LISNews: Librarian News

Wired has a good Story on the new OPAC at Sonoma State University. Rather than following DDC or LC they use ARS, a system that is completely random. It\'s all done with computers and robots.
They say librarians are happy and say randomness is what makes the system so effective. Cal State Northridge was the first library to get ARS, UNLV aand Eastern Michigan University also have the Automated Retrieval System. No more browsing the stacks for the perfect book.

\"\"I think there was a lot of trepidation up front, especially by traditional users like faculty who are very devoted to the idea of browsing shelves, and of having everything exactly where it was last year,\" Butler said. \"There was some anxiety. But once we explained what it does for us, then they began to understand the principle at work.\"

Richard Allen [writes...]A Quebec software company wants to link together libraries around the globe in order to create a super-mega bibliopolis.
According to David Dorman, columnist for American Libraries, \"It is clear that each library\'s individual catalog can no longer be the centerpiece of the library\'s efforts to organize the resources it provides to its patrons. It is now just one tool among many, all of which need to be integrated into a coherent system for the information-seeker.\" [more...] from The International Herald Tribune

Here\'s yet another story on
public library thefts. Detectives are investigating a
library theft ring whose members took at least $10,000
worth of materials from at least 16 libraries in several
OH counties over five months.

They used at least five fraudulent names to take out
About $10,000 worth of DVDs, CDs, videos and books.
Overdue notices sent to the fraudulent addresses were
returned by the postal service in December, and the
libraries then knew they had been ripped off.

It\'s so sad how often I see this now.

Charles Davis sent in this Rather Strange Story on
The University of Western Sydney.
They just dumped 10,000 books
because it could not afford to store
them. Rare and antique
books were among those buried.

Vice Chancellor Janice Reid says
the university receives up
to 50% less funds than older
universities.

Official government figures show
UWS\'s income per
student is the third lowest in the
country.