The economic aspects of new information delivery technologies have been overshadowed by the selection and implementation concerns associated with their introduction to library patrons, staff and systems. This oversight is unfortunate, because these technology changes can offer unprecedented...

This paper contends that US federal policy with regard to the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) must change and that ERIC will need massive restructuring in order to continue to meet the information needs of the education community. Four arguments are presented: ERIC is the most...

Librarians involved with the US Federal Depository Library system need to seriously reconsider their roles and economic arguments, as more federal agencies bypass the Government Printing Office and publish government information directly through the World Wide Web. If “ownership” and...

A study, funded by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, was undertaken in 2000‐2001 to give an up‐to‐date view of the current experience of outsourcing and externalization in libraries, museums and archives. Case studies of purchasers recognized as pioneers in the...

A consortium of small public libraries share an OPAC, an interlibrary loan system, and maintain reciprocal borrowing among its patrons. A study was conducted for this consortium to investigate whether or not it would benefit from centralized processing. Raw data show that the consortium should...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to bring awareness to all factors that impact on the cost of an integrated library system (ILS). Design/methodology/approach – Using a total cost of ownership approach, a bigger view of all the factors impacting on cost is explored. Findings – The...

Purpose – This article's aim is to provide insights into issues encountered in maintaining library technologies on a limited budget and with limited personnel. Design/methodology/approach – The article uses real world experiences to provide commentary on decision‐making practices as they...

Purpose – This article aims to provide insights into issues encountered in maintaining library technologies and technology‐based services on a limited budget and with limited personnel. Design/methodology/approach – The article uses real world experiences to provide commentary on protocols...