"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") focuses on current and emerging topics that are strategically important to research libraries. The articles explore issues, share information, pose critical questions, and provide examples. This issue includes the following articles: (1) Special at the Core: Aligning, Integrating, and…

This article discusses a project undertaken to assess the journals in a Big Deal package by applying a weighted value algorithm measuring quality, utility, and value of individual titles. Carried out by a national library consortium in Canada, the project confirmed the value of the Big Deal package while providing a quantitative approach for…

The electronic parliamentary library at the European Union (EU) level is developing to meet the needs of a changing political context. It is emerging in multiple forms: cooperation among EU institutions; cooperation among EU parliaments; and the service of the European Parliament itself. The development of electronic service presents a management…

This proceedings contains papers from the 1998 annual conference of the Pacific Islands Association of Libraries and Archives (PIALA). After welcoming remarks from Henry Robert and Isabel Rungrad, the following papers are included: "Sharing Our Successes, Discussing Our Future: A Survey of Pacific Collections Activities--Report from the…

This paper discusses some of the lessons learned in the collaboration of the TriUniversity Group (TUG) of libraries; three universities in Ontario--the University of Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of Waterloo--participate in TUG. Four critical areas of influence in creating a human climate for effective inter-institutional…

The number of elderly people in Denmark continues to grow, which means there is an increasing need for special library services to those elderly who are not able to come to the library because of physical or mental limitations. This paper uses the practices of Sollerod Public Libraries (Sollerod, Denmark) to frame the discussion of the following:…

Surveys the new directions for research in the humanities that are both under way and projected. Digital applications and collaborative partnerships are key elements. Discusses collaboration and partnership; new strategic directions for the British Library; the British Library's e-strategy; collaborative e-ventures in support of research and…

This paper describes the increasingly dynamic involvement of information professionals in the learning and teaching process in higher education. The converged service model at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) is described. Established in 1995, the converged service brought the university library, computing service, television service,…

This paper presents a Knowledge Sharing project at the Aarhus School of Business (Denmark). As a result of a close cooperation between the Faculty of Modern Languages and the Library of the Aarhus School of Business, a Learning Resource Centre (LRC) is being established. The LRC serves as an exploratorium for the development and testing of new…

Discusses the early days of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) in Europe, and developments in its usage. Highlights include negotiations between OCLC and France; retrospective conversion; reorganization and restructuring; the gradual approach to international use of OCLC; problems facing European libraries using OCLC; and benefits. (AEF)

This paper discusses changes in information services at university libraries in Israel, focusing on the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Highlights include: combining the 20 departmental libraries at the Technion into one library system; efforts to build the status of the central library as the libraries' leader; the integrated library…

Libraries in the United States have generally been successful in collecting the major metropolitan newspapers from Southeast Asia. They have been less than successful in collecting regional and specialty newspapers. Issues surrounding newspaper collecting include: identification; acquisition; processing, shelving, and storage; and preservation,…

Shared knowledge, while not a new concept, is receiving new emphasis in a global society. National and other research libraries can fruitfully collaborate to maximize the public value of their materials. The partnership of the British Library with the Harry Ransom Center (University of Texas at Austin) is one example of this. (Author)

This paper discusses the need for developing provincial/state, regional, and district partnerships to provide critical support for library media programs at the building level. It maintains that the experts who provide leadership at each level must be strong advocates for the integration of the library media program into all aspects of the…