Internet vs. The Public Library 

The top ten reasons why the Internet still will not replace the public library

As advertising is constantly telling us, the major corporations have a vision, one in which every household is linked to a vast electronic library of games, music and other salable products. In this vision, the main use of the library is to be a symbol for the fast fading print world, that is, when it is not being sent across country in a second.

Don¼t plan on closing your doors anytime soon. Here are ten reasons why the public library is here to stay. [read the reasons]

Standards 

ANSI/NISO Z39.77-2001--Guidelines for Information about Preservation Products. This link is to the free pdf download.

Post Nine-Eleven 

The Day the World Changed: Implications for Archival, Library, and Information Science Education

Abstract
The terrorist attacks of September 11th on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have had profound implications for many aspects of American and global society. This essay explores the many implications for library and information science schools educating the next generation of information professionals. The essay considers an array of opinions by the faculty located in one such school regarding how to reflect on the aftermath of the attacks for basic aspects of teaching, research, and curriculum design in library and information science schools. Topics examined include disaster preparedness and recovery, knowledge management, workplace design and location, technology and the human dimension, ethics and information policy, information security, information economics, memorializing and documenting the terrorist attacks, the role of the Internet, and preservation. [read more]

Electronic Books Resource 

University of Texas at Austin, General Libraries Electronic Books

Publishing 

Publishing 2002: Where the Buck Stops

Eight top executives talk about where the business is now and where it is going
The year just past was a significant one for publishing. At the beginning of the year, many of the large houses made ambitious leaps into electronic publishing. By year's end, most of them had cut those programs significantly. Large author advances were highlighted by Bill Clinton receiving an estimated $10 million‚$12 million for his memoirs, following close on the heels of wife Hillary's estimated $8 million advance (in late 2000), and overshadowing New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's $3 million, two-book deal. Against this background, publishers received stark lessons in how quickly public interest can shift. Jack Welch's book Jack, for which publisher Warner advanced $7.1 million, came out on the very day that world events greatly changed the public's interest in books--September 11. The bursting of the Internet bubble made many business titles suddenly dated. It was also a year in which sales of bestsellers were soft, but the movies reminded us that some old bestsellers can become new again, with The Lord of the Rings as well as the surge in sales of the already blockbuster Harry Potter books.

To consider what this year meant and what the upcoming one might bring, Publishers Weekly invited the chief executives of eight of the largest publishing houses (see participants' sidebar) to a roundtable discussion in December. To accommodate schedules, two separate roundtables were held. The following story brings together the highlights of both sessions.

Cites and Insights 

The Midwinter 2002: Vol. 2 No. 2 Cites and Insights is available.