Makerspaces and maker-centered learning have surged in popularity in higher education and particularly academic libraries in recent years, following trends that initially emerged in primary and secondary education and public libraries. As academic libraries develop services around maker activities and technologies, many case studies have emerged…

Recovery of significant achievements by exemplary individuals and institutions in public education and librarianship informs our present understanding and motivates future efforts. This narrative history recounts some of the struggles and successes of a great city library when the very conception of a free, public library was still being defined.…

Reviews doctoral dissertation research dealing specifically with school library media programs and resources. A comprehensive set of recommendations for future research is made and a 160-item reference list accompanies the text. (JL)

This discussion of ways to solve the problem of overdue library materials reviews three pertinent articles from the library literature, several studies of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library system, and a 1985 study at a southwestern public library. Attempted solutions are cited, including fines, overdue notices, retrieval methods such as the…

Arguing that the study of use of personal space is an important aspect of understanding the total communication process in libraries, this document reviews the literature on personal space research that has been conducted over the last 20 years. Following a general review of the roots of such research, the numerous studies that are described are…

A model based on storage and retrieval costs that determines efficient allocation of materials to different storage regimes in academic libraries is developed. An economically rational basis for determining role of several alternative storage methods which distinguish among materials by expected level of use is offered. Nineteen references are…

As early as the sixth century B.C., China's imperial library served as a depository of national literature and archives, and in 1905 China's first public library was opened. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, however, library development has been sporadic. Brief examinations of some of China's major libraries reveal the status,…

Shelf browsing demands open access for the browser and a resources arrangement that groups related concepts together and thereby permits retrieving hitherto unknown items by association. Many resources, especially in large academic libraries, are technically open to the public but arranged in a way that prevents shelf browsing according to the…

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) Kit presents the results of a survey on issues and concerns associated with planning for library services for persons with disabilities. The survey was sent to 119 U.S. and Canadian Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and returned by 74. The report is based on the responses of libraries which…