This report presents strategies for providing efficient and affordable interlending of actual physical items from special collections for research purposes, as well as advice on determining if a loan is the most appropriate way to fulfill a particular request. Lending physical items ranks among the most divisive issues in the field of archives and…

Academic, government, and corporate librarians organize and leverage internal resources and content through institutional repositories and library catalogs. Getting more value and usage from the content they license is a key goal. However, the ever-growing amount of content and shifting user demands for new materials or features has made the…

Academic libraries have traditionally collected reference statistics using hash marks on paper. Although efficient and simple, this method is not an effective way to capture the complexity of reference transactions. Several electronic tools are now available to assist libraries with collecting often elusive reference data--among them homegrown…

Despite the recent turmoil in the U.S. economy, most libraries that were tracked by "Library Journal" won their referenda at a rate just slightly lower than 2007. Nearly three-quarters of operating referenda passed. Building referenda under $10 million passed at a whopping 85%, with those over $10 million batting slightly better than…

In January 2006, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Libraries began a successful embedded librarian program in the university's College of Education and Educational Technology. The program has improved the library's relationship with faculty and students; shaped a more relevant collection of print, media, and electronic resources that meets…

A survey to assess mentoring experiences and attitudes towards work of Pennsylvania academic librarians was conducted in September 2006 with questions concerning mentoring experiences, work experiences, and attitudes towards work. Results of the survey are analyzed for differences among those librarians responding, especially generational…

Building a culture of reading in a school requires the participation of the entire school community--students, teachers, administrators, staff, parents, and patrons. To be successful, the whole community must be on board with books--not just the helpful librarian in the school library. Implementing library programs to encourage students to read…

This manual is designed to provide information to interlibrary loan (ILL) practitioners about the philosophy behind interlibrary loan, as well as a functional knowledge of its routines. The first part of the manual presents general and background material about interlibrary loans. Included in this section are a glossary of library terms, the…

This manual was written for the Conococheague District Library System, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The district purchased a core collection of 90 videotapes, 30 for each of 3 libraries (Coyle Free Library, Franklin County Library, and Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library); and 6 videorecorders, 2 for each library. This manual is intended to provide…

In 2003, Penn State Libraries implemented payroll deduction and collection agency programs to gain better control of accounts receivable. The author reports on the implementation processes and first year outcomes of the programs. She recommends careful consideration of several questions before implementing such measures.

Policies and procedures are outlined for the Online Database Information Network (ODIN), a cooperative of libraries in south-central Pennsylvania, which was organized to improve library services through technology. The first section covers organization and goals, members, and responsibilities of the administrative council and libraries. Patrons…

The result of interviews with literacy coordinators and library directors of literacy programs in representative libraries throughout Pennsylvania, this document encourages local libraries to develop adult literacy activities as an integral component of basic library service and provides program planners with guidelines and suggestions for…

Pennsylvania public libraries began receiving increased allotments of state aid in 2000. In the first two years of enhancement aid, total state aid received by Pennsylvania libraries more than doubled. This reversed the trend of little growth in the years preceding 2000. The enhancement aid program also redesigned certain categories of state aid…

This paper reports on a survey of faculty perceptions of the role of the library in online distance education. The study is second in a series of related studies exploring The Pennsylvania State University's library services to patrons at a distance. In 2004, faculty of the World Campus (Penn State's online distance education program) were…

This curriculum guide is intended for any librarian in Pennsylvania committed to teaching online searching and looking for guidelines to integrate the skill into the full academic curriculum. The publication will enable school librarians to assist students in developing the skills that will enable them to search and retrieve information from…