The director of the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) provides historical perspective on CRL's development and discusses issues that have triggered debate on its objectives, programs, fees, and membership categories. Reactions to CRL by seven directors of research libraries, both members and nonmembers of CRL, are presented. (EJS)

This SPEC Kit, published six times per year, examines how Association of Research Libraries (ARL) libraries have structured themselves to identify networked information resources in the market, to evaluate them for purchase, to make purchasing decisions, to publicize them, and to assess their continued utility. In the summer of 1999, the survey…

The Research Libraries Group is expanding its mission to include alliances with the archival community, the museum community, independent research libraries, and learned societies. Areas of emphasis include collections and information delivery, protecting materials, and assisting in development of computer systems. (DB)

A task force was appointed to insure that New York State's health information service programs were operating optimally. The task force was charged to review: (1) the effectiveness of the guidelines and assessment form as published in the "Manual for Assessing the Quality of Health Sciences Libraries in Hospitals"; (2) the present…

In 1988, the Associated College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania received a grant to create a value-added, compact disk, union catalog from the U.S. Department of Education's College Library Technology and Cooperative Grants Program, Title II of the Higher Education Act. Designed to contain, in time, 2,000,830 records from 17 member library…

Included in the transcript of this semiannual meeting of the Assocation of Research Libraries (ARL) are the following: (1) papers by Sharon Hogan on the definition of data in an online environment, by John Black on ways of communicating data, and by Peter Wolters on data sharing and library networking in the United States and Canada; (2) a record…

This group of documents presents material on collection development and a list of collection intensity indicators from the Research Libraries Group (RLG), as well as examples of collection assessment techniques from seven members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). ARL member documents cover the assessment of art periodical,…

These papers discuss various options for a computerized national bibliographic network and highlight the problems and potential of developing such a database. Following a brief explanation of the conference purpose and organization, 10 primary papers are presented: (1) "A Brief Overview of Computerized Library Networking in Canada," by…

Scandinavian library cooperation, which began informally in the nineteenth century, has benefited from similarities in language, history, background, political system, ideals, and materials, and has been comparatively easy to establish. The Scandia Plan, launched in the 1950's, was the first Scandinavian library cooperation program to receive…

Noting that the primary function of electronic mail within research libraries has changed from interlibrary loan to administrative purposes in the last four years, this kit begins with an overview of the results of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) surveys of the use of electronic mail (e-mail) in member libraries conducted in 1984 and 1988.…

The articles in these four issues include discussions of: the Research Libraries Advisory Committee to OCLC; Title II-C grants for bibliographic access/control research projects; cooperative cataloging costs via OCLC; a research project on online public access; an OCLC examination of the UK-MARC format; use of the Comprehensive Index (CINDEX) and…

The potentialities for a reference and research library system which would serve Nassau and Suffolk Counties are examined in this study. The resources available, the needs of various users, and the necessary elements for a viable system, including financial considerations, are assessed. Basic data was obtained from the opinions of users and…

Described are existing components that could be linked together to form a Western Bibliographic Network or could provide products and services for Network members. The components reviewed are: (1) state library agencies, research libraries, state and multistate library networks, and other regional organizations in the 17-state western region and…

Special libraries can be expected to accept and approve the National Program for Library and Information Services although certain aspects of the program are antithetical to the nature of the special library. Traditionally independent, special libraries tend to have a local rather than national orientation and to resist standardization. Although…

The work of the Committee on the use of automation in Swedish research libraries has differed from that of a normal study group by virtue of its heavy concentration on the practical aspects of library catalog work, the present status of which is the main theme of this report. The model presented implies total and simultaneous integration of all…