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Purpose – The purpose of this column is to examine the current environment of 3D printing and its suitability for use in the library. Design/methodology/approach – Literature review and commentary on this topic that has been addressed by professionals, researchers and practitioners. Findings – The library is more than its collection. As 3D printing joins the technology selections available in the library, it offers patrons the opportunity to create and further develop their skills, in order to explore and potentially innovate, in a welcoming environment of intellectual stimulation and experimentation. Originality/value – The value in addressing this issue is to present the basic details around this new technology and suggest that it has value for its inclusion into the current array of library services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a snapshot of some major collections-related trends and issues in current academic libraries today. These include using collection development policies; demand-driven acquisition (DDA) models; big deals; using the collections budget; rationalizing legacy print collections; stewarding local digital collections; and demonstrating value.Design/methodology/approach A web survey was developed and sent to 20 academic librarians via e-mail during the summer of 2016, along with a statement on the purpose of the study.Findings The findings are as follows: the collections budget is used to fund many costs other than content (such as memberships and MARC records); most libraries are experimenting with DDA in one form or another; most libraries financially support open access investments; most libraries participate in at least one collaborative print rationalization project; and libraries have diverse methods of demonstrating value to their institutions.Research limitations/implications This was a very selective survey of North American academic libraries. Therefore, these findings are not necessarily valid on a broader scale.Practical implications Within the limitations above, the results provide librarians and others with an overview of current practices and trends related to key issues affecting collection development and management in North America.Originality/value These results are quite current and will enable academic librarians engaged in collection development and management to compare their current policies and practices with what is presented here. The results provide a current snapshot of the ways in which selected libraries are coping with transformative challenges and a rapidly changing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As universities attempt to expand access to higher education through the establishment of distance centers, it is important that those distance students receive library services equivalent to those offered on the main campus. The author describes how Southeast Missouri State University is attempting to serve these non-traditional learners through innovative techniques and resources. By making use of both subscription and freely available online databases, providing document delivery through the interlibrary loan department, recycling still valuable reference materials, and developing a list of recommended materials that each distance center should have available in its own collection, the library is fulfilling its mission to these students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news briefs related to libraries in the U.S. Preliminary results of 2007 Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study states that although almost all of the libraries in the country are connected to the Internet and are increasingly offering wireless service, they still face problems in providing adequate bandwidth. Google Inc. continues to strike new agreements with libraries that wish to make their collections available for the Google Books Library Project.

Purpose – This paper aims to update information on ReadCube Access and briefly reviews its history. The study also reports on the use of ReadCube Access by five US academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach – A series of questions was distributed to selected academic libraries using ReadCube Access. Survey recipients were asked to describe the library and the institution served, how long ReadCube Access has been in use, how many journals from Nature Publishing Group (NPG) were licensed and how many journals were being provided using ReadCube Access. Participating libraries were also asked to provide information about the purchase options offered to end-users, were asked to report on ReadCube Access usage and were requested to compare that usage to interlibrary loan (ILL) requests for NPG journals. Finally, the libraries were asked to share any comments about ReadCube Access they wished, including end user feedback and comments from library staff. Findings – ReadCube Access is shown to be cost-effective and more heavily used than interlibrary loan. End-users are enthused by the instantaneous delivery of articles, and most libraries are generally pleased with the sustainability of this unmediated service. Some end-users are confused and annoyed by the differences in using ReadCube Access compared with the familiar use of subscriptions. A failing of ReadCube Access is that it only offers content from one publisher. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need for an update on ReadCube Access and a study on the experiences of various libraries using it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze the relationship among measures of resource and service usage and other features of academic libraries in the USA and Canada. Design/methodology/approach – Through the use of a self-organizing map, academic library data were clustered and visualized. Analysis of the library data was conducted through the computation of a "library performance metric" that was applied to the resulting map. Findings – Two areas of high-performing academic libraries emerged on the map. One area included libraries with large numbers of resources, while another area included libraries that had low resources but gave greater numbers of presentations to groups, offered greater numbers of public service hours, and had greater numbers of staffed service points. Research limitations/implications – The metrics chosen as a measure of library performance offer only a partial picture of how libraries are being used. Future research might involve the use of a self-organizing map to cluster library data within certain parameters and the identification of high-performing libraries within these clusters. Practical implications – This study suggests that libraries can improve their performance not only by acquiring greater resources but also by putting greater emphasis on the services that they provide to their users. Originality/value – This paper demonstrates how a self-organizing map can be used in the analysis of large data sets to facilitate library comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to identify, describe and locate primary resources using government publications and non-government publications. Design/methodology/approach -- This paper examines primary resources for historical research particularly in federal government publications distributed through the Federal Depository Library Program. Findings -- The paper finds that government publications provide a rich source of primary research materials for postsecondary research in disciplines such as history, geography, ethnography, education and agriculture. Originality/value -- Searching for primary historical resources in small- to medium-sized academic libraries can often yield a limited field of resources. Federal government publications distributed through the Government Printing Office are freely available via selective and regional Federal Depository Libraries. This work seeks to identify tools appropriate for higher education primary historical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to describe the development of one transactional access/pay-per-view model and its current and anticipated impact on ILL at one US university. Design/methodology/approach -- The services at Murray State University (MSU) are described and the impact of one year of PPV implementation assessed. Some general implications are explored. Findings -- It found that PPV has not yet had a correlative impact on ILL at MSU but this is likely to change as PPV expands. Originality/value -- The paper shows this to be one of a number of empirical studies which are valuable in assessing the impact of PPV as an alternative to the conventional ILL supply of articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to offer a reflective analysis of project planning for the legal disposition of a large Federal Documents Collection in an off-site storage facility. Design/methodology/approach - This paper provides a case study. Findings - This paper examines specific steps in a project plan for relocation and disposition of Federal Documents received under the Federal Depository Library Program. Originality/value - The paper contributes to the discussion of library space needs, the disposition of tangible resources in an increasingly electronic age and the challenges libraries face in managing collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the most recent literature concerning document supply and related matters. Design/methodology/approach -- This paper is based on the reading of over 150 journals as well as monographs, reports and web sites. Findings -- The paper finds that document supply (both returnables and non-returnables) continues to grow in the USA albeit more modestly than in the past; however globally decline continues although again more modestly. The tension caused by the Big Deals and Serial backfiles consuming more and more of reduced library budgets will increase as the cuts bite. Statistical analysis of serial usage continues with interesting results showing that 50 per cent of journals in many libraries only account for a few percentage points of demand Originality/value -- The paper is a useful source of information for librarians and others interested in document supply and related matters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show how Olin Library has maintained exceptional service to its users before, during and after a periodicals review resulting in deep subscription cuts. Design/methodology/approach - The paper takes the form of a review of activities at the Library during a time of financial restraints. Findings - Although Olin's cancellation project is not entirely completed, there is sufficient anecdotal evidence that the exceptional service has not deteriorated. At some point, soon after the cancellations are in place, a survey should be initiated to confirm this assumption about exceptional service. Practical implications - Several guidelines are presented and discussed that may be useful for other libraries faced with having to make tough periodicals decisions after being directed to cut budgets by their administrations. Originality/value - The paper provides guidelines that should greatly benefit librarians in facilitating a periodicals review and the resulting cuts during difficult economic times while still providing the service to which users are accustomed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate issues surrounding the Google Book settlement in 2009, and its relevance to libraries by general discussion and examples from library practice. Design/methodology/approach – A set of projections and speculations that are both conceptual and practical in nature, based on early reactions and comments about this development. Findings – There are many philosophical and moral objections to the consequences of the Google Book settlement, and that the practical effects for academic libraries could be both positive and/or negative. The practical examples of such outcomes are designed to help clarify the implications for library and information practitioners and generate further debate. Research limitations/implications – The fact that the Book settlement is a legal arrangement between parties in a civil court makes in depth research analysis of a public nature very difficult – which is in itself one of the main themes of the paper. Practical implications – The teasing out of the real-life consequences of the settlement are intended be helpful to the library practitioner. Originality/value – This paper tries to offer an early insight into an important new development in information retrieval history from the point of view of academic librarians, in contrast to much contemporary comment, which has come from authors and rights holders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the reasons for the high costs of scholarly journals. Design/methodology/approach - A brief review of the literature on journal publishing costs is carried out. The paper focuses on the economics of scholarly English language journals published mainly in the USA and Europe, but which are sold worldwide, largely to academic and research libraries. Findings - Journal literature has long played a prominent role in the scholarly communication chain. In recent decades, however, the scholarly communication system has been facing a crisis due to the ever-escalating costs of journals. Two of the features of the journal publishing industry cited a decade ago and still valid today are a lack of competition and perverse incentives. "First-copy cost" is reported to be the main reason for high journal prices both in print and electronic publishing. Originality/value - The paper provides a useful overview to researchers and,document supply librarians, enabling them to achieve quickly a clear picture of journal publishing industry costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the outreach activities of the Fine Arts Library at Ohio State University. Design/methodology/approach – Outreach at Ohio State is intended to have global impact, but successful outreach is often hampered by lack of partnerships, funding restrictions, and a monolithic approach to the patron. The paper reflects on each of these issues and discusses the strategies used by the Fine Arts Library to conduct outreach with user-focus and budgets in mind. Findings – The paper finds that there are techniques for outreach that involve small outputs of funds but have larger impacts. Moving past a "one size fits all" philosophy for outreach allows the Fine Arts Library to connect with the patrons it is best able to serve. Originality/value – While the phrase "think globally, act locally" is well-known, it can often be forgotten in libraries, where the goal to reach as many people as possible is very important. This paper suggests that the returns on the local investment are incredibly important to the global missions of libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the rationale and the development of the Global Interlending & Verification Enquiry Service (GIVES), which is evolving at a major academic research library in the USA. Design/methodology/approach - Access problems and bibliographic challenges are described, as is the devising of various solutions in the development of the service. Based on an extremely rich collection of foreign language materials, and modeled after the highly successful Slavic Reference Service, this project works to provide materials in many languages to users through detailed and comprehensive searches conducted on an individual basis, drawing on a wide variety of bibliographic resources and catalogs in various formats. Findings - The challenges facing GIVES staff in assisting users with their ILL/DD requests are of three kinds: bibliographic, linguistic, and organizational. Thanks to conventions of bibliography and cataloging that cross all linguistic boundaries, and to the judicious use of GIVES' many bilingual dictionaries, and to GIVES' online Guide, but most of all to the rigorous bibliographic training received by GIVES staff, it is quite possible for a staff member to successfully handle a request with only the scantiest knowledge of the relevant language. The essential elements to the success of this project include expertise, cooperation and, of course) funding. Originality/value - Materials in less-commonly taught languages present challenges to many libraries in the USA. These challenges are increased when users attempt to access these materials through interlibrary loan and document delivery. The paper describes GIVES, an invaluable resource available at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to help libraries meet these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) repository as a subset of local institutional digital repositories. The paper discusses the originating institutions and organizations including Virginia Tech Initiative, the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization and the United States Department of Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – To examine whether placing URLs into library OPACs has been an effective way of enhancing the role of the catalogue for the contemporary library user. Design/methodology/approach – A brief review of the literature combined with an analysis of publicly available statistics for library use in the USA and the UK. Findings – That certain ways of placing URLs into the OPAC are loosely associated with a successful library environment, i.e. with constant or increasing levels of stock circulation and OPAC use, while other forms of hyper-linking OPAC records are loosely associated with declining levels of library use. Research limitations/implications – The loose association between different OPAC management practices and apparent statistical trends of library use could be investigated in greater depth by further subsequent research, but along the lines and methodology suggested herein. Practical implications – Firm suggestions on how to place and manage URLs in the online catalogue are made. Originality/value – This paper takes certain catalogue enhancement practices which are identified with the US library environment and investigates them in a UK, and specifically Scottish context, to shed light on the original US ideas behind these practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Given the common theme of budget cuts, one library presents its award-winning story to provide information to a small community, extended from other common community and state resources. Design/methodology/approach - Explores how this library won the award of being the "Best small library in America". For those not knowledgeable of the geography of the USA, this winner is found in the most unlikely of places, Alaska, one of only two states not connected to the other 48 states. Given the unique way of approaching library service, one can see how the award was won. Findings - Several methods for living in a world of reduced funds include, thinking out of the proverbial box and doing things different ways; partnerships with organizations and grant institutions; doing events and programs for specific groups and involving the entire community in the process. Originality/value - On being seen as an award-winning institution, members of the library world often ask, "How did they win and we didn't?" or "How can we replicate the success which that institution is having?" This paper takes those questions and gives the authors a clear picture of how to accomplish success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Little is known about the current state of industry standards subscriptions in US libraries. In this age of electronic access and tightening budgets, many libraries are re-examining whether or not to alter paper subscriptions of standards to electronic versions and/or switch to on-demand delivery. Design/methodology/approach - Two surveys were conducted in an attempt to gauge the extent to which other libraries are currently collecting standards in electronic format or providing on-demand purchasing for industry standards. Findings - The number of libraries purchasing electronic standards or providing on-demand purchasing in 2003 appears to be incongruous with comments from both surveys. In the 2001 survey, librarians could not find ways to fund on-demand purchasing and, in the 2003 survey, a number of libraries were purchasing some sets on an irregular basis to save money. A little over half (51 percent) of the responding libraries provide electronic versions of standards and 60 percent indicated they provide on-demand purchasing of individual standards. Originality/value - Survey responses resulted in several local changes to improve patron success rates at acquiring industry standard including: created a publicly-searchable database of locally-available standards, initiated a purchase on-demand process, worked with interlibrary loan (ILL) staff to determine which standards would be better to purchase versus request on ILL and became more adept at reference interviews involving requests for standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early decades of the twentieth century witnessed a significant transformation in managerial control practices within the US department store. New principles of scientific management, already employed on the factory floor, were now implemented on the retail "shop floor": The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into this transition by examining three such scientific management initiatives introduced by store management during this era. The paper draws on a number of sources in its historical examination of early department store scientific management initiatives. These include archival records, published literature of the era, and particularly the proceedings of meetings of the annual Controllers Congress of the National Retail Dry Goods Association (US). The paper finds how notions of the rationality of science reined over such store operations as inventory valuation, credit control and overhead expense allocation. Traditional positions of power were recast and new managerial roles created in the name of science. The paper illustrates the insights that can be gained from an examination of scientific management practices in an alternative arena to the factory floor. Further historical research in the area of retail management may rove productive not only for our understanding of this site but also our knowledge of the process by which new managerial initiatives become assimilated The study of the managerial practices of such vast organizational forms proves fruitful not only for the history scholar. Given the centrality of the department store in the creation of a contemporary culture of consumption, such examination becomes all the more insightfuL [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ibiblio is a digital library hosted at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill that manages to be both a repository for cultural information and a resource for community building. The project has existed in many forms since the beginning of the web, and has maintained a core commitment to open source software and tools. ibiblio's maintainers have continually expanded the project's offerings in response to the availability of new technologies and the support of financial and technological partners. Their newest project is an open source weblog development and distribution system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the architecture, technology and library design of the Bruce T. Halle Library at Eastern Michigan University. Designing a new or renovated library building; Collection storage and retrieval; Technology infrastructure.

Although much has been written about the impact of the Internet and the Web on libraries and librarianship, relatively little attention has been devoted to the subject of librarians as creators and even marketers of new online services. The present article describes two fee-based online services at the University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign: the online version of the American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies (ABSEES); and the IRIS suite of funding-information services. The author discusses the pros and cons of in-house content-creation and concludes that academic libraries have the raw materials and the know how to create valuable new online services, especially reference services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional work of reference librarians has been greatly impacted by access to electronic publications on the World Wide Web. Reference librarians are also using the Web to create electronic publications for in-library users and Web surfers. By creating HTML documents that provide access to Web and other electronic resources, reference service is extended beyond the physical library and designated reference desk hours, opening the building for 24-hour access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the difference in what is cataloged and accessible via a link in an online public access catalog record and what is listed on electronic library (EL) Web menus at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Automation of the creation of EL resource pages; Proliferation of metadata formats.

Provides an overview of how vendors such as Blackwells have developed services that meet the changes taking place in academic libraries and recommends ways vendors and publishers can better co-operate with libraries to meet their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Examines the unique funding and service model of a successful community-centered library. Design/methodology/approach- Introduces the history and demographics of San Miguel de Allende, a city in Mexico with a large English speaking population, and outlines how the library maintains its role as community centre. Findings - The San Miguel de Allende library thrives through careful attention to the demographics of the community, an innovative and aggressive approach to funding issues, and an awareness of the need for change. The library collection is the largest bilingual privately funded, publicly accessible library in Mexico. This, along with an extensive scholarship and outreach program to students in both rural and urban areas, is funded by a diverse army of revenue generating efforts including a weekly newspaper, weekly sale of books and household items, a café and gift shop. Originality/value - The San Miguel de Allende Library models how creativity, strong community responsive and lack of fear of change can build and sustain libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on various issues related to library finance in the U.S. The three libraries in Salinas, California were scheduled to close indefinitely for lack of revenue. The Salinas case is newsworthy because the voters of Salinas will decide if the reprieve is temporary or if there will be steady funding for the library. Although the outrage that followed the announcement of the closings has ensured an easy pass on the measure, it is apparently nothing to take for granted. Lynne Steele, president of the Friends of the Salinas Library, is surprised that there are people in the community who will need convincing that the libraries need a stronger revenue stream. Also, in Bedford, Texas, the library was able to reopen with a reduced schedule and program when an anonymous donor provided funding, which will be augmented with monies from fund-raising efforts by Friends of the Library and residents.