Society's view of the library has changed with each passing generation. What was once a quiet building full of books intended for the studious researcher is now becoming a place that combines print and technology, to encourage both the interactive and visual learners. Today's kids have access to both hardbound books as well as online resources,…

The current ARL report summarizes a multi-year effort that captures evidence in the form of narrative profiles as it delivers the message of the value and contributions of research libraries during transformative times. When ARL library directors were interviewed in 2005 and asked to describe a research library in the 21st century, there was…

Discusses the impact of technological advancement on academic libraries and predicts the types of changes that may occur in the role of libraries and librarians, collection development, access to information, financing, and facilities. (CLB)

"Community involvement," the standard cliche, does not come close to capturing the spirit and action that have structured the building, programs, collections, and services of the Haines Borough Public Library (HBPL), AK. Those achievements make HBPL the winner of the first annual award for the Best Small Library in America, cosponsored…

Discusses the future of libraries in the electronic age both in terms of the facility itself and of the types of information to be stored or accessed in the facility. Library facilities must have the ability to adapt easily both to technological changes, changing patterns of service and use, and the growth and change of departments, within the…

Describes a study that examined the position of school libraries in the Netherlands to help secondary schools update their libraries and prepare them for a new role in learning. Explains the input-output research design that discusses organizational structure, library staff, financing, technical infrastructure, collection, collaboration, access to…

New technologies for generating, storing, and transmitting information will radically change information flow on college campuses and in society at large. University librarians will need to design environments for storing and retrieving these new types of information that will continue to nurture the life of the mind and support scholarship.…

Compares academic libraries in Japan and Australia in three areas: general background (number of libraries, financial support, size of collections, and student/staff ratios); the role of libraries (services offered, library instruction, accessibility, library cooperation, and expenditures); and library staffs (qualifications of directors, staff…

Noting that the rapid evolution of telecommunications technology, the relentless advancement of computing capabilities, and the seemingly endless proliferation of electronic data have had a profound impact on research libraries, this Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit explores the extent to which these technologies have come…

A summary of Kentucky's involvement in the second White House conference on Library and Information Service (WHCLIS), this report describes the activities surrounding this event and Kentucky's Governor's Conference on Library and Information Services. The recommendations that were adopted at the Governor's Conference in 1991 are listed, and the…

The role that rural libraries could have in increasing the awareness level of disability issues in their communities and in expanding opportunities for the disabled was studied in a survey of 401 rural Indiana and Iowa libraries. A review of the literature associated with rural rehabilitation services suggests that the two crucial barriers to the…

A locally developed long-range plan is the key to effective library service, and can account for circumstances unique to the service area that could not be anticipated from a statewide or national perspective. These standards are meant to guide Wisconsin libraries in structuring their own locally-focused planning efforts. Standards in the…

The strategic plan for the James White Library of Andrews University uses the phrase "beyond walls," rather than the catchphrase "library without walls," to acknowledge that printed matter is here to stay but that the paradigm in which it operates is open to innovation and exploration. The fundamental changes taking place in…

Libraries in Louisiana strengthen the economy and serve the people. Libraries and their employees play a significant role in the Louisiana infrastructure, consuming state goods and services, complementing educational institutions, creating a literate citizenry, and providing cost effective access to information for business, industry, government…