The 49 papers presented in this volume are evidence of the research, scholarship, and professional nature of the offerings of the third National Conference of African American Librarians, sponsored by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. The papers are arranged into nine tracks and Pre-Conference topics: I: Library Connections: An…

This paper describes library services to multicultural users in Sweden. The first section addresses library buildings and staff, stressing the importance of a welcoming environment. Library materials and technique are discussed in the second section, including media in other languages and access to the Internet. The third section considers…

There are many ways in which the school library can contribute to the personal growth of students with disabilities enrolled in mainstream schools and in fostering acceptance and understanding of these students by their non-disabled peers. A four-year study of school library provision for students with disabilities in two Australian states,…

This paper discusses information gateways and equal access to information. Highlights include: the development of the physical infrastructure of libraries; globalization as it relates to the use of software; Internet controls such as the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act; the psycho-social component of libraries; computer literacy and…

This report summarizes the activities of the South Carolina State Library for 1998-1999. Sections include: (1) library governance and mission statement; (2) brief library history; (3) details about the organization and operations of the library, including a description of each of the six service departments, a list of library staff, highlights of…

This paper describes the increasingly dynamic involvement of information professionals in the learning and teaching process in higher education. The converged service model at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) is described. Established in 1995, the converged service brought the university library, computing service, television service,…

This Delphi study examined what the role of an academic library will be and what skills an academic librarian will need in the year 2005. The study involved two rounds of questions and was conducted between December 1998 and April 1999. Responses were received from 23 experts in 10 countries. In the first round of the study, the experts were asked…

This paper describes the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Library's strategic plan to develop its services amid an atmosphere of change. A summary of the following components of the strategic plan is given: vision; mission; values; and goals. The revised organizational functions are then illustrated, as well as the role of the selector-liaison…

This paper focuses on the responsiveness of libraries to user needs within the context of a changing academic environment. First, the character of the changes in the academic environment and the consequences of them for the relationship between scientific information and users are elaborated. Then, the kinds of responses needed for the adequate…

This paper reports on a project that involved the digitization of manuscripts from the Boswell Collection (i.e., personal papers of James Boswell) by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University (Connecticut). In this case, the digitization process was designed to serve a group of scholars already at work on a publication…

In the 1970s, German academic libraries discovered user education as a new area of responsibilities, although promising activities at the end of the decade were not continued because of the lack of staff and organizational conditions. Since the beginning of the 1990s, activities in that field have been renewed, especially by large academic…

This paper discusses copyright issues for educators. The Fair Use Doctrine is described, focusing on the following points that must be evaluated before determining Fair Use: (1) purpose and character of work; (2) nature of the copyrighted work; (3) amount and substantiality; and (4) effect upon potential market. Other topics covered include…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit is based on a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries in June 2000. The goal of the survey was to identify issues to be addressed and actions ARL might take to advance the preservation goals of the members. The survey was designed to gather data on recent changes,…

Libraries are in a process of fundamental change brought about by radical changes in technology. This paper charts the changes that have taken place over the years and makes some assumptions as to how the future will look. Barriers to increased use of technology are analyzed and detailed, including: lack of uniformity in search systems; the…

This paper discusses new strategies and potential roles for libraries for the blind, based on the author's experiences at the Danish National Library for the Blind (DBB). The first section is an introduction that provides background on DBB. The second section considers characteristics of the information community. The third section describes the…