The Kent Free Library (Ohio) evolved from the Great Atlantic and Western Railroad Reading Room of 1875, into a municipal Carnegie library, and then grew to be a medium-sized public school district library, in the city of Kent, Ohio. Its original building has been enlarged through three separate expansion campaigns, in order to have space to house…

Little guidance is given in today's general technical services or cataloging textbooks to assist librarians in making decisions on procedures for the physical preparation of materials prior to placement on the shelves for public access. As small, private academic libraries face automation of circulation, addition of security systems, and debates…

Academic libraries in Ohio were surveyed to determine the existence and content of training in customer service offered to library employees in the circulation and reference departments. Surveys were mailed to 127 libraries, and achieved a return rate of 68% (n=87). The survey contained questions about customer service training for both new and…

The purpose of this research was to look at the currency of the collection of a small public library and to determine the relationship between the amount of usage of the collection and the currency of publications in the collection. A 10% systematic sample was taken of the circulating nonfiction adult shelf list of the Franklin Public Library…

Discussion of integrated library systems focuses on the development of the Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK). Capabilities of eight existing systems are described, including catalog creation and maintenance; the online public access catalog (OPAC); circulation, interlibrary loan, and document delivery; acquisitions and serials…

Describes OhioLINK, a statewide academic library automation project being developed for state colleges, selected private universities, and the state library. Topics addressed include cost savings; centralized funding; vendor selection; bibliographic and circulation information; commercial databases; cooperation between vendors and librarians; and…

A survey was conducted to gather data about Ohio's prison libraries and the librarians who are responsible for them. These libraries are areas of challenge and opportunity for librarians, and there will be continued growth in this field as more and more prisons are built. However, few professionals are aware of the concerns and challenges facing…

In this annual report for 1975, an overview is provided of the activities of the Northwest Library District (NORWELD) while supported by Library Services and Construction Act funds granted by the State Library of Ohio. The programs covered are reference and interlibrary loan, media, staff development, public relations, and administration.…

Describes one library's development of a CD-ROM lending collection. Topics include survey results, policies, procedures, troubleshooting, and promotion. A sidebar contains a brief bibliography of journals which review CD-ROMs and publishers who provide CD samplers. (AEF)

This study evaluated the circulation of videotapes at three branches of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County (Ohio). The study focused on what types of videotapes patrons were most likely to check out; the categories examined included fiction, nonfiction, and children's videotapes. Data were gathered for a one-week period, and a…

Recreational reading has proved its importance in the public library systems nationwide, as confirmed by circulation records and significant consideration in library budgets, indicating the need to develop systems that bring the book and the reader together in a systematic way. This paper seeks to define the operation of readers' advisory programs…

This paper reports on a study in which data on audiobook borrowers' backgrounds, borrowing practices, and desires were collected, in order to assist library staff in making informed collection development decisions and being responsive to patron needs. Participants were patrons of the Salem Public Library (Ohio). An anonymous questionnaire was…

The study of the effect of a new bookmobile on circulation and public use should give public libraries some data on which to base a decision about purchasing a new bookmobile or adding bookmobile services. Bookmobile circulation data and patron data was collected during June, July, and August of 1994 from the Holmes County (Ohio) District Public…

This study of four public libraries in Northeastern Ohio was conducted to determine the amount, if any, of restriction of access of materials to minors. Four libraries were opportunistically selected, and the director and children's librarian in each were interviewed. The emerging hypothesis was that some restriction would occur. The written…