Presents standards for reference services developed by the Suburban Library System (Illinois) and discusses the effects of the standards on youth services. Standards for a written reference plan, reference staff, reference sources, and evaluation are included. (11 references) (MES)

Notes that draft proposal for voluntary public library accreditation prepared by ad hoc committee is now ready for consideration by professional community. This article defines accreditation and proposes possible goals to provide a framework for discussing the pros and cons of establishing a Commission for the Accreditation of Public Libraries.…

Describes a process undertaken by small, rural libraries in Massachusetts in which trustees, librarians, and community leaders identified the possible roles of libraries and prioritized needs for individual communities. The results include an emphasis on community standards rather than national, and a list of three basic roles of all libraries.…

Explores the issue of intellectual freedom and the role of the library in the community, and the extent to which community attitudes and values should influence library policy. A specific incident involving a public library exhibit of materials on gay rights in Durham, North Carolina, is described. (CLB)

Describes guidelines issued by the Public Library Association which base evaluation of individual public libraries on community standards rather than national; identify eight basic roles of the library within the community; and provide a suggested process for libraries and communities to assess service needs and determine which activities to…

Three brief articles examine common beliefs which detract from the issue of national standards for library service; present suggestions for small library management; and describe the small Library Development Center at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. (CDD)

Developed by the Task Force on Public Library and Library System Standards and Guidelines, these general standards are designed to give local planners a useful tool with which to assess their own unique programs of service and establish direction for future development. A section on planning and the public library considers (1) imperatives for…

Describes a survey of Greek public libraries and the resulting classification of these institutions as county, municipal, or children's libraries. The problems of inadequate library resources, a nonreading public, ill-trained and unsupported librarians, and lack of government legislation concerning libraries are discussed. (CLB)

In 1987, the Regent's Advisory Council on Libraries and the New York State Library Division of Library Development appointed a Committee on Minimum Library Standards for New York State to review and revise existing standards for public libraries, taking into consideration the Board of Regents policy on libraries. This report explains the…

A locally developed long-range plan is the key to effective library service, and can account for circumstances unique to the service area that could not be anticipated from a statewide or national perspective. These standards are meant to guide Wisconsin libraries in structuring their own locally-focused planning efforts. Standards in the…