Respondents to "Library Journal's" ("LJ") annual book buying survey of public libraries nationwide reported that adult book budgets were down eight percent overall, the largest plunge recorded since the survey began in 1998. What's more, for the first time ever, cuts were reported for every region of the country and every size of population…

Anyone at the helm of a small public library knows that every little detail counts. But juggling the responsibilities that are part and parcel of the job is far from easy. Finally, here's a handbook that includes everything administrators need to keep a handle on library operations, freeing them up to streamline and improve how the organization…

The "Victorian Free Library Service Board Act" of 1946 was the culmination of a long campaign to replace the mechanics' institute model of library provision with free libraries funded by state and local government. Given that library reform required legislation by the state government, this paper is mainly concerned with the political…

This is the fourth in a series of reports evaluating the Public Library Statistics (PLS) program, an annual census of public libraries in the United States. The census includes, in addition to a full count of public libraries and their outlets, a variety of statistics about the services provided by and, the financial condition and the staffing…

Committed to utilizing information technology, the Westchester Library System (New York) made the World Wide Web publicly accessible. Describes the planning, implementation, and management process; obstacles involving financing; establishing Internet connectivity; and vendor negotiations. Westchester hired a Web manager, created Internet use…

Presents the findings and recommendations of a consultant supported by UNESCO who prepared a public library development plan for Papua New Guinea. Highlights include extending existing urban library services to rural areas; literacy programs; libraries' roles in national development; financial support; policy and legislation; and education and…

This orientation manual serves as a general guide to the role of the public library trustee in the state of Nevada. It is designed to provide the trustee with basic information and to be used as a quick reference tool for helping the trustee do the job in an efficient and effective manner. The guide endeavors to provide a map by which the…

As part of its function of providing information about all kinds of educational activities, the Bureau of Education, beginning with its report for 1870, has periodically collected and published statistics of public, society, and school libraries, recently at intervals of about five years. This bulletin is comprised of statistics gathered from the…