Provides an overview of issues relating to library services to linguistic, ethnic, and cultural minorities. Following a clarification of the terminology used, the process of immigration is addressed. The role of public libraries in this area and implications for professional associations are then discussed. Twenty-one references are listed. (MES)

Discusses current issues in measuring library effectiveness, including rapid technological changes and increasing obsolescence in librarians' competencies; increased pressure for accountability; tools to help libraries become what they determine they should be rather than conforming to national standards; and how to determine the validity and…

Discusses library use instruction in public libraries. The need for instruction is examined, the commitment of public libraries to provide information rather than instruction is considered, academic library and public library users' attitudes are discussed, and a 105-item bibliography of descriptive literature on use instruction in public…

Discusses the impact of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) on state prison libraries. Evaluations of the LSCA are reviewed; the effectiveness of the LSCA in the areas of library budgets, staff, and book collection size is considered; and recommendations for further research are suggested. (22 references) (LRW)

The Interlibrary Cooperation Committee of the Public Library Association researched the literature to study trends in library networking over the last two decades, including increased cooperation among different types of libraries and legislation supporting this trend. Changes found are reported in two articles covering technology, governance,…

Reviews the use and validity of numerical measures of library service (index numbers) and describes a study of public library systems from 1970-80 in Wisconsin. This study used an index number based on circulation per capita, expenditures per capita, turnover rate, full-time employee rate, and population, and tested this measure against various…

Summarizes 20 statements on the tying of state aid to performance measures which were presented at the 1989 Spring Conference of the New Jersey Library Association. The discussion covers the need to derive a formula for the award of aid, and the complexity and difficulties involved in deriving any such formula. (18 references) (CLB)

Reviews the history of proposals for accrediting public libraries nationally and examines four distinct proposals made from 1960 to 1988. The discussion addresses barriers to national accreditation of public libraries and the prospects for the success of the most recent proposal of the Commission for the Accreditation of Public Libraries. (23…

Discusses psychographics, lifestyle characteristics, and the cluster system of targeted market analysis and their potential use by public libraries for correlating lifestyles in local communities and collection development. Preliminary studies are reviewed, data verification is discussed, future research is suggested, and six lifestyle tables are…

The first in a planned series on how to improve the productivity of public libraries, this overview identifies analytical techniques that can save time and energy. Four references are listed. (MES)

Three currently available technologies--telefacsimile, gateway software, and CD-ROM--are defined, and factors to be considered in selecting these technologies for use in public libraries are listed. Seven references are included. (MES)

Discusses methodological issues in cross-cultural studies of diverse communities, including language problems, data collection and analysis, sample size, and dissemination of findings. A study of the information-seeking behavior of ethnolinguistic gatekeepers in several communities in California is described. Suggestions are given for public…