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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issues raised in the report, Hate on the State, published in 2007. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a reflective viewpoint that debates the points made in the report and their wider implications for the profession. Findings – The report raised key issues around censorship, and the role of the librarian in selecting a balanced collection for their public. These concerns need to be debated at length, since they represent fundamental professional concerns. Practical implications – The paper debates key professional concerns and how changes in stock procurement may lead to future occurrences of such controversies. Originality/value – This is the only editorial to date related to this report in library literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how a new academic library works. Design/methodology/approach – The author used statistical data and anecdotal evidence. Findings – The findings were that digital library materials have dramatically changed how libraries operate. Originality/value – The library featured in this story is the University of Calgary’s main library which is called the Taylor Family Digital Library, which is meant to be a library with digital technology as its main focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the current state of digitization and digital collection development in public libraries in Croatia. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on an online survey of public libraries in Croatia on digital collection development and digitization. In total, 165 public libraries were invited to participate in the survey, and Web survey was chosen as the most appropriate tool for surveying geographically dispersed libraries. Findings – The findings indicate that public libraries in Croatia have taken steps towards enlargement of digital content in their holdings by digitizing their existing library collections. Although the number of digital collections in public libraries in Croatia is still rather small, it is expected that it will increase in the near future. It is also encouraging that public libraries started digitization projects on their own, thus gaining the necessary experience and skills that would help them and other libraries in future digitization projects. Still, they need additional education about digital collection development and process of library material digitization. Originality/value – The paper article contributes to the growing body of knowledge about digital collections development and digitization in public libraries, as well as about benefits digital collections can provide for libraries in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – To compare and contrast national collection management principles for hard copy deposit collections and for digital deposit collections. Design/methodology/approach – A selective overview and summary of work to date on digital legal deposit and digital preservation. Findings – That the comprehensive nature of traditional print deposit collection often absolves national libraries from the more intractable problems of stock selection; whereas the difficulty of collecting the entire national digital web space means that intelligent selection is vital for the building of meaningful digital deposit collections. Research limitations/implications – These are indicative and partial insights based on small scale interrogation of trial digital deposit collections: the issue of collection development and selection biases in digital collection building needs greater in-depth research before hard and fast recommendations about collection management criteria can be arrived at. Practical implications – The principles outlined may offer practitioners in national libraries some useful insights into how to manage their digital deposit collections. Originality/value – This paper emphasises the social and political aspects of digital deposit issues, rather than the legal or technical aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Discusses the development of local history collections within libraries in Sierra Leone. Design/methodology/approach – The article is a reflective viewpoint. Findings – That there is a growing interest in local history collections in libraries in Sierra Leone, and that more formal structures should be put in place to safeguard these materials for the future. Practical implications – Proposes some ways forward for ensuring the long term viability of local collections in Sierra Leone. Originality/value – The article is the first on the topic of local history collections in Sierra Leone's libraries, and should be of interest to librarians around the world who have an interest in local history librarianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]