1. The Associations
Each of these professional organizations strikes me as primarily advocacy groups for their profession, although all host a range of background data and reports.
(i) "The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 65,000 members. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information."
(ii) "The Canadian Library Association/Association canadienne des bibliothèques is an award-winning not-for-profit organization, serving as the national voice of the Canadian library and information community and delivering a range of value-added services to professional librarians, library technicians, and the organizations that employ them.
(iii) "IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession.
(iv) "The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic and government information specialists."
(v) A more informative site is Libraries for the Future, "a national nonprofit organization that supports innovation and investment in America's libraries. Through our cutting-edge programs, research, regrants, and trainings, LFF helps local libraries address the ever-changing needs of their communities." It offers a range of publications.
2. FreePint
With the specific focus on "work-related information," FreePint is a global network of people who find, use, manage and share information resources, and are very much connected to the Internet as the key information resource. Their Web site is bursting with data, sources, tips and more, and a bi-weekly newsletter keeps the (free) membership well-informed.
3. Libraries Shun Deals to Place Books on WebThis New York Times article from 2007 examines some of the controversy between the conflicting players looking to digitize library holdings.
4. The Google Library Project
Hal Varian, a most-respected information specialist, now on staff at Google, examines that company's efforts in digitizing library holdings.
5. The Paperless Library
From The Economist print edition, September 22, 2005
The Internet has lead to significant changes in the scientific publishing market. It used to be that research was submitted to a journal for review by a group of peers, and based on their comments the editor would decide which papers would be published. But many have questioned why commercial publishers were making money from research project funded by the government. With the Internet, primary data is now accessible and more information is available freely online -- not just that which has been approved for publication after peer review -- so researchers can see a variety of data and formulate their own conclusions.
6. Almost All Libraries Offer Free Web Access
By Gretchen Ruethling, The New York Times, June 24, 2005,
According to one study, nearly all libraries across the U.S. offer free Internet access. Urban areas have the most connectivity, while rural areas have slower connections and fewer workstations. Internet access is cited as one of the possible reasons why library visits have increased since the early 1990s -- but are users accessing information or just checking their e-mail? One challenge libraries face is to ensure that they receive the resources they need to keep up with the technology.
7. Tips Article: Online Library Catalogues
By John Sherwell, Free Pint, February 6, 2003
While library catalogues hold a wealth of information for the researcher, until recently the form (usually hard copy) limited access to this information. The Internet has changed this, not only by allowing library collections to be documented online, but in many cases enabling online access to the actual information. This article includes a number of web sites that have compiled listings of related library sites, in many cases around the world. Even though it's a few years old, this article provides some value resource information for researchers.