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Conducting research in an academic library requires more time and tenacity than many people have. Keith J. Stanger suggests ways to rectify this problem.

The following bibliography focuses mainly on programs which can run on IBM microcomputers and compatibles under the operating system PC DOS/MS DOS, and which can be used in online information and documentation work. They fall into the following categories:

Over the past decade, academic librarians have identified increasingly sophisticated learning objectives for programs of bibliographic instruction. The new objectives include the use of conceptual frameworks, the development of skills in topic analysis and problem solving, and the study of scholarly communication and bibliographic structure in a particular field of knowledge. As these objectives gain acceptance in library instruction programs nationwide, the old, familiar objectives, such as learning how to use an index, have become the target of growing criticism.

The New York Stale Library and the library systems in New York State have a long‐standing commitment to the use of technology to improve services, increase efficiency, and constrain cost increases. In 1986, the Board of Regents of the State Education Department adopted a three‐part program for automation. Pursuant to this program, several important committees have been appointed that have subsequently issued key recommendations. This article addresses the formation and role of the committees and their recommendations covering: general issues, databases, linking, training and consulting, and operational objectives.

The following annotated list of materials on providing library orientation to users and instructing them in library and information skills is the tenth annual review of this literature and covers publications from 1983. A few items have not been annotated because the compiler was unable to secure a copy of these items.

The following is an annotated list of materials dealing with orientation to library facilities and services, instruction in the use of information resources, and computer skills related to information gathering. This is RSR's twelfth annual review of this literature and lists items published in 1985. A few references are not annotated because the compiler could not obtain copies of them for the review.

As OSI standards are becoming finalized, computer manufacturers and vendors are beginning to provide networking solutions based on OSI protocols. Products which implement OSI protocols are available from most major suppliers. They cover all seven layers and support several technologies and applications. Technologies supported include X.25 networks and various types of local area networks; applications supported are file transfer, virtual terminal, message handling, and directory services. Several projects are underway to promote conformance and interoperability testing of OSI products. This article describes some of these testing projects and a sample of OSI products available.

The growth of organized labor during the latter part of the nineteenth century triggered an organizational impulse on the part of employers across the country. Although some employers’ associations began as “negotiatory” bodies engaged in collective bargaining, the vast majority of them shifted toward a more “belligerent” approach. Academic scholarship has generally focused on the belligerents at the national level. Recently, some scholars have begun to study organized employers at the community level, but they continue to feature the more typical staunchly anti-union associations. This study of Columbus, Ohio's master printers’ association reveals a different pattern of local labor relations during the years between 1887 and 1960 – an association that had generally smooth bargaining relationships with craft unions. Columbus’ conservative and sheltered economy enabled the longstanding cooperative shared printing craft culture to thrive. But changes in Columbus’ economy, shifts in larger patterns of industrial relations, the hard-line influence of the national employers’ association, and technological changes altered the context of local labor relations. The result was that, by 1960, the Columbus association sought the upper hand in labor relations by becoming a more traditional and belligerent employers’ association. This story of “latecomers” adds to our understanding of organized employer behavior under different historical periods and circumstances.

Online database searching was done solely by librarians 25 years ago. That changed with the advances in telecommunications, the development of faster and more powerful computers, and the improvements in user‐friendly software. First CD‐ROMs, then dial‐in networks, and now the World Wide Web have made online database searching by the library users themselves the norm in academic libraries. Along with all these technological changes, library instruction itself has become more complex. Not only do library users need to know how to search, but they also need to learn critical thinking skills for database and keyword selection.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).