to data in electronic form. Types of data are described, including social data, scientific data, and humanities data; the definition of libraries and library services is considered; and acquisition of the skills needed to provide effective access is discussed. (20 references) (LRW)

Discussion of the influences of technology on the publishing industry focuses on locally loaded databases and database licensing to help integrate a variety of data into one system for libraries. Local online systems are described, and the responsibilities and roles of the library, the publisher, and the vendor are discussed. (LRW)

In the first of two articles, William Potter discusses the drawbacks and opportunities presented by advances in technology, including budgeting for online access, dealing with publishers and producers, and relating to computing centers. In the second, Paul Metz discusses collection development in academic libraries with emphasis on new electronic…

Description of how library media specialists can assist teachers and administrators in retrieving useful information by using ERIC highlights its organization, the types of materials available that are especially useful to classroom teachers, and ways that it can be accessed online. A list of ERIC Clearinghouses with addresses is included. (EM)

The development of CD-ROM following early computers and powerful personal computers will affect information retrieval by its accessibility and large storage capacity. Users will demand specific information and data sets from libraries, which could provide large research capacities. Librarians will act as database managers, thus enhancing their…

Librarians cannot distribute their collections electronically until the problems of intellectual property and free-and-equal access are resolved. Libraries must overcome restrictions of "virtual libraries" thereby making copyrighted texts freely available. Libraries must be promoted as places where readers freely consult both copyrighted…