Combing the virtues of approval plans with those of the FASTCAT, new books in the Macalester College Library reach the borrower, on an average, one year sooner than they do at a neighboring college of the same size. (2 references) (Author/NH)

The core collection provides undergraduate students with a noncirculating duplicate collection of some 30,000 books which can also be found in the research collection. (MF)

Indiana's Michigan City Public Library was the first in the nation to serve all regardless of residence and the first to establish a branch library in a large, enclosed, heated shopping mall. The results of these new services are discussed. (Author/NH)

Summarizes and responds to librarians' objections to books-by-mail programs: limited selection, potential loss of library patrons, loss of identity of library providing service, and postal rates. Effectiveness of mail order catalogs, program costs, and comparisons of walk-in and books-by-mail circulation statistics are discussed. (6 references)…

Discusses the increase in circulation over the past seven years at the Queens Borough Public Library. Improvements in collections, promotion, and services responsible for this increase are examined, and circulation data are presented in graphs. (MES)

Discusses the use of the "Output Measures for Public Libraries" measurement method to compare public library performance based on a variety of statistics involving circulation, staffing, and library services. The need to consider the value that library services add to the community rather than relying on statistics alone is stressed.…

The most surprising response from the "Library Journal" 2002 survey of 150 public libraries is that circulation is up after declines for the past couple of years. Budgets are holding their own, with a slight increase overall of 3%. Aggressive merchandising, promotion, and better circulation systems point to success. (AEF)

Includes three articles that debate whether interlibrary loan (ILL) is the best way to get public library patrons what they need. Highlights include return on investment; funding; alternatives to ILL, including purchase on demand and online full-text databases; cost effectiveness; and the advantages of patron-initiated ILL through interconnected…

Three articles present: results of survey of use of videocassettes and audiocassettes in academic and public libraries; (2) results of a survey of library collections of audiocassettes of books and their acceptance by patrons; and (3) a description of the operation of a videocircuit by a regional library system. (EJS)

Describes programs at the Redwood City Public Library (California), winner of the Library of the Year Award from Gale Research Inc. and "Library Journal." Highlights include a newly renovated building; a mission statement that reflects the library's role; staff development; increases in circulation and reference; children's services; and…

Reviews earlier predictions about technological change in libraries, finds that providing equal access to information remains the library's mission, and forecasts the future. Topics include ownership versus access, electronic resources, information infrastructure, users, levels of service fees, circulation, librarians as "information…