The explosion of information and the popularity of the Internet and commercial search engines have required librarians to take a fresh look at their profession. The overwhelming amount of information now available has brought new demands and expectations. The need to bring information to the remote user has encouraged the creation of many…

E-mail reference services in Ohio public libraries was studied using the survey method in January 1999. Through the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN), the researcher identified 94 Ohio public libraries that have World Wide Web pages that host an e-mail address as a contact method. Fifty-nine questionnaires were returned, resulting in…

Reports on time effectiveness and success rate of various methods used by the Interlibrary Loan Department (ILL) of the Paul Klapper Library, Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY). Requests processed by ILL during fall 1979 and spring 1981 on the OCLC ILL subsystem, a CUNY teletype service, and the New York State Interlibrary Loan…

Sketches the role of computerized library networking in the electronic library of the future and discusses briefly the likely effects of changes in methods of communication on the various social systems in which libraries interact. Accompanying the text are four figures and a 13-item reference list. (Author/JL)

Although Spanish interlibrary loans (ILL) have increased from 100 to 525 per 100,000 inhabitants, there are still many problems to resolve. Examines a plan developed by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) Library Network to improve ILL services. Provides a comparative analysis of ILL services from 1992-1995. Includes charts…

Describes the HELOS project in Denmark, which is using information technology to facilitate library development, increase levels of library and information services, and increase levels of technological qualifications of library staff among four rural libraries. The discussion highlights library and information services offered, hardware and…

Describes a study that examined the impact of federated library systems on member library services, resources, and operations in Pennsylvania. The discussion includes a rationale for the research methodology used, and comments on the absence of reliable library statistics and published reports as a basis for comparison with pre-systems situations.…

Describes the process by which librarians at the Chevron and Gulf Oil Corporations managed the merger of corporation libraries and developed a framework for a company-wide library network. The discussion covers corporate policies for information exchange, shared resources, and cost control, and examines factors that led to the success of the…

Summarizes the topics covered at a seminar for rural librarians in Australia that focused on practical solutions to the problems inherent in being physically and professionally isolated. Areas discussed included education and training, communication and networking, and library management and services. (10 references) (CLB)

Discussion of resource sharing and interlibrary loans in Illinois libraries focuses on patron-initiated interlibrary loans. The implementation of a patron-initiated service in the Lincoln Trail Libraries System Automation Consortium is described; results are discussed; and a shift in lending and borrowing patterns is examined. (LRW)

Examines data from the National Center for Educational Statistics to determine whether networking and resource-sharing activities of public libraries have increased libraries' use of Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Results suggest that libraries have significantly increased their borrowing through ILL in recent years. Two tables provide loan statistics.…

Examines the current state of cooperative reference services through a review of the literature and interviews with librarians involved in cooperative services. Topics discussed include the need for cooperative reference services; structure, staffing, and funding; the use of communications technology; and factors to consider in planning…

This theme issue discusses the Illinois Library and Information Network (ILLINET). Topics addressed include network components, the interlibrary loan code, the resource sharing union catalog, the OCLC users' group, OCLC's EPIC service, access to indexing services, SILO (Serials of Illinois Libraries Online) members, and excerpts from the…

Describes the use of LINKWAY, an IBM hypermedia software product, to provide extended access to library collections and services in the Indiana State University Library Automation Network (SULAN). Implications of providing extended easy access for library services, user instruction, collection development, and resource sharing are considered.…

Academic libraries in China are transforming traditionally isolated and separated operations by initiating an integral library system to connect all academic libraries nationwide with each other and with other information networks abroad. The current academic library environment in China, the concept of the integral library system, and major goals…