Description: These papers are a compilation presented at a conference on bibliographic control of Afro-American literature. The papers discuss issues in cataloging and archiving African-American literature including relevant subject headings, sources of texts, and collection development. Index starts on page 293.

Description: These papers offer discussions and conclusions regarding a conference on bibliographic control of Afro-American literature. The text includes a summary of the reasons for the conference, a report from a conference evaluator, and evaluation forms, as well as minutes and letters regarding the proceedings.

Description: This paper discusses application of qualitative and quantitative content analysis techniques to assess metadata records from 42 Federal agencies' implementation of the Government Information Locator Service (GILS). GILS databases respond to a late-1994 initiative to "identify public information resources throughout the Federal government, describe the information available in those resources, and provide assistance in obtaining the information [and] serve as a tool to improve agency electronic records management practices". GILS metadata records describe agencies' automated information systems, Privacy Act systems of records, and locators that cover its information dissemination products. The authors used record content analysis, and several other methods, to examine whether GILS is meeting user expectations. Criteria used in the current analysis were informed in part by results of user and service-implementor questionnaires and focus groups. The record content analysis itself, in turn, informed creation of a scripted online assessment for users, and data from that user assessment supplemented results of the content analysis. The quality of metadata for networked resources is as of yet a relatively unexplored research area. At this point, no consensus has been reached on operational and conceptual definitions of quality; likewise, validated procedures for assessing metadata are lacking. On the basis of the ...

Description: This document describes an application profile for the use of 'ANSI/NISO Z39.50-1995, Information Retrieval (Z39.50): Application Service Definition and Protocol Specification' [10] for search and retrieval of cultural heritage information. This profile is named the CIMI Profile, where CIMI refers to the Consortium for the Computer Interchange of Museum Information. Cultural heritage information includes resources covering art, architecture, cultural history, and natural history. The CIMI Profile includes specifications for using Z39.50 in this application, although specifications in the Profile, such as the CIMI-1 Attribute Set for searching museum information, may have utility outside of Z39.50 implementations.

Description: This report was commissioned and supported by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). The dynamic pace of technology change challenges all organizations to identify and select standards on which to base mission-critical programs and services. State library agencies face particular challenges because of the increasing demands that publicly supported libraries provide access to increasing quantities and varieties of networked, digital and paper-based information resources and services. State library agencies are in a unique position to influence the adoption and implementation of standards to support statewide library resource sharing. This study, undertaken in 1998, attempted to bridge the gap of information and understanding about the current situation of state library agencies' use, opportunities and issues related to technical standards.