Foundations in Library and Information Sciences – serie

This is an examination of the technological advances in the field of library and information technology. It covers topics such as coping with multiple database personalities, the Internet and teaching the library and electronic resources on television. It aims to contribute to all those trying to traverse the "electronic landscape" and keep in touch with this "climate of change".

This volume covers the changing expectations for both the librarian and for the service user. How has the world changed, how have students changed and how can the reference library cope? The changing user is viewed in terms of particular cultural needs and also the "Generation X" factor. Topics covered are; remote access; instructional multimedia; software; courseware; networked resources; and designing custom computer applications.

This is an exploration of the richness inherent in genre and ethnic collections. The contributors were asked to provide an overview of their topic, its relevance to library collections and suggestions about how collections might proceed. In addition, attention was paid to the needs of individual collectors, many of whose collections have also enriched libraries. The editors hope that this volume will contribute to a greater understanding of why it is important to collect and preserve special kinds of writing. The studies of the various genres in this book show that each has a specific contribution to make to the understanding of our social development and many can enlighten dark passages in the past.

"Foundations in Library and Information Science" continues to be a series on the cutting edge of research with volumes of relevance both to the informed librarian and to the interested laymen. Volumes have reflected the depth and diversity of topics in library and information science covering collection development and management, library administration and organization, library automation and technology, serials management, library information systems and electronic media.

The impetus for this book on evaluation in the library context sprang from a poster session presented at the 1997 American Library Association Conference in San Francisco. Entitled, "Siren Song: The Lure of Technology and the Betrayal of Reality", the poster session focussed on teaching the need to evaluate information found on the Internet. This book affords us the opportunity to call upon several of the pioneers in Web source evaluation. The result is this collection of contributions from individuals who present their best thinking on the subject.

Foundations in Library and Information Sciences