Describes the current concept of information literacy as a survival skill and suggests that public libraries can play an important role in its spread if they develop some nontraditional practices and make alliances with other agencies. (EAM)

Public libraries should be the place people go to seek community information, but inconsistent format and quality of delivery has created a void other providers of online information are filling. Examines online community information and discusses the results of an informal survey of 103 public libraries and their community information resources.…

Discussion of library users who seek information for others focuses on a study of public library adult reference desks that identifies the relationships between agents and imposers that motivate reference desk use and describes agent users in terms of their self-reported education levels and frequency of library and reference desk use. (Author/LRW)

Public libraries do not always meet community information needs because librarians are trained to answer questions through books when often the best information in an area is from alternative sources. The government provides free information on investments, jobs, health, and legal problems; experts and clearinghouses are other good information…

Provides an approach to dealing with donations and special collections for public libraries serving all sizes of communities with varying levels of funding. Highlights include guidelines for when to accept special collections, how to identify areas of need in the library's collection, and a special collection proposal form. (EM)

Reports on research by library science students for a public library to determine the information needs of a community's health-care professionals, their views of patient information needs, and the public library's ability to meet those needs. An added benefit was positive public relations with the medical community. (Contains 14 references.) (EAM)

Describes elements of the Planning for Library Services for People with Disabilities program in Massachusetts, which was developed to help libraries design programs and services to address the specific needs of a growing population of people with disabilities. Emphasizes using consumer input in plan designs. (Author/LRW)

Provides an overview of issues relating to library services to linguistic, ethnic, and cultural minorities. Following a clarification of the terminology used, the process of immigration is addressed. The role of public libraries in this area and implications for professional associations are then discussed. Twenty-one references are listed. (MES)

Discussion of personalized information environments (PIEs) focuses on library personalized interfaces. Describes academic library PIEs and commercial sites, such as Amazon.com that use personalization; explores the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg's personalized interface; and discusses opportunities and challenges PIEs offer public…

Describes a books by mail program developed by the San Francisco (California) Public Library to extend free mail service to homebound patrons, including both older users and users with disabilities. Discusses previous library service; planning, including working with the Postal Service; and costs. (LRW)

Describes procedures used by the St. Paul Public Library (Minnesota) to gather input from patrons to use in developing a new strategic plan. The use of group interviews and a survey to identify which roles of the library were important to users and which services supported each role is explained. (two references) (LRW)

Traditional output measures for library services do not address the use of electronic resources and services, and national efforts to formulate such measures have failed. Describes the efforts of the Federal State Cooperative System for Public Library Data to identify output measures and the merits of various measures for local use of electronic…

Discusses library use instruction in public libraries. The need for instruction is examined, the commitment of public libraries to provide information rather than instruction is considered, academic library and public library users' attitudes are discussed, and a 105-item bibliography of descriptive literature on use instruction in public…

Describes a project in which the library needs of public housing residents were assigned a survey of residents, and in which the survey itself was carried out by residents. The methods used to train residents to conduct interviews are described, the survey results are presented, and the need for resident involvement is discussed. (11 references)…

Discussion of reference question negotiation by librarians focuses on a study at the Orem (Utah) Public Library that was conducted to determine how frequently the reference staff negotiated questions, how frequently negotiated questions received correct answers, and what verbal and nonverbal communication skills led to correct answers. (five…