Examines traditional systems of information service in Australia and comments on how these methods fit with the notions of national resource sharing and self-sufficiency. Discusses the Scientific Serials in Australian Libraries (SSAL), searching other organizations for materials, ILANET (Information Libraries Access Network) mail server,…

Libraries are moving into an era that incorporates improvements of a library's existing databases, embraces the research results of the information-seeking process, and makes fundamental improvements by adding new databases such as WordFocus. These new systems should convert the frustrated user of today's online public access catalog (OPAC) into…

Studies show that the older a child gets the less likely he or she is to trust a librarian. To encourage pre-YAs (pre-young adults, 6th-8th graders) to use the library, librarians should consider four elements: client, librarian, library, and materials and services. Discusses these elements and suggests how to make the library more appealing to…

Library users' perceptions of the quality of interlibrary loan service are examined. Ten Greater Midwest Research Libraries Consortium members distributed surveys to patrons. Findings indicate patrons' satisfaction is minimally related to actual delivery speed; satisfaction and perceptions of timeliness are strongly correlated; a delivery speed of…

Organizational changes in academic libraries are affecting the responsibilities of the library department head. This article examines the roles of traditional and reengineered department heads and describes the experience of the University of Illinois at Chicago in reengineering its library technical services operations. Includes a chart comparing…

Assesses the collections of Nigerian university libraries by comparing them to those of their peers in other African and British universities. Discusses the impact of the World Bank Loan Project on resuscitating Nigerian university libraries. Strategies for maintaining adequacy and relevance of the collections for the 21st century are recommended.…

Examines the effectiveness of a framework developed to measure service quality in academic libraries. The research, which was conducted in the seven university libraries of New Zealand during 1996 concluded that the survey questionnaire administered is an effective instrument for testing service quality. (AEF)

A one-year study of interlibrary loan expense was conducted at Wichita State University (KS) to identify areas of interlibrary loan expense, compare results of cost studies from large research libraries, and provide a reference point in determining how to best balance Interlibrary loans and commercial document delivery systems. Analyzes salary,…

More frequently, community connections are being expressed in library design briefs and reflected in the completed buildings. This collection of brief articles discusses community involvement in library design and services and describes library construction projects in Australia and Malaysia. Also, discusses community art programs, integrating…

From a librarian's point of view, children using the Internet need to be cautioned about more than just the dangers of offensive materials and persons. Topics include teaching critical-use skills for evaluating electronic reference sources, problems with commercialism, and differentiating between fact and opinion. (LRW)

Discusses the use of the World Wide Web by academic libraries for reference and instruction. Widespread availability of software for browsing, creating, editing, and mounting World Wide Web pages necessitates discussion on the development of a library Web site; Hyper Text Markup Language; software evaluation; suggestions for writing Web pages; and…

Describes the history and problems of mobile library programs in Africa based on a review of pertinent literature. Highlights include characteristics of African nations with mobile libraries; lack of funding and suitable materials; two examples of successful programs; and future possibilities, including the need for cooperation. (Author/LRW)

Offers practical information in chart and list format for presenting literature to infants and toddlers in group settings. Highlights include developmental characteristics; sample book titles to match to age characteristics; strategies for planning and presenting storytimes; related resources; and a bibliography. (Author/LRW)

The Queensland Department of Education (Australia) developed a homesteading model as an alternative to the urban-built environment model of large multi-purpose networks. This resulted in the in-house development of a low-cost, stand-alone server and homepage. The charette technique was used to plan and design the Queensland Department of Education…

Describes a project conducted at the University of Oxford (England) that examined the use of resources by trainee secondary history teachers to determine what history interns are taught about resource use, how approaches to resource use in their lesson planning change, and how libraries can better support trainee history teachers. (LRW)