This is a collection of papers from a 1997 conference that attempted to assess the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's efforts to modernize Eastern European libraries after the fall of communism. Looking primarily at Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, the international panel of contributors cover library automation, library policy, and management strategy.

This book shows the effect philanthropy can have in transferring technology in transitional societies that are turning themselves upside down. It further demonstrates that retraining of people and changing their "mindset" are as important as the technology itself.

Will the emerging global information infrastructure (GII) create a revolution in communication equivalent to that wrought by Gutenberg, or will the result be simply the evolutionary adaptation of existing behavior and institutions to new media? Will the GII improve access to information for all? Will it replace libraries and publishers? How can computers and information systems be made easier to use? What are the trade-offs between tailoring information systems to user communities and standardizing them to interconnect with systems designed for other communities, cultures, and languages? This book takes a close look at these and other questions of technology, behavior, and policy surrounding the GII. Topics covered include the design and use of digital libraries; behavioral and institutional aspects of electronic publishing; the evolving role of libraries; the life cycle of creating, using, and seeking information; and the adoption and adaptation of information technologies. The book takes a human-centered perspective, focusing on how well the GII fits into the daily lives of the people it is supposed to benefit. Taking a unique holistic approach to information access, the book draws on research and practice in computer science, communications, library and information science, information policy, business, economics, law, political science, sociology, history, education, and archival and museum studies. It explores both domestic and international issues. The author's own empirical research is complemented by extensive literature reviews and analyses.

Following the format of Fitzroy Dearborn's highly successful International Dictionary of Historic Places and International Dictionary of University Histories, the International Dictionary of Library Histories provides basic information for each institution - location and holdings - followed by an extensive (1,000-5,000 word) essay on its history as well as a Further Reading list. In addition, the dictionary includes introductory articles on the history of various types of libraries and a library history in various regions of the world. The dictionary profiles more than 200 institutions from around the world, including the world's most important research libraries and other libraries with globally or regionally notable collections, innovative traditions, and significant and interesting histories. The essays take advantage of the growing scholarship of library history to provide insightful overviews of each institution, including not only the traditional values of these libraries but their innovations as well, such as developments in automated systems and electronic delivery. The profiles will emphasize the unique materials of research in these institutions - archives, manuscripts, personal and institutional papers. The introductory articles on types of libraries include topics ranging from theological libraries to prison libraries, from the ancient to the digital. An international team of more than 200 leading scholars in the field have contributed essays to the project.

A significant shift is taking place in libraries, with the purchase of e-resources accounting for the bulk of materials spending. Electronic Resource Management makes the case that technical services workflows need to make a corresponding shift toward e-centric models and highlights the increasing variety of e-formats that are forcing new developments in the field.Six chapters cover key topics, including: technical services models, both past and emerging; staffing and workflow in electronic resource management; implementation and transformation of electronic resource management systems; the role of the electronic resource librarian in discovery systems, layers and tools; and academic library consortia and the evolving role of electronic resources and technology. The leading chapters include case studies from around the world, and a concluding chapter focuses on the disruptive nature of e-books and how broad adoption of this format is emerging as the tipping point towards holistic 'resource management', where separate technical services processes for print and electronic resources are finally merged. - An emphasis on 'access' within the new technical services model - Focuses on the unique attributes of electronic resource management that are distinct from traditional print serials workflows - Covers consortia and how membership affects electronic resource management workflows, priorities, and technical processes

Based on his extensive experience in international librarianship, Peter Johan Lor, South Africa's first National Librarian and a former Secretary General of the IFLA, has written the first comprehensive and systematic overview of international and comparative librarianship. His book provides a conceptual framework and methodological guidelines for the field and covers the full range of international relations among libraries and information services, with particular attention to the international political economy of information, the international diffusion of innovations and policy in library and information services, LIS development and international aid. It concludes with a discussion of the practical relevance and future of international and comparative studies in LIS. See a short interview with Peter Lor on his work https://www.ifla.org/node/92590

Published biennially since 1983, the "Directory of Library Automation Software, Systems, and Services is recognized as the primary reference source for software packages used in automating libraries. This entirely new and expanded edition includes information on software for library automation, information management, text retrieval, and citation management. Library automation tools, retrospective conversion products and services, Internet resources on the topic of library automation, database hosts, CD-ROM distributors, library automation books and serials, and over 100 important meetings and conferences are also covered. This new edition contains more comparative information on library applications software than is available from any other source.