Describes Gopher, a distributed document delivery service for electronic publishing across a computer network that allows a user to access data using a client-server communications model. The use of Gopher in campuswide information systems is described, and its use in libraries with electronic journals and multimedia documents is discussed. (three…

Financial need, inadequate preparation, racism, and lack of support groups contribute to low minority retention in higher education. Academic libraries can empower minority students with research and information skills, reflect diversity in their collections, and train staff in multicultural sensitivity. (SK)

Discusses results of a study of academic libraries that collected data on the employment status of librarians. Topics addressed include faculty status; appointments and expectations for promotional considerations, including tenure; and changes in the status of librarian appointments over the last 20 years. (five references) (LRW)

Argues that differing career aspirations among academic librarians may be addressed through a two-track system: one track for occupational librarians, who choose not to pursue higher career goals; and the second for professional librarians who continue to pursue their education and take on greater responsibilities. (EA)

Discusses the application of cellular technology for cellular data communications (CDC). The cellular phone system industry and market are described; barriers to CDC are explained; CDC applications for online searchers are discussed; and problems with using CDC for online searching are reviewed, including cost, portability, ease of use, and…

Discussion of the salaries of academic librarians focuses on the female majority in librarianship and women's lower sense of entitlement. Topics discussed include cognitive reevaluation; circumscribing the field of librarianship for salary comparison; and issues of entitlement and equity as they relate to self-esteem. (16 references) (LRW)

Proposes a model based on mechanical selection for core collection development that is appropriate for large and medium-size academic research libraries. Statistics that show a large percent of desirable books are published by a small percent of publishers are presented, and titles published by university presses and by commercial presses are…

Presents results from two surveys of catalog departments in academic libraries that were conducted to determine the changing role of catalog librarians. Main areas of focus include catalog department organizational patterns; the managerial responsibilities of the cataloger; and which cataloging tasks are performed by professionals and which are…

Summarizes advantages, components, and manufacturers of CD-ROM networks based on experiences at the Central Connecticut State University library. Three configurations are described, and the steps in installing a network where a large number of databases are shared by a number of microcomputers are detailed. Licensing and network performance issues…

Describes various organizational structures and models, presents matrix management as an alternative to traditional hierarchical structures, and suggests matrix management as an appropriate organizational alternative for academic libraries. Benefits that are discussed include increased flexibility, a higher level of professional independence, and…

Examines the cooperative efforts of the Western Library Network (WLN) and its members to maintain authority control over its central bibliographic database. The first section describes authority maintenance activities performed by WLN centrally, and the second describes the contribution of an individual member library--the Washington State…

Discusses burnout among teaching librarians and suggests cooperative learning methods in bibliographic instruction classes as a way to avoid burnout. A workshop is described that was developed at SUNY College at Oswego to teach other librarians collaborative and cooperative teaching methods, and background materials on group work in education are…

Describes a study of the UCLA ORION online catalog that was conducted to determine (1) how often lengthy subject headings occur in the database, and what the effects of compressing the subject headings would be; and (2) how often the display of a term and its subdivisions are interrupted by syntactical construction. (seven references) (LRW)

Describes a study that examined bibliographic and circulation records for a sample of 248 academic dissertations to determine the effect of controlled subject headings in the records on circulation of the items. Results indicate that dissertations with Library of Congress subject headings were more likely to circulate. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the vulnerability of academic library collections in the rush to replace traditional printed materials with electronic resources. Explains the relationship between strong library collections and school rankings, faculty with doctorates, and faculty productivity. (LRW)