In consideration of our international readership, the following summaries of this month's feature articles are provided first in English, then in French and Spanish.

The Push is On: What Push Technology Means to Special Librarians

"Push technology" couldn't have come at a better time. As the role of the information professional expands to include high level functions like knowledge management, Intranet development, and global data integration, push technology is enhancing the value special librarians add to the information dissemination process. Push technology automates the search and retrieval function based on user defined criteria. This form of information delivery represents not only a convenient means of receiving important information the user may not otherwise know exists, but more importantly for information professionals, this evolving distribution technology is changing the way users interact with information.

Full Text

Creating a Bibliographic Database for a Widely Distributed Collection

Managing information for over 375 parks is a challenge for the National Park Service. The need for relevant information is vital in providing context and understanding for on-going resource management. As a result, the National Resource Bibliography Project was initiated. So far, the NPS service wide bibliography has compiled over 100,000 records from over 160 different parks in the United States. The goal is to complete all of the NPS units designated for this project by 1998. The result will be a virtual library comprised of document collections for over 300 parks. It will represent a unique and valuable research tool and will be available to all those interested.

IFLA 1997: Libraries and Information for Human Development

A beautiful city, a good conference center, many interesting things to see and do, and the company of interesting and knowledgeable colleagues made this year's IFLA conference another memorable one. At the IFLA Council and General Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark, August 29-September 5, 1997, attendance broke previous records with a total of 2,976 persons from 141 countries, including countries never before represented at an IFLA conference. Included in this number were more than 170 librarians from 86 developing countries who were able to attend because of grants from DANIDA (the Danish Foreign Ministry). Several SLA members also participated in the international conference.

Full Text