Western fiction is unique among the major fiction genres recognized by public libraries (which would include romance, mystery, and sf) in that it is defined principally by its physical setting--the American West (usually anywhere west of the Mississippi River) and in particular the frontier territories of the 19th century. The popular conception…

Prior to retiring from full-time librarianship to concentrate on readers' advisory (RA) consulting, teaching, and book and media discussions, Ted Balcom, longtime administrator of the Villa Park Public Library (VPPL), Illinois, repeatedly demonstrated a particularly effective approach to shoring up essential library support. Balcom, 1996 winner of…

America is facing what many have called the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, with one in ten Americans unemployed. It's no surprise, then, that the 2010 book-buying survey of public libraries is on the dark side. Representing some 100 institutions nationwide distributed equitably by size, type, and location, "LJ"'s annual survey…

In 1998, Nancy Pearl and Chris Higashi, librarians working in the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library (SPL), had a brainstorm. Challenged with a grant to develop new audiences for literature, they were intrigued with the power of books to unite diverse audiences. With that in mind, they expanded the book club concept to…

On January 19, 2009, the day before his historic inauguration, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, commemorated Martin Luther King Day by volunteering for various community service projects around the Washington, DC, area. A record number of Americans also participated in the King Day of Service, joining in over 13,000 projects, more than…

To evaluate the extent of the book loss, the author identified several highly controlled areas of the collection where it was possible to determine losses and then used statistical sampling techniques to establish current loss rates together with the appropriate confidence intervals. (Author/NH)

Describes a project of the Levittown Public Library to determine its book loss rate, the methods of determining losses, kinds and ages of books lost, and use of the "Tattle Tape" security system to reduce book loss. (LS)

This annotated bibliography is intended for public library collections, although many selections are worthy of inclusion in college or special libraries. Subdivisions listed are: animal life, anthropology, biology, earth sciences, energy, environmental sciences, health, natural history, plants, psychology, and transportation. (JAB)

Listed in this annotated bibliography are 69 titles subdivided into ten categories: business and management strategy, small business, labor unions, people at work, women in the labor force, economics, personal finance, investments, international issues, and potpourri. (JAB)

The 35 titles in this annotated bibliography complete the list of 100 best sci-tech titles; the first 65 appeared in the March 1, 1978 issue. Major subject subdivisions in this addendum include astronomy, earth sciences, and general science. (JAB)

Discusses reasons for censorship in the U.S. and reviews some of its targets. A table lists 91 items other then textbooks that have been censored in educational institutions more than twice between 1966 and 1975, the number of attempts at censorship reported for each, and the nature of the reviews censored books received. (VT)

Discusses the author event in libraries and the efforts Baker and Taylor has made to bridge the communication gap between publishers and libraries and to encourage author publicity events. Argues that events are good business for publishers, writers, and libraries; and outlines aspects libraries must consider in organizing such an event. (EA)

Discussion of problems library wholesalers/distributors face trying to fulfill public libraries' needs while adjusting to a changing industry is based on responses by librarians to a survey on library jobbers. Increased services to libraries, electronic ordering, timeliness, stock management, and quality control are addressed; and a chart of…

The need to consider length of residency, language facility, and cultural subgroup when selecting library materials for the Hispanic community is discussed in the first article. The second lists 50 vendors of Spanish language books and audiovisual materials, including a contact, an address, and specialty areas for each vendor. (CLB)