This book, first published in 1988, offers valuable discussions on networking concerns such as governance, planning, economic and legal problems, leadership needs, appropriate products and services, improving the political environment, and more. They address many of the reservations about interlibrary cooperative programs that are privately expressed by some administrators - the need for reliance on other institutions, the loss of autonomy, and the cost, benefits, and feasibility of such commitments. This book's valuable contributions - reflecting the changed environment for library administrators - provide a variety of different perspectives and respond to pertinent management issues.

Offers an historical perspective of the past 25 years of computers in libraries, profileing currently available processing systems according to their size and platform. The short- and long-term future of information technology in libraries.;College or university bookstores may order five or more copies at a special student price which is available from Marcel Dekker upon request.

Experts who are active in national, state, and regional network associations provide stimulating discussions of their experiences, problems, and successes. This volume is based on the symposium, "Networking: Where From Here?"

The genre of library services platforms helps libraries manage their collection materials and automate many aspects of their operations by addressing a wider range of resources and taking advantage of current technology architectures compared to the integrated library systems that have previously dominated. This issue of Library Technology Reports explores this new category of library software, including its functional and technical characteristics. It highlights the differences with integrated library systems, which remain viable for many libraries and continue to see development along their own trajectory. This report provides an up-to-date assessment of these products, including those that have well-established track records as well as those that remain under development. The relationship between library services platforms and discovery services is addressed. The report does not provide detailed listings of features of each product, but gives a general overview of the high-level organization of functionality, the adoption patterns relative to size, types, and numbers of libraries that have implemented them, and how these libraries perceive their performance. This seminal category of library technology products has gained momentum in recent years and is positioned to reshape how libraries acquire, manage, and provide access to their