Describes the first public demonstration of the capabilities of the OCLC System in August 1971.
Abstract
Describes the first public demonstration of the capabilities of the OCLC System in August 1971.
Details
Keywords
Considers the vocabulary employed by writers of library planning documents, and analyses the terms used for the various concepts. Notes that concepts are often given diverse…
Abstract
Considers the vocabulary employed by writers of library planning documents, and analyses the terms used for the various concepts. Notes that concepts are often given diverse terminology in planning documents, and that frequently there are inconsistencies in the application of concepts as well as terms. Proposes definitions for three key concepts: mission, plan and goal.
Details
Keywords
Discusses censorship as a misused term, and a poorly understoodconcept among librarians. The two false dogmas discussed are thatcensorship is evil in itself, and that it is a…
Abstract
Discusses censorship as a misused term, and a poorly understood concept among librarians. The two false dogmas discussed are that censorship is evil in itself, and that it is a library problem. It is not evil, since society correctly authorizes certain officials to protect it from harmful speech or documents. Evil may result in the improper application of censorship authority, but in time the society will correct this. Society also assigns a “gatekeeper” role to certain occupations, to admit suitable persons or things and to keep out others. Librarians have a gatekeeper role with regard to documents (books, films, recordings, etc.). When a gatekeeper rejects a document, the act is that of a censor. Thus, concludes that librarians, as gatekeepers, are authorized censors of their societies, and censorship is a library responsibility rather than a library problem.
Details
Keywords
Announces and discusses two false beliefs about information science: that there is a distinct discipline of information science; and that librarians need to study it. Finds…
Abstract
Announces and discusses two false beliefs about information science: that there is a distinct discipline of information science; and that librarians need to study it. Finds several definitions of information science to be defective in the sense of what a definition ought to be. Shows that information science is no more than a gathering of findings from communication, computer science and librarianship ‐ it is not interdisciplinary, since it uses only products of the other fields, not their principles and methods. Concludes that library study requires only a knowledge of computer products that will enhance library service, and that information subjects are a distraction from fundamentals.
Details
Keywords
Continues an earlier consideration of the nature of “planning”, and of the main components of plans by addressing the linguistic issue of the “tags” we use to distinguish…
Abstract
Continues an earlier consideration of the nature of “planning”, and of the main components of plans by addressing the linguistic issue of the “tags” we use to distinguish descriptive principles from normative terminology when analysing and classifying process activities like “planning”. Offers an analysis of the planning process in terms of seven distinct stages and their interrelations. Illustrates good and dubious planning approaches at both conceptual and practical levels.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to mainly find out how well is time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) suits for a university library setting in Estonia. For this purpose, all…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to mainly find out how well is time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) suits for a university library setting in Estonia. For this purpose, all activities related to acquisitions process were identified and recorded in detail, and the cost of all these activities related to acquisition process in Estonian university libraries based on the example of the TDABC method were anlyzed.
Design/methodology/approach
The data used in this paper is based on a review of relevant literature to provide an overview of the concept of the different cost accounting methods suitable for the measurement of the acquisition process. Through a case study, conducted among Estonian university libraries, the TDABC approach was used to analyze the acquisition process in university libraries. More specifically, the acquisition process studied concerned print format books, audiovisual documents and sheet music, and covered acquisition processes such as receipt of orders, ordering documents, communication with bookshop (if necessary), receiving documents and communication with the customer.
Findings
On the basis of the current study it can be said the TDABC methodology seems to be one of the best tools for understanding cost behavior and for refining a cost system for university libraries. While analyzing the results, it appeared that the difference in time and cost for acquiring a document can be remarkable and concerns both – acquiring foreign documents (documents from other countries) and acquiring domestic documents, and between the university libraries chosen for the current study.
Originality/value
The subject of cost accounting as a performance measurement method is in general an unexplored field in Estonian university libraries. Time guidelines for acquiring the documents were, however, quite common in the 1980s in the USSR, including Estonia. Soviet-wide regulatory documents were issued on all library work processes, but each library could still implement their own rules. In the 1990s, the regulations were consigned to oblivion. Very few cost surveys involving different library activities have been carried out in Estonia and none have been published. Where such studies have been conducted, the results remain for internal use only.
Details
Keywords
The policies of the American Library Association (ALA) concerning the concept of intellectual freedom are embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the association's official…
Abstract
The policies of the American Library Association (ALA) concerning the concept of intellectual freedom are embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the association's official statement on free access to libraries and library materials. The Library Bill of Rights is a brief, deceptively simple document that has provoked constant debate and reinterpretation since its adoption by ALA almost 40 years ago.
Function libraries, and indeed the majority of organisations, especially those operating on a commercial basis or utilising public funds, consist of material and human structures…
Abstract
Function libraries, and indeed the majority of organisations, especially those operating on a commercial basis or utilising public funds, consist of material and human structures. The leaders of the human structure utilise personnel and materials in the pursuit of certain goals. Brech itemises four main elements in this process of planning and regulating enterprise activities. They comprise:
This is No. 21 of Supplements to Computers in Libraries and reprints papers on online library catalogues presented to the March 1989 Computers in Libraries Conference held in…
Abstract
This is No. 21 of Supplements to Computers in Libraries and reprints papers on online library catalogues presented to the March 1989 Computers in Libraries Conference held in Oakland, California. There are apparently three US procurement documents, Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Quotation (RFQ) which have to be completed when buying new, large‐scale equipment from suppliers and these documents dominate the process of choice and purchase. Several of the papers in this collection deal with completing these forms when acquiring or changing systems, and would have little interest in the UK. The other papers offer more general advice on coping with the problems which arise when manual processes are replaced by high‐tech systems. Such problems are exaggerated in cases where patrons expect more of the system than it can actually deliver. However, what is being described is essentially American practice and library users in the US have a subtly different attitude from that found on this side of the Atlantic. The value of the text to UK librarians would therefore be limited to the opportunity for making comparisons with their own systems.
This essay is offered as advice to those who contemplate becoming or have recently become bibliographers. I begin with the admonition that neither users' studies, statistical…
Abstract
This essay is offered as advice to those who contemplate becoming or have recently become bibliographers. I begin with the admonition that neither users' studies, statistical analyses, nor approval plans compensate for a lack of knowledge of disciplinary research interests and bibliographic structure. In the final analysis, the best bibliographers are scholars. They keep current with a discipline's investigations and monitor its evolution. Even if they are unable to engage in detailed discourse on the more esoteric subjects its practitioners study, they understand its topography. That is, they possess a “feel” for what students in a given field find interesting, they understand its epistemology, know its publication trends and favored formats, and have a fine reference librarian's ability to use its bibliographic apparatus.