This paper reviews a selection of literature pertaining to the subject of censorship in modern libraries. It interrogates the literature in terms of the ethical debates informing much of the contemporary academic writing on this subject. A multi-pronged approach to the subject is adopted. The review includes evaluations of the relevant aspects of…

Review of state of public library practice in Nigeria from historical times to present highlights social impact; profile of public and state libraries; resources available; effects of library legislation; problems (high illiteracy rate, lack of adequate funding, personnel, inadequate educational planning, communication); and prospects for future.…

This 25-article issue presents overview of reference services for childern and young adults, including public and school libraries, information needs, reference interviews, children's librarians, library instruction, library cooperation, production of information resources, material selection, and vertical files. References are included. (Haworth…

Presents the results of a conference which examined reviewing procedures, as well as information sources for selecting materials for children and young adults available to Canadian school and public library personnel. Topics include reviewing journals, evaluation programs, and information distribution. (JVP)

This paper looks at older adults' use of books and the public library, synthesizes and analyzes work completed in this area, and offers recommendations for future studies. A review was performed of the U.S., Canadian, and British literature over the past 20 years on the use of library materials by older adults. The literature review is divided…

This fact book, compiled to fill the need of practicing librarians and researchers for recent data on public libraries, contains statistics concerning or relevant to the U.S. public library system. Data on all aspects of American public libraries are summarized from such sources as annual reports, journal articles, surveys, books, doctoral theses,…

Describes the activities of the Connecticut Governer's Conference as participants prepare for the White House Conference on Library and Information Services. Explains many of the current services being offered through public and school libraries in Connecticut. (LRA)

Cooperative collection development is discussed as a method of coping with rising prices for expensive and little used library materials. The experiences of institutions which have had success in overcoming difficulties associated with cooperative ventures are presented, and a program of 12 recommendations is suggested. Twenty references are…

Recommends that libraries include conservative 'Moral Majority' as well as liberal views of human sexuality in their acquisition of books for young adults to provide a balanced collection and blunt atttempts to limit academic freedom through censorship. Five 'New Right' choices are reviewed. (RAA)

A study to explore public librarians' attitudes and opinions concerning issues of intellectual freedom, collection balance, and controversial materials focused on the availability of Holocaust-denial literature. Results indicate that librarians, regardless of outside pressures, would provide access to this material. A copy of the survey is…

Discusses the problem of serious dangers in current and backlist chemistry experiment books. Discarding of older books and careful evaluation of the dangers inherent in newer books are recommended. Safe alternatives are suggested, including some criteria for evaluating dangers, and a safer approach used by a current author. (EM)

States rationale for provision of library service to jail residents and discusses services in United States institutions noting administration, staffing, funding, delivery of service, materials, programs and services, security barrier, professionalism and standards, and contracts for service. Twenty-two references and a 24-item bibliography are…

Using decision points from Esther Piercy's "Commonsense Cataloging" as a framework for analysis, this paper compares the opinions of experts on cataloging, classification, and shelf arrangement of audiovisual materials in school libraries, public libraries, and media centers with actual practices in four school and community libraries in…

Presents an analysis of checklist-based research designed to investigate whether particular books, periodicals, and films considered to be controversial by the investigators are owned in certain groups of libraries. Objectives of checklist studies, definitions of self-censorship, compilation of checklists, and interpretation of data are…

A Brazilian librarian with international experience reviews a cross-section of the literature on libraries and librarianship in developing countries as reported by observers from developed countries, deploring tendencies to make comparisons which imply value judgements, use models which reflect the experience of industrialized societies, display…