Studies about diversity initiatives in academic libraries have primarily focused on large research libraries. But what kinds of diversity work occur at smaller libraries? This study examines the status of diversity initiatives, especially those aimed at students, at national liberal arts college libraries. Results from a survey of library…

How can an academic library most effectively participate and expand its contributions to program reviews at the institutional level? By becoming involved in undergraduate reviews, college and university libraries can articulate new and enhanced roles for themselves on campus. Academic libraries have always contributed to a variety of institutional…

In recent years, libraries have become increasingly involved in financial education, and Extension educators are collaborating with them to deliver programs for their staff and the general public. Benefits to Extension educators include increased visibility, access to new audiences, having program logistics and marketing provided by others, access…

During the past year, Wisconsin state legislators debated a series of bills aimed at closing low-performing public schools and replacing them with privately run charter schools. These proposals were particularly targeted at Milwaukee, the state's largest and poorest school district. Ultimately, the only legislation enacted was a bill that modestly…

Describes a new approach to career guidance called the Occ-U-Sort Kit, a card sort available in libraries, to help individuals consider career options and identify sources of help. An evaluation showed substantial demand for the kit and most users surveyed were satisfied. Major users were females. (JAC)

Examines literature on latchkey children and public libraries, and reviews solutions to this issue. Presents four recommendations to help public libraries clarify their role in serving latchkey children: educate personnel regarding appropriate services, develop a written policy, reevaluate programs and services, become involved in a community task…

This report summarizes findings from the State Library of Florida's "Evaluation of Statewide Youth Services Program" project. The project was designed to assist the State Library of Florida in developing a long-range plan for youth services and to link the public library effort to "Blueprint 2000," the Florida education goals,…

The purpose of this study was to find out how school and public libraries were performing as education providers and how well they were responding to the country's urgent demands for school improvement. This general audience report summarizes the results of the assessment of school and public libraries. It discusses staffing and patronage, the use…

This comprehensive evaluation report is based on site visits to 13 adult and 8 juvenile correctional centers and interviews with library staff, prison staff, and residents in 1982. An introduction presents a historical overview of library services to Illinois correctional institutions, a literature review, and a discussion of the methodology of…

This evaluation used ethnographic data collection methods to discover why IBM's PALS (Principle of the Alphabet Literacy System met with different degrees of success at the two Massachusetts pilot sites after 2 years of operation: the North Central Correctional Institute (NCCI) in Gardner, and the Brightwood Branch Library in Springfield. Three…

The introduction to this Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit explains the Conspectus method, which was developed in 1980 by the Research Libraries Group (RLG) as a means of systematically and qualitatively evaluating large library collections. The discussion considers advantages and disadvantages of this tool, which evaluates past…

The "library-college" philosophy conceives of a library as a total educational resource, that (1) fully uses media and instructional aids; (2) stresses independent study; (3) encourages teachers and librarians to share instructional and bibliographic duties; and (4) aids students in achieving competency in reading, speaking, and critical thinking.…

A national survey of 1,000 principals and 1,000 school media specialists indicates that principals have very little knowledge about what really happens in the school library media center. Ten statements are presented to enable readers to test their own knowledge about library media centers. The responses make it clear that principals have had…

Evaluates a project in which two library liaisons assisted freshman English students in writing library research papers. The need to develop new bibliographic instruction programs in conjunction with teaching faculty is also discussed, noting that this revives the aggressive 19th-century scholar/librarian model. (27 references) (KRN)

The Council on Library Resources was created to address the problems of libraries and is now committed to the most significant library problem of all, ensuring that library resources are embraced as part of the solution for people who seek to solve their own problems and those of their communities and institutions. In this annual report, the…