In November 1994, directors of Alabama's 21 public library systems were surveyed to determine their experiences with, and opinions of, the 1988 "Standards for Public Library Service in Alabama." Replies were received from nine (34%) of the directors. Directors were provided with a list of 15 ways in which they might have used the system…

This report presents and explains new standards developed for Alabama public libraries in response to a need for a clearly articulated, easily used, and broadly based public library planning and development tool. Intended to provide an overview of the new standards, the introduction discusses why the standards were developed; their purposes; how…