For more than 150 years, the United States Government Printing Office (GPO), along with its Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), has supported an informed citizenry and democracy by ensuring access and preservation to a broad swath of federal government information. This collaborative national public information program between local…

Integrating advanced imaging and processing capabilities in libraries, archives, and museums requires effective systems and information management to ensure that the large amounts of digital data about cultural artifacts can be readily acquired, stored, archived, accessed, processed, and linked to other data. The Library of Congress is developing…

As library collections increasingly become digital, libraries are faced with many challenges regarding the acquisition and management of electronic resources. Some of these challenges include copyright and fair use, the first-sale doctrine, licensing versus ownership, digital preservation, long-term archiving, and, most important, the issue of…

This report addresses the question of what libraries and archives are legally empowered to do to preserve and make accessible for research their holdings of unpublished pre-1972 sound recordings. The report's author, June M. Besek, is executive director of the Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts at Columbia Law School. Unpublished sound…

Discusses precautions which can be taken to minimize loss or damage to library buildings and collections resulting from natural disasters (fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, storms). Preventive measures (alarm systems, interior protection), salvage efforts, restoration of collection and library facility, rebuilding collection and…

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) organized an invitational conference in May 2003 to examine the key factors shaping the information environment in which libraries operate and how these factors will affect stewardship of the cultural and intellectual resources vital to education and research. Scholars, library directors,…

This set of guidelines, for audiovisual and multimedia materials in libraries of all kinds and other appropriate institutions, is the product of many years of consultation and collaborative effort. As early as 1972, The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Public Library Manifesto had stressed the need for…

Libraries have taken some major hits lately, again raising questions about how or whether libraries will survive a constantly shifting information landscape. The intrusion of the Web threatens to alter libraries in ways far different from those of past technological changes. Already the Web is affecting the very core areas of library services: (1)…

During the fiscal year covered by this report, the Council allocated $1,401,982 for the support of 32 new projects and continued or completed work on a number of others. In the area of administration and management, the Council is continuing the long-range program designed to help libraries make maximum use of available resources. Since 1968 the…

This annual report of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) begins with a list of supporters, a letter from the chairman, and a message from the president. The major CLIR programs are then described: (1) Preservation and Access, including domestic and international activities; (2) Digital Libraries, including developing libraries…

The merger of the Commission on Preservation and Access and the Council on Library Resources (CLR) became official on May 30, 1997 when the Board approved the new enterprise, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The CLIR statement of mission calls on the organization to identify the critical issues that affect the welfare and…

This annual report of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) contains a list of funders and sponsors, and includes a message from the president. The major CLIR programs are described: (1) Preservation and Access, including international projects in South Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe; (2) Digital Libraries, including…

This report examines the potential impact of optical media--videodiscs, compact audio discs, and optical disks, tapes, and cards--in library related applications. A detailed consideration of the technology includes discussion of the underlying principles, the various forms in which the technology is marketed, production methods and costs, and the…

The 16 recommendations of the 1978 Ohio White House Conference on Library and Information Services are presented with background information and identification of salient issues. Concerns include the legal structure of public libraries, funding, library services (particularly for those with special needs), public relations, preservation, library…

Nationwide interest in restoring excellence to education continued into 1984, but made no dent in the Reagan administration's determination to eliminate federal library programs. Congress is again resisting this third year of zero budgets, despite efforts to contain soaring federal deficits. Few issues pending in this second session of the 98th…