IAN WINKWORTH and BRIAN ENRIGHT
The fifteen years before Atkinson represented for many British university librarians a golden age, as the number and size of universities expanded, young men received promotion…
Abstract
The fifteen years before Atkinson represented for many British university librarians a golden age, as the number and size of universities expanded, young men received promotion long before they might reasonably have expected, and funds for collections and buildings to house them became available on a scale never before seen in most British universities. The thesis of this contribution is that the “golden age” provided an opportunity for the testing of attitudes and approaches to academic librarianship which before had always been constrained by financial circumstances, and that in that test the traditional philosophies were found wanting. The Atkinson Report was a turning point when the reluctant academic library community was reminded of reality.
The development of performance indicators specifically within andfor polytechnic libraries is reviewed. A framework of library activitiesis derived on which performance…
Abstract
The development of performance indicators specifically within and for polytechnic libraries is reviewed. A framework of library activities is derived on which performance measurement might be based and six indicators are identified. The practical applicability of the framework is considered in relation to polytechnic libraries and to both institutional and library aims and objectives.
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Ian Winkworth, BL Moses and James G Ollé
AMIDST OTHER preoccupations, the Library Association is again considering its internal structure. A modified version of some of the proposals of the former Branch and Group…
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AMIDST OTHER preoccupations, the Library Association is again considering its internal structure. A modified version of some of the proposals of the former Branch and Group Structure working party has been produced by an Ad Hoc Sub‐Committee chaired by Alex Howson. Your groans on hearing that ‘the structure’ is being trotted out for another airing are understandable.
Paul Outlet. International organisation and dissemination of knowledge: selected essays of Paul Otlet translated and edited with an introduction by W. Boyd Rayward. Amsterdam…
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Paul Outlet. International organisation and dissemination of knowledge: selected essays of Paul Otlet translated and edited with an introduction by W. Boyd Rayward. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1990. xi, 256 pp. $115.50/Dfl.225. 0 444 88678 8. (fid 684) Paul Otlet was born in Brussels in August 1868 and died there in December 1944. A lawyer who grew to be ‘bored with the law’ and became absorbed with books, libraries and information, he is probably principally remembered in connection with the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC).
Resource sharing is an important element inthe national planning of library andinformation services to meet the needs ofinformation, education and culture of thewhole community at…
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Resource sharing is an important element in the national planning of library and information services to meet the needs of information, education and culture of the whole community at all levels. An overview of resource sharing practices is presented, with particular reference to the British scene. It is also argued that, with the approach of the Single Market in 1992, resource sharing should now be considered on a European scale. In conclusion, some problems associated with the practice of resource sharing are considered.
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Surveys the use of performance indicators in higher educationlibraries, arising from a study tour of the USA. Considers the purposesand use of performance indicators in relation…
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Surveys the use of performance indicators in higher education libraries, arising from a study tour of the USA. Considers the purposes and use of performance indicators in relation to missions and goals. Discusses costs in relation to what is to be measured and examines implementation of performance indicators in higher education libraries.
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Since its origins during the Second World War, the computer industry has grown more rapidly than any other technology in history, and this growth has spawned a wealth of new terms…
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Since its origins during the Second World War, the computer industry has grown more rapidly than any other technology in history, and this growth has spawned a wealth of new terms and manners‐of‐speaking to describe computers and the uses to which they can be put. Such terms are often referred to collectively as computerese. The thesis of Barry's entertaining book is that the use of computerese is increasingly being extended to a wealth of other subjects that are often totally unrelated to computing. Barry refers to this use (or abuse) of language as technobabble: the subject matter and the pleasingly tongue‐in‐cheek style can be judged from the introduction, which starts as follows: ‘This paper‐based, productized bookware module is designed to support the robust implementation of a friendly, context‐driven interface between the developer and the end‐user. Did you understand this sentence? If so, you are fluent in technobabble’.
Jair de Marcas, Yosef Branse, Yael Golan and Iris Igra
Describes the development of the hybrid library at the University of Haifa Library. This is an attempt to integrate disparate library resources such as the OPAC, online and…
Abstract
Describes the development of the hybrid library at the University of Haifa Library. This is an attempt to integrate disparate library resources such as the OPAC, online and networked databases, and electronic journals into a united system. Instead of separate terminals and workstations, access to library resources is facilitated through one Web interface allowing horizontal as well as vertical navigation. Additionally, linking from the library catalogue was realized. This article focuses on the goals, technology, and implementation of this scheme. The pilot project was a success, although a number of problems were detected. As a result, all workstations are being converted to the new framework.
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The purpose of this paper is to show the effectiveness of using performance indicators on a national scale
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show the effectiveness of using performance indicators on a national scale
Design/methodology/approach
The paper gives an overview of national projects and compares the methods used.
Findings
The paper finds that groups of libraries have tried to find consensus on a common set of performance indicators for benchmarking purposes. The indicators chosen for such projects differ between countries and types of libraries. The paper shows examples where sets of indicators are used on a national or regional scale on a regular basis and compares the indicators used and the methods of benchmarking.
Practical implications
The paper shows the difficulties of reaching an agreement when starting a common project and points to results and success of the projects and to problems that occurred in the benchmarking process.
Originality/value
The paper acquaints libraries with existing projects and helps to find adequate methods for different purposes.