Reviews current trends in the networked community information literature, including public library involvement, and discusses a present study for which multiple methods are being used to collect data from users, librarians, and service providers in three states. Particular attention is given to explaining use of theory specification to apply…

The first of two phases of this study consisted of assessing the need for a more formal library network in Virginia by surveying libraries, conducting site visits, interviews, and regional hearings, and reviewing documentation on existing levels of automation and networking in the commonwealth. Information gathered during this phase supported both…

A review of statistics on CD-ROM usage on the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale's library network revealed patron difficulty in utilizing electronic indexes. Appropriate database selection and searching problems are identified, and introductory workshops on electronic library resources are suggested to assist students in making better…

The annual State Library Agencies (STLA) Survey is a cooperative effort between the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The survey provides state and federal policy-makers, researchers, and other…

Representing both the public and private sectors, members of an ad hoc committee were charged by the Joint Committee on Printing of the U.S. Congress with evaluating the feasibility and desirability of providing access to federal government information in electronic formats to depository libraries. Appointed in May 1983, the committee was asked to…

This report summarizes the findings, issues, and lessons learned from the Developing National Public Library and Statewide Network Statistics and Performance Measures study conducted between January 1999 and August 2000. The overall goal of the study was to develop a core set of national statistics and performance measures that librarians,…

A study was performed for the Colorado State Library to assess the current status of resource sharing--i.e., interlibrary loan (ILL), reference referral, and document delivery--among Colorado librarians, for the purpose of creating a benchmark for evaluating current services and for making recommendations for improvements in these areas. Four…

Describes a study that examined the impact of federated library systems on member library services, resources, and operations in Pennsylvania. The discussion includes a rationale for the research methodology used, and comments on the absence of reliable library statistics and published reports as a basis for comparison with pre-systems situations.…

During a 5-day period in 1990, a total of 1,401 reciprocal borrowers in the North Suburban Library System (NSLS) received questionnaires asking about their choice of library and other aspects of borrowing behavior to provide data on the reciprocal borrowing characteristics and patterns within the system. This survey was designed to identify the…

This report contains data on state library agencies in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for state fiscal year 1996. The data were collected through the State Library Agencies (STLA) Survey, the product of a cooperative effort between the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, the United States National Commission on Libraries and…

This survey is designed both to update data reported in the survey of library networks and cooperative organizations conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics in 1977-78 and to provide more specific data that will make possible more sophisticated analyses of the status of library networks and cooperative library organizations.…

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) commissioned a study to determine the baseline costs of operation for the network of libraries and agencies that provide braille, playback machine, and recorded book services to patrons of the free national program. A 15-year projection of costs was also prepared. The…

This report includes data furnished by public library directors to the Wyoming State Library and gives a statistical picture of the condition of public libraries throughout the state for fiscal year 1998 (July 1997 through June 1998). Information is taken from a national survey of the Federal-State Cooperative System for Public Library Data.…

This survey updates a 1976 survey conducted by the Division for Library Services of Wisconsin. The original survey obtained broad information on patterns of participation in cooperative activities by all types of libraries, including volume demands, referral patterns, and needs for interlibrary loan and reference between different types of…

This report presents the findings of a survey of New York State Library System administrators and governors designed to provide an empirical benchmark of opinion within the New York State library system and to aid in discussion, evaluation, and planning at the library systems conference. Survey data were collected by means of telephone interviews…