In February 2008, the faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University made history, unanimously passing a revolutionary open access mandate that, for the first time, would require faculty to give the university copies of their research, along with a nonexclusive license to distribute them electronically. In the press, Harvard University…

The motivation for the American Library Trustees Association's move for independence from ALA is the Urban Library Trustees Council. (NH)

Suggests decision making techniques that can be used to estimate the consequences of choosing alternative courses of action, to select an optimum strategy, or to determine how sensitive predicted outcomes are to particular assumptions. Microcomputer use, quantitative techniques, and examples involving item reordering and adoption of word…

Explores microcomputer revolution and assesses role of microcomputers in libraries. Highlights include characteristics of three types of computers (mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers); hardware limitations of microcomputers (storage capacity, processing speed); advancing technology; the local area network; software problems; and…

The need for bibliographic control of microforms is generally recognized, and the technology for establishing such control exists. Efforts so far towards achieving this end have been uncoordinated, poorly supported, and generally unsuccessful. (Author/VT)

Discusses the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS). Topics discussed include conference issues, including keynote speakers, procedural difficulties, and the failure to attract media attention; and substantive issues, including a recommendation to establish an office to focus on children and youth literacy, and…

Indicates the trials the student of history faces when trying to exploit the resources of archives and research libraries, both in the USA and abroad. (VT)

A response to the editorial "Pitt and the Pendulum" by John Berry, an article concerned with the problems of research libraries in this time of change and uncertainty. (Author/KP)

Discusses recent changes in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), arguing that the adoption of the well-recognized codes for thesauri has created confusion because the LCSH is not a true thesaurus. The distinction between subject headings and terms are clarified and a possible solution to the problems with the LCSH is suggested. (5…

Addresses issues of safety and security in libraries. Topics discussed include keeping library collections safe; patron behavioral problems; factoring loss into the budget; staff theft; access versus security; apathy regarding library crime; a need for a unified security apparatus; preventive measures; staff and patron safety; and a…

The plain fact about information science...is that its practitioners do not know what they are talking about and are unable to describe the product they are trying to produce. (16 references) (Author)

Libraries face problems because of lack of discrimination between similar and same in dealing with circulation systems, shared systems, collection development and evaluation, classification systems, and in tailoring collections to meet user needs. (Author/SJ)

Poses four issues concerning library catalogs and cataloging and presents suggestions toward resolution of these problems. Cost considerations, cataloging system design, the catalog's role in shaping service users receive and those they are encouraged to seek, and contradictory requirements of the catalog are highlighted. (EJS)

A decade after the establishment of a library system, Spring Valley's Finkelstein Library has seceded from the system. (Author)

Traces the evolution of the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication (CIP) program and discusses its value to libraries, including its use for cataloging, acquisitions, and collection development. Perspectives from participating publishers are given, future possibilities are discussed, and a sidebar describes problems with CIP. (LRW)