Describes the range of products and services offered by VTLS, a company that offers comprehensive, integrated library automation software and customer support. VTLS's growth and development in the United States and abroad is described, and nine sidebar articles detail system features and applications in public, academic, and virtual libraries. (20…

The Australian university system can fund the creation of a scholarly collection of serials for use by the nation by increasing the average expenditure on libraries from 5.1% to 5.3% of total university expenditure. Once the national collection has been built, virtual access can be provided using a Web-based model called MEADS (Monash Electronic…

Describes a cyber-learning project for the World Wide Web developed by faculty and librarians at the University of Delaware that combined discovery learning with problem-based learning to develop critical thinking and quality management for information. Undergraduates were to find, evaluate, and use information to generate an Internet marketing…

Describes the Vermont Automated Libraries System and the use of information technology. Topics include rural public library access; software; multitype library cooperation, including public, school, academic, and special libraries; Internet access; government information; public user access; system design; document delivery capabilities; and…

Computing and educational technologies allow cooperation between faculty and academic librarians and redefinition of their relationships with students and information. Searching and assessing Internet content, the process of using technology, and lobbying in the area of information policy and infrastructure are all important. An action plan is…

Highlights problems facing academic and research libraries in Ghana in providing scientific and technical information. Challenges include poor collections and inadequate funding. Topics include library cooperation, training in interlibrary lending and document delivery in the United Kingdom and in Denmark, and the need for CD-ROM databases and…

This report documents the results of a survey on the current use and management of approval plans, and compares them with similar studies published in SPEC kits in 1982 and 1988. Overall, Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions still consider approval plans to be efficient and cost effective. Survey results include: (1) the percentage…

The Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) surveyed Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions to measure the degree of electronic resource sharing in ARL libraries; to discover which resources are being shared and between what kinds of institutions; and what documentation is available. Of the 119 ARL institutions surveyed, 53…

This report describes Copenhagen (Denmark) Business School Library's (CBSL) use of performance measurement to manage the quality of library services and facilities. The CBSL quality management program consists of: a statement of strategic goals of development and operation, including a focus on users, good service, efficient internal functions,…

This study shows how performance measurement can be developed to take advantage of the most advanced computer software and hardware now available. The "Toolbox" study was commissioned by the European Commission (EC) and undertaken by De Montfort University in partnership with Essex County Libraries and the Library and Information…

This final report describes a two-year project to create a library-supported Scholar's Workstation that provides convenient, timely user access to information in or near the scholar's workplace, particularly in relation to environmental studies. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) librarians demonstrated current and emerging information…

Designed as a planning tool and a statement of philosophy and mission, this five-part strategic planning report provides information on the activities, goals, and review processes of the Learning Resource Services (LRS) at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas. The LRS combines library services, access to computer terminals, and other…

The South Carolina State Library's plan for use of Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title I, II, and III funds is presented. Highlights include: a profile of the public, including special needs populations; profiles of the state's libraries and their needs; criteria, priorities and procedures for library improvement under Title I…

The 12 papers in this volume explore the development of electronic texts in the humanities and describe the possible roles for libraries as electronic books take the place of printed ones. The diverse perspectives of librarians, publishers, system administrators, scholars, readers, and writers are brought into conjunction, and a number of…

End-user interfaces for the online public access catalogs (OPACs) of OhioLINK, a system linking major university and research libraries in Ohio, and its 16 member libraries, accessible through the Internet, are compared and evaluated from the user-oriented perspective. A common, systematic framework was used for the scientific observation of the…