Public libraries are heavily affected by political and policy-making processes that shape the funding, activities, and roles of libraries in society, with the explosion of information policy decisions in the past two decades significantly increasing the responsibilities of libraries while also increasing limitations on their activities. Research…

"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") focuses on current and emerging topics that are strategically important to research libraries. The articles explore issues, share information, pose critical questions, and provide examples. This special issue presents a report released by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Joint Task…

Copyright concerns continue to bedevil K-12 librarians, who are often called upon to act as the copyright officers in public schools. This article describes recent copyright developments of concern to these librarians in three areas: a recent court case involving a university library, pending legislation supported by ALA, and a regulatory update.…

The 2012 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 48th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The "Digest" has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field…

Federal mandates requiring that publicly funded research be made openly accessible recast scholarly information as public information and provide an impetus to join the efforts of scholarly communication and government information programs in United States research libraries. Most major research libraries are long-standing participants in the…

The 2011 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 47th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The "Digest" has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field…

Existing and potential federal funding programs for libraries are discussed in this special conference theme summary. The relation of library funding to the total intergovernmental grant system is explained, and eight existing federal programs are outlined that support (1) public library services, (2) interlibrary cooperation, (3) school libraries…

"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") focuses on current and emerging topics that are strategically important to research libraries. The articles explore issues, share information, pose critical questions, and provide examples. This issue includes the following articles: (1) Open Educational Resources as Learning Materials:…

Presentations and discussions held during the 3-day meeting center on the education of librarians to meet the needs of handicapped individuals. The keynote address reviews legislation and agencies dealing with disabled persons, as well as library education on services to the handicapped. Other presentations include a historical review of the…

Federal legislation now requires the deposit of some taxpayer-funded research in "open-access" repositories--that is, sites where scholarship and research are made freely available over the Internet. The institutions whose faculty produce the research have begun to see the benefit of open-access publication as well. From the perspective of faculty…

Presentations made at this semiannual meeting include papers on the first 50 years of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the challenge to libraries from changing scholarship, a report from the Library of Congress (LC) on new preservation technologies, and a report on the ARL business meeting. Individual papers address the history of…

Examines the impact of Title II-C of the Higher Education Act (Strengthening Research Library Resources Program) and the Education Amendments of 1980 on library collections of research institutions. A legislative history and data noting recipients of awards from fiscal year 1978-79 through 1981-82 are presented. Sixteen references are cited. (EJS)

Recommendations of the Indiana Conference of Higher Education (ICHE) concerning reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 are presented. Titles I-XI are covered: continuing education programs, college and research library aid, and library training and research, institutional aid, student financial aid, teacher corps and teacher training…

Copyright law supports a fundamental mission of colleges and universities to create and disseminate new knowledge and understanding through teaching, research, and scholarship in two basic ways: (1) by providing incentives for the creation of new works through the provision of proprietary rights to copyright owners, and (2) by providing…

This set of papers presented to the General Research Libraries Division of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) during its 47th annual conference (1981) includes: "The Effect of the Introduction of Computers on Library and Research Staff," by Gilbert Gude; "Libraries as Information Service Agencies…