Discussion of videocassettes in our culture and the function of video collections in libraries focuses on the creation and demise of a unit sponsored by the American Library Association, the ALA Video and Special Projects. The unit's role is discussed and funding decisions that led to its demise are explained. (LRW)

Suggests that librarians should include street newspapers, produced by homeless people and their advocates, in their collections. Discusses characteristics and features of these newspapers and describes different papers from cities across the United States. (AEF)

Discusses libraries and issues relating to censorship, social protest, and First Amendment rights. Topics addressed include materials selection based on objective criteria; removing inappropriate material; intellectual freedom; limited versus absolute censorship; and possible errors in selection decisions. (LRW)

Presents an annotated bibliography of 38 outstanding reference sources published in 1999 suitable for small to medium-sized libraries selected by the American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association's (RUSA) Reference Sources Committee of the Collection development and Evaluation Section. Categories include, general, language…

Describes the development of Books for Africa, an organization that solicits donations of books in the United States and sends them to Africa, largely to school libraries, to improve literacy rates, increase library holdings, and build library shelves. Other organizations that donate books are also listed. (LRW)

Explains DVD (Digital Video Disk) technology and why it is useful in library collections. Topics include similarities to CDs and regular videocassettes; advantages of DVD for public, school, and academic libraries, including quality and durability; and DVD myths. (LRW)

Presents ways libraries can provide services for refugees. Discusses identifying needs, distributing orientation guides, and collecting foreign-language literature. Libraries can raise awareness through collection development, exhibits, lectures series, locating teaching resources, and creating Web sites. Examples of different patrons include…

Discusses policies and attitudes prevalent in public libraries that encourage female users and discourage male users. The lack of technical books that may appeal more to men is examined, the lack of appropriate reviews is described, subconscious classism is suggested, and differences in fiction preferences are discussed. (two references) (LRW)

Presents an annotated bibliography of 37 outstanding reference sources published in 1993 for small to medium-sized public and academic libraries as selected by the American Library Association's Reference Services Committee. Categories include culture and civilization, biography, general, language and literature, nature, law, religion, technology,…

Discusses evaluation procedures for public libraries. Topics addressed include accountability; cooperation among libraries; economic factors; evaluation options, including the use of staff and/or consultants; problems uncovered; and factors to consider when deciding to keep or discard materials, including community needs, circulation statistics,…