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This paper aims to summarize a three‐year federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to create a statewide digital collection.

This paper describes the Cornerstone Project: its background, the processes used to determine appropriate standards, guidelines, and best practices for digital collections, the technology selected for the digital production centers and the web portal, and its plans for the future. The project is a collaborative statewide initiative to make unique historical treasures from Alabama's archives, libraries, museums, and other repositories electronically accessible to Alabama residents as well as students and scholars around the world.

The project has demonstrated a successful model for statewide collaboration among all types of repositories. NAAL member institutions are helping other repositories create digital collections of unique Alabama historical resources.

The Cornerstone Project offers practical procedures that can be replicated by any consortia considering distributed digital collection building.

The project offers training to help librarians, archivists, and other staff successfully plan, implement, and complete digitization projects. Three shared digital production facilities at the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH), Auburn University, and The University of Alabama serve as training centers and assist with local digitization efforts.

Reports on the new union catalogue in Hong Kong, expected to make savings in international interlending traffic. Argues that international interlending is an expensive business, and who should pay has become a hotly debated topic. Shows that before charges can be made, detailed analysis of lending traffic is necessary to prevent emotional judgments. Offers up the Australian SAIL Project as one way to collect such data. Concludes that the conflict between archival responsibilities and research needs is not easy to resolve and needs co‐operation between various professional bodies.

This study aims to illustrate how one medium‐sized academic library was able to use a web‐based digitization and repository project to increase and promote communication and relationships between the library and the university community. This case study traces the history and development of the Cornerstone Project – the Network of Alabama Academic Library's (NAAL) state‐wide digital repository project.

The paper describes the steps taken by a medium‐sized academic library to participate in a state‐wide institutional repository project to improve on liaison activities, and form new relationships with departments across the campus.

Using the digital repository project to help bridge gaps between departments that had limited or no involvement with the library and its services, one medium‐sized academic library found that its involvement in the repository project resulted in a new and improved interdepartmental relationship.

The results have encouraged the library to open the door for new and different relationships to be formed with other departments. The implications and value for other libraries to become involved in such repositories are also discussed.

Examines literature surrounding several issues concerning interlibrary lending (ILL). Reviews the value given to statistical analysis in ILL. Discusses the importance of acquiring documents speedily and reliably. Looks at the increasing demand for old and precious materials through ILL and whether special privileges given to researchers are justified. Finally, outlines the role of ILL for school libraries.

Providing effective subject access to OPACs is a major problem area and this article considers the relative merits of providing enhanced content indexing of document records with natural language or controlled vocabulary. The retrieval performance of a particular approach is not the only factor to be taken into consideration and the need for multilingual subject access to OPAC records is discussed.

There are a variety of multi‐library automation and connectivity initiatives in Alabama. Among these are programs of the following: the Alabama Public Library Service, Harrison Regional Library System, Jefferson County Library System, Library Management Network, Montgomery City‐County Public Library System, the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries, and the PACERS Small Schools Cooperative.

Interlending activities in various countries, particularly in academic libraries, are examined. The growth of networking and the importance of a strong infrastructure are discussed. A system of cost recovery for large net‐lenders is outlined. Developments in copyright are reviewed.

The purpose of this paper is to present a brief overview of the current state of distributed digital preservation (DDP) networks in North America and to provide a detailed technical, administrative, and financial description of a working, self‐supporting DDP network: the Alabama Digital Preservation Network (ADPNet).

The paper reviews current regional and national initiatives in the field of digital preservation using a variety of sources and considers ADPNet in the context of generally accepted requirements for a robust DDP network. The authors view ADPNet in a comparative perspective with other Private LOCKSS Networks (PLNs) and argue that the Alabama model represents a promising approach to DDP for other states and consortia.

The paper finds that cultural memory organizations in a number of countries have identified digital preservation as a critical issue and are crafting strategies to address it, with DDP‐based solutions gaining in popularity in North America. It also identifies an array of technical, administrative, and financial challenges that DDP networks must resolve in order to be viable in the long term.

The paper describes a working model for building a low‐cost but robust DDP network.

The paper is one of the first comprehensive descriptions of a working, self‐sustaining DDP network.

With expanded technologic and communication resources there is growing awareness worldwide of the public health problems caused by alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, misuse, abuse and addiction. Trends vary by culture and region but use of tobacco and alcohol is almost universal and is associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity. While nurses have not universally embraced the prevention and treatment of substance‐related disorders as their province, this is changing as a function of organisations, World Health Organization (WHO) and national initiatives, and the strengthening of nurse education. Actions to promote consensus, identify and review competencies for nurses must consider national and cultural variations, traditions of social change and the need for evidence‐based practice. Collective action by nurses in newly formed and existing organisations, which focus on addictions prevention and treatment, have resulted in initial professional steps. Such progress can be facilitated if achieved in the context of larger international policies and initiatives and in collaboration with members of other professional disciplines.

The immigration conundrum to craft policy that ensures border security and safeguards human rights is grave and complex. Individuals fleeing religious persecution made finding refuge part of our heritage since colonial times. This American tradition has enshrined our values to the world. This essay is limited to summarizing the asylum process and recent events through the summer of 2018 which affect it. Policy changes are ongoing. The asylum process is complicated by illegal immigration. The surge in migrants arriving at and/or crossing the border has led to controversial policies over the years. Unlike those who illegally cross the border and remain unknown to law enforcement, everyone who makes an affirmative asylum claim to a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer, or a defensive asylum claim in immigration court, has been thoroughly vetted through identity, criminality, and terrorism background checks. Granting refuge to those fleeing persecution reaffirms the values of a country that is, as Lincoln richly stated, the last best hope of Earth. Comprehensive immigration reform is needed on many immigration issues, two of which are to ensure border security and safeguard the asylum-seeking process.