"Embracing the chaos" is an ongoing challenge for librarians. Embracing the chaos means librarians must have a plan for responding to the flood of new products, widgets, web tools, and gizmos that students use daily. In this article, the author argues that library instruction and access services have been grappling with that chaos with…

This conference was held to bring librarians and users from academic, public, school, and special libraries together to discuss how resource sharing among all types of libraries, for the benefit of all types of users, might be enhanced through formal multitype networking. A conference workbook was provided for participants to read ahead of time,…

Designing curricula around the standards, with clearly delineated strategies, expectations, and evaluative procedures, is thought to assure that growth in student achievement may be tracked. While this process can sometimes be nebulous, one thing is certain: clearly understanding what is involved in reaching a degree of excellence and determining…

Social and economic issues affecting the vitality of public libraries in California are discussed. A 1993 study by the California State Library identified diminishing reference skills and reference collections, reduced funding which impacted staffing, increased demand, technology change, and language/culture issues as contributing factors to…

Reviews a study by the RAND Corporation on the changing ethnic nature of California which focused on the impact for public library services of having the majority of the population composed of what once were racial and ethnic minorities. The report is criticized for the narrowness of the questions addressed, softness of data, and simplicity of…

These proceedings of a 2-day workshop held to discuss the planning and programming of library facilities construction include a number of papers and appendices that provide information on subjects not often covered in other library literature sources. Papers included in this document are: (1) "Let's Get Acquainted" (Raymond M. Holt); (2)…

This report describes a study designed to assess the client and staff libraries at each of the 11 California Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Department of Developmental Services (DDS) residential facilities to determine their existing resources and their ability to meet the requirements of the changing facility populations. The study…

Published in response to requests for a permanent record of California's CALTAC (California Association of Library Trustees and Commissioners) WILL (Workshops in Library Leadership) program, an ongoing program funded by an LSCA (Library Services and Construction Act) grant from the California State Library, this report is a compilation of the…

A 2-phase study evaluated the existing reference referral network in California, and developed and evaluated two alternative designs, one organization-based and the other formula-based. The evaluation phase consisted of the following tasks: (1) a survey of all public libraries and cooperative systems of the state regarding their priorities for and…

Presents a 1992 study which discovered and investigated collection development bias in academic and public libraries in California. The investigation was carried out in five stages: (1) selected a controversial topic; (2) identified representative works; (3) ranked works by qualified judges; (4) measured holdings via library online computer…

Discusses the results of the California "Tax Revolt," specifically Proposition 13, on public services. Examines the relationship between declining literacy levels and a lack of library skills; and proposes a program where libraries and schools can work together to restore library funding, adapt library instruction, and promote literacy.…

In order to gather information detailing the extent and effectiveness of oral history projects in public libraries, questionnaires were sent to public libraries in 11 states that listed "oral history" among their resources in the American Library Directory, and to a small number of other libraries in these states with oral history…

Academic reference librarians can enhance the campus cultural diversity of colleges and universities by displaying sensitivity at the reference desk; understanding multicultural group behaviors; avoiding stereotyped attitudes; appreciating a wide range of cognitive style differences; striving to make multicultural students feel comfortable;…

Speeches and summaries of group discussions from California's first statewide conference on health science library consortia are presented. An introduction outlining regional, state, and national cooperation among biomedical libraries and brief welcoming addresses precede three talks on the history and development in California of library…

This report provides a summary and evaluation of a retreat held for the directors and literacy coordinators of the 46 public libraries participating in the California Literacy Campaign (CLC), their supervisors, State Library staff, and members of the California Library Services Board. Following a brief introduction and overview, descriptions of…