Designed to provide librarians, library administrators, and other interested persons with information organized to facilitate comparisons of libraries within the same library system, with comparable service populations, and with comparable expenditures, this publication contains information derived from the 1985 Annual Report/System Membership…

A study gathered information about producers and distributors of unabridged books on cassette tape for the use of librarians engaged in collection development. Questionnaires were distributed to 48 public libraries and 45 producers/distributors. This report includes an introduction covering the history of this medium and a rationale for collecting…

Two surveys were conducted in 1981/82 and 1982 respectively to determine if Illinois public libraries were satisfying their patrons in terms of book use, and how much money Illinois public libraries received directly from their patrons in library fines, fees, and charges. In the first study, 2,133 adults returning a book at a random sample of 71…

Case studies and user surveys are examined to determine which resources are likely to be used by varied types of information seekers. The study develops a profile of how adults learn and the relevancy of public libraries to their learning project activities. (Author/EM)

Provides a composite picture of interlibrary loan policies of 832 academic, special, and public libraries published in American Library Association's second edition of "Interlibrary Loan Policies Directory" (1984). Loan policies for books, periodicals, microforms, dissertations, theses, government documents, audiovisual materials, and…

A four-part survey of top administrators, their deputies, and board chairmen of selected large U.S. and Canadian public libraries was conducted to determine whether administrators and deputies have acquired the skills necessary for effective management. Analysis of the responses indicates that managers have adequate skills, but there is room for…

These statistics were compiled from information supplied by Arizona's public libraries. The document is divided according to the following county groups: Apache, Cochise; Coconino, Gila; Graham, Greenlee, La Paz; Maricopa; Mohave, Navajo; Pima, Pinal; Santa Cruz, Yavapai; and Yuma. Statistics are presented on the following: general information;…

Suggestions for establishing children's library programs in the Cumberland County, North Carolina, library system include descriptions of types of audiences, types of programs, and elements of programs. Selection guidelines for topics and materials cover the following areas: (1) art projects; (2) costumes; (3) creative dramatics; (4) drawing; (5)…

In late 1981 and early 1982, a total of 775 public secondary school librarians, 507 elementary school librarians, and 324 public librarians in Minnesota were sent questionnaires asking about instances of censorship in their institutions from 1979 to 1981, and about their library selection and reevaluation policies. Response rates of 29 to 32% were…

Describes steps taken to improve usage of a public library young adult collection: (1) a survey of students' reading interests and needs; (2) analysis of the collection; (3) comparison of survey results with the collection; and (4) selection of additional titles. An annotated bibliography, the questionnaire, and survey results are appended. (11…

This book discusses the motivations that cause adults to go to the public library. It is grouped into eight sections concerning: (1) the research methodology and results used to determine four motivators that were good predictors of library use; (2) the development of library research; (3) several characteristics of library users in terms of…

This report summarizes the results of a feasibility study of the Bay Area Literacy Referral Network (BALRN), a local literacy referral system established in 1985 by the coordinators of the 13 Bay Area literacy projects, which in turn were established by the California Literacy Campaign initiated in 1983. Funded with Library Services and…

Developed as part of a three-year project funded by the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), this manual is designed to present librarians in the State of California with an alternative, "sense-making" approach to assessing the information needs of patrons and potential patrons and to assessing accountability, i.e., whether…

Examines changes in the perceptions of public library children's services by library professionals through a content analysis of entries in "Library Literature" since 1958 which refer to children's library services and populations served. The opinions of current library administrators are compared to those of 100 years ago. (EM)

This manual has been designed as a practical guide to quantifying and measuring the results, or outputs, of public library service to children. The basic output measures presented are tailored to reflect library services to children (defined as persons 14 years old and younger) and their care givers. Six categories of measures are presented: (1)…