The sound approach in creating learning environments is in implementing a fully integrated library program that is both efficient and effective. Further, its definition and the way it works are stated.

Necessity is still the mother of invention, and physical processing is a reality for most libraries. Ergo, the inevitable development of Indigo Media and its innovative MediaPrint software, which allows distributors to overlay customized labels, logos, barcodes, and artwork onto retail labels of audiobooks, CDs, VHS tapes, DVDs, and CD-ROMs, on a…

In this article, the author addresses the importance of having orientation for new librarians. During their crucial first few weeks on the job, the author claims, new librarians need as much hands-on, real-world training as they can get. If they are ushered to the information desk without an introduction to the staff interface of the catalog or to…

Integration of library services into the portal that Lasalle University recently implemented for the entire campus is described. In addition to learning the technical aspects was the need to inspire change in the communication culture of the university and to rethink how the library provides services.

Public libraries are suffering budget cuts in most states nationwide, according to an informal LJ survey, with a significant segment--though not a majority characterizing the strictures as worse than in the early 1990s, the last time libraries were hit hard. LJ contacted state library agencies and, in some-cases, state library associations, for a…

There's no doubt about it: magazines can be a nuisance. They're easy to rip off, flimsy, and costly. The dogeared, thumb-smudged pages, missing subscription cards, and already-solved crossword puzzles and mazes (completed confidently in ink!) are sure signs that kids find magazines irresistible. Young children and teens love to flip casually…

Lynne Cutler's driving force is the intense curiosity that led her to audit 24 additional courses while studying librarianship. It is what drives her to make Oakland Public Library's services available to those with disabilities, so that everyone can have "access to all the things in life I treasure, like books, words, music, art,…

Dennis Wilson is a patient and persistent man. After three years of observation, data gathering, extensive discussion, and presentations, he reorganized his collection development team into seven members. Before, the work was distributed among 75 people. Wilson's motivation? The need to get products to patrons "as soon as possible." The…

For Jill Emery, an interest in librarianship came at an unusually young age. Today, Emery's earliest colleagues would be proud, not just of the vibrant career Emery has established for herself but for what she has done to lead the profession into the digital future. As director of electronic resources at the University of Houston, Emery is at the…

A recent library school graduate, Corey Harper was nominated by his colleagues at the University of Oregon (UO) because of the key role he played in implementing digital collections. Along with technical expertise, says Watson, he brought with him "[an ability to] balance idealism with expediency, the striving for perfection with the need to…

The following is a cost comparison of students photocopying print reserve readings for a typical college course versus printing out hard copies of the same articles if they are offered as electronic reserves at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The prices quoted were taken from the website of a major office supply company the week of…

In order to learn from experiences of academic libraries that combined their Circulation and Reference functions into one service point, an informal survey was conducted through relevant listservs. Some academic libraries have combined Circulation and Reference Departments at one desk and others are in the process of doing so. The results…

Are librarians doing all they can to ensure that customer services are delivered with the customer in mind? Librarians are great at helping, but we sometimes need help with identifying customers, defining their needs, developing services, and reviewing the processes behind the services. Fourth Generation Management provides new insight for…

The idea for a family literacy event resulted because teachers wanted more time to share reading strategies with parents, and parents wanted more information on how they could support and encourage their children with reading at home. With great success, Holy Cross School, Kemptville, Ontario, hosted a Family Literacy Night that coincided with the…

The Central Piedmont Community College Libraries moved from a separately maintained periodicals holdings list to a fully-integrated serials module. Establishing the serials module from scratch required the library to make a series of interrelated decisions beyond the realm of serials management and control. The implications of the serials module…