An analysis of 599 reviews of children's books from six reviewing journals for 1995-96 was compared to earlier studies, revealing great variation in adequacy of reviews. School Library Journal provided the most complete bibliographic and ordering information but no single journal supplied all the information librarians need for purchasing juvenile…

Describes a needs assessment conducted at Oregon State University libraries to guide the design, content, and development of a natural resources digital library. Highlights include user profile; identification of questions; face-to-face interviews; workshops with users; current sources for relevant information; users' information needs; ability to…

Traditional information services provision relies on the planned and logical building of a collection to meet current and future user information needs. This is achieved through the acquisition and discarding of material, which might ideally be based on a regularly reviewed collection development policy statement. The evolution of collection…

While the general principles and techniques of collection development can be applied to most libraries, the unique characteristics of each media program produce new and changing demands requiring flexibility and creativity. Concepts from curriculum theory, children's and adolescent literature, educational technology, and library science are…

The public library must meet the needs of the community and the patrons it serves. One area of need is for genealogical materials to support the study of genealogy and family history. Because of the lack of information on the materials needed to make up a core collection of Ohio materials, a select group of 18 libraries and 15 genealogical…

Disucusses local collection development tools available to librarians on their college or university campus, including syllabi; class discussion lists; departmental Web pages and pamphlets; departmental selfreports; centers for teaching excellence; university bookstore; library circulation figures; library consortia; and the Internet. (AEF)

Examines three essential questions and suggests areas for research in each: (1) How are digital resource users best served: What resources will they want? How will they want to use them? What services will most enhance use? (2) What elements are required for a coherent preservation strategy covering resources both digital and traditional? (3) What…

Selection in a consortial setting is a complex, opportunistic, and often political process requiring an uneasy balance of local needs in conjunction with the group agenda. The issues of the selection and implementation of shared and networked resources, carried out in a comparatively public arena, are discussed. (Author)

The primary objective of this guide is to help librarians select adult services reference tools which cover many different topics, with special emphasis on recent social and technological changes. Arrangement is topical, with particular attention given to the following topics: AIDS, abortion, the environment, economic problems, the crisis in…

Discusses learning disabilities and describes services that have been developed in public libraries to help patrons with learning disabilities. Topics include collection development; assistive technology; outreach programs; staff development; and sources of help and information. (LRW)

Discusses library collection development and information retrieval strategies for acquiring materials related to deafness. Highlights include defining a collection policy; acquisition tools; other information sources, including libraries and organizations; serial acquisitions; information retrieval and computer databases; and addresses of relevant…

Discusses how academic social science librarians can select appropriate materials on mental health topics. Topics include characteristics of mental health systems and how they relate to collection development; relationships between employment opportunities for therapists and severity of mental illness; and controversies related to therapy and…

Discusses library collection evaluation and its relationship to the acquisitions budget. Topics addressed include the publishing industry; library services that are more user centered; acquisition of versus access to sources of information and knowledge; the concept of value; library accountability; objectives and setting priorities; and levels of…

Presents the results of an informal user survey on favorite information technology, including the best features of these. Discusses library online catalogs, electronic encyclopedias, CD-ROMs, laser discs, electronic magazine indexes, online services, the Internet, word processing programs, magazines as major sources of technology information,…

This document provides an overview of the concepts and processes behind reference services and the most important sources consulted in answering common reference questions. The book is divided into two parts. Part 1 deals with concepts and theory. It covers ethical aspects of reference service, the reference interview, the principles and goals of…