U.S. libraries gave the world a top talent when Deborah Jacobs left her transformational role as City Librarian of Seattle in 2008 to head the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Libraries program, the international sibling to the U.S. Libraries program. The initiative fosters national-scale projects with grantees in transitioning countries…

This article reports on a 2009 budget survey conducted by "Library Journal" in which a random sample of U.S. public libraries were surveyed via mail or fax in October 2008. Those that answered the survey projected a modest increase in budgets for 2009, just 2%, with less than a 1% increase in funds for materials, a predictable area for cuts. That…

While some professions maintain strong professional boundaries, public librarianship remains a field in which a significant number of those delivering service do not have library degrees. In this article, the author discusses the results of a new hiring practices survey from "Library Journal" ("LJ"). The survey, coupled with…

Hard times bring out the ambiguity in politics. Except for fiscal extremists, most politicians in North America want to support their libraries. When "Library Journal" ("LJ") planned to name the heroes and villains in the politics of library funding, they rediscovered that politics just is not that simple, and that it may be a…

Sandwiched between Los Angeles and San Diego counties, nudging up to Riverside and San Bernardino to the east, Orange County, California is far more diverse than the stereotype. Orange County has no dominant city; its two largest, Santa Ana and Anaheim--each with populations around 350,000--are, respectively, home to lower-income Latinos and a…

As published critics of Hennen's American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR), the authors propose a new ranking system that focuses more transparently on ranking libraries based on their performance. These annual rankings are intended to contribute to self-evaluation and peer comparison, prompt questions about the statistics and how to improve them,…

This second installment in a series on volunteers in libraries looks at the issues from the point of view of the librarian concerned with modern administrative procedures. Some of the groundwork needed for any successful volunteer program is given. (10 references) (Author/NH)

The third article in Library Journal's" current series on the use of volunteers in libraries gets down to the nuts and bolts of the question by providing a look at one library's successful experience with a volunteer program. (5 references) (Author)

A critique of some hallowed assumptions about library cooperative efforts is presented. (Author)

The International Association of Metropolitan City Libraries (INTAMEL) was founded in 1968. This profile is the first in a series on international library associations. (20 references) (DH)

Some have proposed funding of library services through user fees, but their assumptions are anachronistic and wrong. Rather, drastic changes need to be in the direction of more public support. (CH)

Excerpts from a new book by Kenneth R. Shaffer entitled Decision Making; A Seminar in Public Library Management." (Author)

The emphasis of this look at today's public libraries and their future is on the policies of these libraries rather than their funding. (NH)

A decade after the establishment of a library system, Spring Valley's Finkelstein Library has seceded from the system. (Author)

Reviews the history of state library financial support and argues for direct state aid to all libraries which meet moderate standards. Recent judicial decisions are discussed in this context. (JVP)