This paper examines an "experimental" program in African American adult education that took place at the Harlem branch of the New York Public Library in the early 1930s. The program, called the Harlem Experiment, brought together a group of white funders (the Carnegie Corporation and the American Association for Adult Education)--who…

The American Library Association encourages public libraries to extend their services to people in jails and detention centers, but there is little research that shows exactly how many libraries do so. Research shows that 54% of juveniles arrested are not sent to residential facilities but instead receive court ordered probation into an Intensive…

Noting that Lekotek means "play library" in Swedish, this brief report describes the Lekotek Center, a resource and support center for the parents of disabled children under the age of five, which is affiliated with the Galesburg (Illinois) Public Library. Background on the Lekotek organization, whose goal is to integrate children with…

Vision impairment affects approximately 17% of Americans age 45 and older. Yet, 94% of adults with self-reported vision loss did not receive any type of vision rehabilitation services to help them retain independence. These findings underscore the need for promoting awareness about what can be done when vision fails. A national dissemination…

This compilation of primarily narrative reports from 24 federal projects funded by the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) and administered by the California State Library covers the period 1985-1987, with further reports to be published approximately every other year. Each report--excerpted from a standardized summary report form--is…

The adequacy of the Village Library Project, headquartered in Nome, Alaska, to meet the library service needs and desires of the people in 18 villages on Seward Peninsula, St. Lawrence Island, and Diomede is evaluated in this report. Sections are devoted to the goals of the evaluation, evaluation procedure, goals and objectives of the project,…

Key findings of an evaluation of the Education Information Centers (EICs) project were that (1) many EICs have affected patrons lives; (2) libraries have improved career collections, attracted new patrons, and become viewed as community resources; (3) library staff have developed better ways to ascertain information needs; and (4) new agency…

Summarizes reasons for evaluating library literacy programs and the role of evaluation in the planning process. What to measure is discussed, and sample measures for library collections, support services, and direct instruction are listed. Issues to be considered in developing program objectives and evaluation strategies are also addressed. (10…

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,…

A key component of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the "E-rate," a program designed primarily to help fund telecommunication improvements at rural schools, libraries, and health care facilities. The program offers discounts that can be applied to telecommunication services, Internet access, and internal connections. An evaluation…

In 1967 the School of Library and Information Services of the University of Maryland received a grant from the U.S. Office of Education for a demonstration project to prepare students for service to socially and economically disadvantaged groups. The innovative core of this program was a laboratory library located in one of the black ghettos of…

This report summarizes the results of a feasibility study of the Bay Area Literacy Referral Network (BALRN), a local literacy referral system established in 1985 by the coordinators of the 13 Bay Area literacy projects, which in turn were established by the California Literacy Campaign initiated in 1983. Funded with Library Services and…

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…

Evaluation of Tanzanian experiences in developing nationwide public library system under conditions of limited resources and unlimited user demands discusses six principles as basis for alternative strategy: liquidating irrelevant librarianship theories; establishing valid performance measures; adopting cost-effectiveness; giving primacy to…