With the pileup of responsibilities that range from programming to outreach to web management, more and more librarians are finding vendor-based book selection enticing. Most librarians see vendor-based selection as an option to relieve the pressure and still provide good collections to their patrons. However, using vendors to help facilitate…

The most surprising response from the "Library Journal" 2002 survey of 150 public libraries is that circulation is up after declines for the past couple of years. Budgets are holding their own, with a slight increase overall of 3%. Aggressive merchandising, promotion, and better circulation systems point to success. (AEF)

Describes how the Linda Vista branch of the San Diego Public Library (California) developed services for three Asian American constituencies--Vietnamese, Lao, and Hmong. Topics addressed include bilingual library assistants; getting to know the community; coalitions with business and religious leaders; special programming; and collection…