Citation
Gelfand, J. and Riggs, C. (2002), "Editorial", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 19 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2002.23919iaa.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited
Editorial
This issue contains among the most global contributions we have ever compiled in one issue. The intensity of global coverage of new initiatives being unveiled and tested around the world suggests that the information industry is truly global and the need for better and more efficient access has become a human right.
We have the following conference reports: the Ticad Workshop on ICTs in Benin, and the Fiesole Collection Development Retreat in Amsterdam.
There are several interesting features for you to read. They are about all kinds of issues and activities being addressed by the library and its information partners in communities all around the world. Library vendors certainly are designing content and access to be used with handheld devices and the library applications described by Sylvie Richards are indicative of these trends. The seamlessUK initiative under way by several local UK authorities serves as an example of the new portals and gateways that libraries are creating to make a variety of information available to a wide range of users and is described by Mary Rowlatt and Mark Allcock and again illustrates the valuable relationships of consortia and partnerships.
Marat A. Rakhmatullaev writes about the efforts underway in Uzbekistan to create information gateways for the population along the Afghanistan border that suffered from the Taliban regime when access was so restricted. Barbara Mates writes about designing Web sites for the challenged and disabled and increasingly these are larger populations libraries must strive to serve better.
We have a fascinating interview with Martin Kurth of Cornell University about metadata applications conducted by Elizabeth Stewart-Marshall that demonstrates why so many technical services divisions have had to reorganize to address how best to incorporate metadata service units.
Our usual columns also complement this issue. E-currents and E-books are thoroughly explored by Howard Falk; a list of new books on IT and library applications released over the summer and fall and what is happening in our industry are noted in the New & Noteworthy and Diary columns.
We hope that you have a good read! If you have something to share, would like to make sure a future issue contains something we have yet to cover, or if you want to contribute we hope that you will contact us.
Julia Gelfand(jgelfand@uci.edu)Colby Riggs(cmriggs@uci.edu)Co-editors