The relatively high use rates and program attendance highlight the public value provided by local libraries at a time of dramatic economic, technology, and demographic change. The Public Libraries in the United States Survey is one important way of examining when, where and how library services are changing to meet those needs. The data, supplied…

In this article, the author, a technology consultant for the Northeast Kansas Library System (NEKLS), shares the story of how the Kansas Library on the Web (KLOW) program was created. KLOW's story begins with the initial startup fund finding and the enthusiasm of the six pilot libraries. The middle of the story has to do with building a flexible,…

Living in the vast shadow cast by the spires of the Magic Kingdom presents special challenges for Orlando's Orange County Library System (OCLS), the most formidable of which is increasing its relatively small user base. The library additionally faces tension between the administration and staff, political strife on the board, and looming contract…

The surprising success of Live Homework Help, a product of Tutor.com unknown to libraries before 2001, is in very large part owing to the company's effort to understand library funding and help libraries tap into all kinds of potential funding sources. The story is a model for partnerships between other companies and libraries. For the people of…

Explains the criteria by which 50 public libraries were chosen as outstanding, and reports the results of a survey of the directors which focused on major problems in libraries; desired goals in administration and technical and public services; predicted trends; stage of computerization; and sources of information and new ideas. (CLB)

Published in response to requests for a permanent record of California's CALTAC (California Association of Library Trustees and Commissioners) WILL (Workshops in Library Leadership) program, an ongoing program funded by an LSCA (Library Services and Construction Act) grant from the California State Library, this report is a compilation of the…

Interviews were conducted with the heads of 11 business branches of major public libraries to examine how these experts view the future of the public library in the electronically dominated information environment of the future. Eleven references and a list of librarians interviewed are appended. (Author/EJS)

This report describes how a public library and a high school library in Holbrook, Arizona, have both provided service to their clienteles through a common method: the full use of their community's resources. The Holbrook High School Library, which is completely automated, has been successful with its creative funding techniques and as a…

The 1976 20th annual report for the Council in Library Resources (CLR) reviews the highlights of the past two decades, describes current activities in the context of the past, and relates those activities to the Council's perception of the development of an improved library system in the U.S. and abroad. The Council's board of directors, committee…

Sponsored by the 28 member libraries of the British Columbia Union Catalogue (BCUC), this proposal requests funds from provincial government to establish the British Columbia Library Network (BCLN), a computerized library information system based on the existing BCUC organization and database. Chapters describe the need for the establishment of…

Presents Bobby Roberts, director of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), and describes some of the changes he has made since 1989: raising public library tax rates, doubling the book budget, library automation, new and renovated buildings, adult public programming, library cooperation, and fund raising. Discusses politics and the…

Places the cost considerations associated with public library automation in a framework of public finance comfortable to most administrators, discusses the importance of experience with use patterns in the electronic library in opening up new and innovative financing methods, and stresses the role of the library in the information industry. (JL)

Examines the state of library automation in Pakistan. Discusses early developments; financial support by the Netherlands Library Development Project (Pakistan); lack of automated systems in college/university and public libraries; usage by specialist libraries; efforts by private-sector libraries and the National Library in Pakistan; commonly used…

Reports results of survey of methods used by 77 North American academic and public libraries to finance implementation of new technologies, replace equipment and furniture, and renovate buildings. Financing methods used, frequency of use, choice, and range of methods are discussed. Eight references and list of survey participants are appended.…

Discusses areas of confusion concerning the role of public libraries that endanger the existence of public libraries. It is argued that the future of the public library depends on its responsiveness to the needs of the people that such libraries were created to serve, and suggestions for achieving this state are offered. (CLB)