A study gathered information about producers and distributors of unabridged books on cassette tape for the use of librarians engaged in collection development. Questionnaires were distributed to 48 public libraries and 45 producers/distributors. This report includes an introduction covering the history of this medium and a rationale for collecting…

Describes a plan developed by the Phoenix Public Library that involved all librarians working in branches in defining what constitutes excellence in professional performance in the areas of collection development, reference and reader's advisory services, and community interaction. Characteristics related to excellence are identified, and…

Describes a project that modified the fill rate survey from "Output Measures for Public Libraries" to assess the library needs of middle school children. The resulting development of an up-to-date, graded nonfiction collection and its impact on library use by middle schoolers is discussed. The modified survey form is included. (five…

The purpose of this project was to determine if publishers, by numbering a monographic series, facilitate the acquisition or retrieval of individual monographs. Treatment of monographic series has been erratic for several reasons: (1) changing cataloging codes; (2) inconsistency by the library of Congress in regard to series added entries and…

Noting that information is needed about libraries' roles in literacy activities in terms of the outcomes, the Library Programs Office of the U.S. Department of Education awarded the Division of Library Development a grant to develop a model that would evaluate literacy activities in such a fashion. A result of this effort, this library literacy…

Describes steps taken to improve usage of a public library young adult collection: (1) a survey of students' reading interests and needs; (2) analysis of the collection; (3) comparison of survey results with the collection; and (4) selection of additional titles. An annotated bibliography, the questionnaire, and survey results are appended. (11…

Advocates providing automobile repair and service information in public libraries, and discusses collection development issues, reference services, and problems in making repair manuals available. Describes the collection and services for patrons in Tacoma Public Library and results of a survey of other public libraries holding automobile repair…

This survey of librarians in public and school libraries serving a significant number of Hispanics found that, although 60 percent of the respondents report that books in Spanish for Spanish-speaking children and young adults serve an important educational purpose, many of the remaining respondents are very much opposed to increasing their…

Traditionally, archivists have been involved mainly in the intellectual preservation of library materials and the selection, appraisal, processing, and cataloging of library collections. Due to the relatively short (approximately 50 years) stability of the paper commonly used for printed and written documents since the mid-nineteenth century, the…

Describes a preliminary study that was conducted to examine the collection development practices, selection criteria, and sources used in acquiring Native American literature for children and adolescents in public libraries in Alaska and Oklahoma. Results of a literature survey are discussed, and further research is suggested. (Contains 36…

This study sought to identify the reading interests and preferences of older adult public library users in the Oakwood, Ohio community, and also to gauge interest in large print materials within this group. Surveys assessed in this study were completed by 70 adults age 50 or over. The results revealed a wide range of reading interests and…

This report describes a study of the Jackson-George Regional Library (JGRL) System, which serves a 2-county area in Mississippi with a population of 131,918. The purpose of the study, which built on the planning and administration goals identified in "Planning for Progress: The Long Range Plan of the Jackson George Regional Library," was to…

Designed to help librarians and trustees make informed planning decisions concerning the development or improvement of library literacy services, this manual discusses the following topics: (1) the problem of illiteracy; (2) identifying adult new learners; (3) providers of literacy services; (4) the library's role in literacy activities; (5)…

This paper reports on a study in which data on audiobook borrowers' backgrounds, borrowing practices, and desires were collected, in order to assist library staff in making informed collection development decisions and being responsive to patron needs. Participants were patrons of the Salem Public Library (Ohio). An anonymous questionnaire was…

The operations of the bookmobile program of the Holmes County (Ohio) Public Library serving the Amish community were explored and observed. The Amish community comprises 40 percent of the entire population of Holmes County. Reading interests of the Amish using the bookmobile are analyzed informally to determine whether bookmobile services are…