In 1937, the Michigan Library Association recommended to the Legislature that state funding be provided to public libraries and that a state board for libraries be appointed. In 1965, Public Act 286 established 24 library systems whose membership comprised approximately one-third of the public libraries in the state. Under Public Act 89 of 1977,…

For libraries to succeed, a clear understanding of what services are in demand is necessary. The SWOT analysis technique for evaluating an organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is examined, and barriers to effective diagnosis are discussed. (AEF)