Contends that the digital world is not replacing the written word; it is offering new and additional dimensions of knowledge. Defines information competency as the ability to exploit information in various formats. Reviews the efforts of California's community colleges to make information competency a genuine part of higher education through…

Responds to an article that argued that the Internet is causing college libraries to reduce their resources. Suggests the library's role as a service provider cannot be supplanted by the Internet. Offers advice for increasing campus library usage, including librarian and faculty partnerships. (NB)

Offers advice for ways in which librarians can help library patrons when online catalogs are down. Suggests using WorldCat, calling on other libraries, and employing various reference sources, such as Balay's Guide to Reference Books and the telephone. (Contains 6 references.) (NB)

Describes a program instituted by a consortium of San Diego County (California) community colleges that provided distance learners with access to library reference services. States that the program included telephone, e-mail, and real time chat service and used an off-site, contract librarian. Reports on variable results. (Contains 8 references.)…

Written by a former McDonald's manager who earned a master's degree in library science, this article describes how "QSC"--quality, services, and cleanliness--can be applied to libraries in the same way it is used by restaurants. Argues that libraries are simply businesses that cater to customers. (Contains 42 references.) (NB)

Describes the blend of traditional and progressive themes reflected in the design of the new library at the New Hampshire Technical Institute, which is located in the state's capital, Concord. Details how the 26,000 square foot requirement and the $3 million dollar budget were analyzed in order to get the most library for the money. (NB)

Describes the establishment of a small, full-service branch library at a Palomar College (California) library branch. Addresses some of the problems encountered and offers general advice on establishing a successful academic branch library, including maintaining relations with the "mother library." (Contains 6 references.) (AUTH/NB)

Describes the partnership between the state of Colorado, represented by Front Range Community College (FRCC), and the City of Westminster, Colorado, represented by the Westminster Public Library, which led to the creation of a joint-use library. Reports that College Hill Library occupies 76,000 square feet and serves about 500,000 patrons a year.…

Discusses the new Paul A. Elsner Library and High Technology Complex at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona. Describes six planning goals for the facility, including access, integration of services, academic linkages, college services, district-wide services, and linkages with the community. Reports that the library offers faculty support…

Describes the Kansas Digital Library (KDL), a comprehensive, electronic library of visual, textual and auditory information resources. Discusses projects that KDL sponsors, including Blue Skyways, a Web site that functions as a subject-oriented entryway to the Web for Kansas librarians. Reports that the KDL is an example of a successful state…

Suggests that when a new course is proposed, library staff should initiate a review of the collection and recent titles in the subject area. Adds that staff should then meet with the originating faculty member and discuss the resources needed for the course. Asserts that this process would make the library staff more proactive in course…

Argues that reorganizing libraries around the concept of user-focused access will help community colleges meet the information access challenges they face. States that integrated systems and the Internet have enabled libraries to broaden their concept of access from the physical collection to include thousands of other library collections and…

Discusses a pilot project at the College of DuPage Library (Illinois) that explored methods of providing services to students enrolled in online classes. Reports that there is a greater need for communication with the online student, and that the online student is not necessarily computer savvy. Suggests that computer training and technological…

Offers suggestions to librarians for enhancing delivery of bibliographic instruction sessions. Includes topics such as "attitude matters more than content,""you may need a coffee bar for librarians,""rigidity is only good for dams,""learning travels up the fingertips," and "they want it convenient." (NB)

Discusses the vital role policy plays in the effective delivery of information services over the Internet, as well as the need to keep policies at a minimum so as not to impede users' creativity and imaginative powers when online. Provides four examples from community college libraries. (NB)