The intent of this fourth volume of the "Survey of Automated Activities in the Libraries of the World" is to identify and describe computer-based library projects in the Latin American countries. Information was drawn from survey questionnaires sent to individual libraries. However, few of the South American libraries responded, and as a…

A survey of the status of the federal library community and its involvement with automation was undertaken; the results are summarized in this report. The study sought to define which library operations were susceptible to automation, to describe potentially useful automation techniques and to establish criteria for decisions about automation.…

This article deals with the results of a mini-evaluation of the microcatalogue environment at the University of Toronto Library, carried out in 1977. The microcatalogue environment, the purpose of the evaluation, its results, and how these results are used in decision-making are the main focus of this article. (Author/AP)

Reference librarians must, if they hope to survive, retool in preparation for becoming the interface between the patron and computer-based information systems. This involves sharpening the interview technique and understanding where to plug into the information flow process. (4 references) (Author)

Summary of survey of the American Library Association Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD) members concerning attitudes toward, need for, and preferences in acquiring information on automated information retrieval services. (KP)

The third phase of a four-phase program developed by the Federal Library Committee Task Force on Library Automation in conjunction with its overall objective of reviewing and reporting upon the status of automation in Federal libraries is reported. The first phase of the overall program appraised the current activities in library automation and…

A questionnaire was sent to all librarians on the Council of State Governments' state legislative reference librarians list and the directors of state library agencies in an effort to provide a data base for future studies and the development of standards in specific areas of legislative reference operations. Replies were received from 48 states.…

This directory is designed to provide information on automated systems and/or equipment used in libraries to provide a tool for planning future automation in the context of interlibrary cooperation considerations, and to inform the library and information community of the state of the art of automation in Massachusetts libraries. The main body is…

Many library operations involving large data banks lend themselves readily to computer operation. In setting up library computer programs, in changing or expanding programs, cost in programming and time delays could be substantially reduced if the programmers had access to library computer programs being used by other libraries, providing similar…

Describes a survey of 33 Research Libraries Group (RLG) academic libraries that was conducted to determine the extent to which they were involved in the use, collection, and support of machine-readable text files used in textual analysis. A selected bibliography of research in computer-aided textual analysis is included. (69 references) (LRW)

Automating a library can be an expensive, time-consuming endeavor that includes many risks. These risks can be reduced through a variety of methods: learning all one can about the systems available that perform the functions in which one is interested, clearly defining one's needs and expressing them succinctly to vendors, and learning how other…

A survey of libraries in south central Pennsylvania was designed to identify those that are using or planning to use databases and assess their perceived training needs. This report describes the methodology and analyzes the responses received form the 57 libraries that completed the questionnaire. Data presented in eight tables are concerned with…

Examines public library interlibrary loan statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) as a measure of the effectiveness of efforts to equalize service throughout a state. Data from 1988-89 are compared with data from approximately 5 years earlier from 35 states. Data without earlier year comparisons are offered for other…

This report contains the conduct, methodology, and major findings of a survey of all the libraries in Missouri to assess their needs for a statewide database. The survey addresses the current state of automation, the functions that libraries would like to see a database perform, the materials to be included in the database, and the means of…

Discussion of the activities of academic libraries focuses on a survey of 27 English-speaking West African university libraries. The effects of technology are discussed, activities in West African university libraries are compared with activities in other African countries, and implications for West African librarians are suggested. (12…