The librarian's book selection role is to provide materials containing innumerable idea- themes and to perform the indispensable task of eliminating the irrelevant, the unsound, and the superfluous. (Author)

The four basic criteria for the selection of library materials--quality, library relevancy, aesthetic and technical aspects, and cost--remain the same in the electronic era of information. What they mean and how they are used has changed. But even quality and cost, the two most controversial criteria, carry great importance for the responsible…

Discusses the changing content of children's books and remarks on three prominent Britons in the field of children's literature. (TO)

This two-volume guide is designed to make subject encyclopedias more accessible. To qualify for inclusion, an encyclopedia must meet the following criteria: new or revised edition published since 1990; coverage by subject (not primarily biographical or geographical); intended audience of high school students, college students, and adults;…

Student-teacher contracts are used to individualize instruction in a course on the selection of instructional materials for a school library collection. The course was designed as part of a graduate library/media training program. Included are: (1) a description of the course and its student objectives, (2) student contracts for each course topic,…

This book focuses on the selection of books in an elementary school and on the resources designed to help in that process. Resources that support other aspects of collection development are identified, along with a number of established surveys of children's literature that discuss specific titles. The following chapters are included: (1)…

This 30th volume of American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) covers 1,578 books and CD-ROMs published in 1998 (with some from 1997 that were not included in the previous volume). The basic purpose of ARBA is to provide comprehensive coverage of English-language reference books published or distributed in the United States or Canada during a single…

The response of readers to an article on Reference Book Reviewing" by Harry Whitmore (RQ, Spring 1970) is presented. (MF)

Selection of the storage facility is only part of the larger problem of how to select books for storage and in what form to store them. (NH)

Suggests reference sources most appropriate for a desert island. In addition to "Robinson Crusoe" (Daniel Defoe) and a reference guide to the literature of travel, the list includes basic books on reference work, guides to reference sources, journals, an almanac, encyclopedias, a guide to English usage, and a book of quotations. (14 references)…

This handbook contains activities and resources designed to help school librarians identify, analyze, and select appropriate and useful ethnic studies materials. It is presented in four major sections. Section I examines ways of defining ethnic groups, presents sample census tables showing the social characteristics of residents by race for the…

Lists 91 sources, most of which are journal articles, for identifying notable materials for children and young adults, including books, multicultural materials, nonprint materials, special features and noteworthy bibliographies, reference books and electronic sources, free and inexpensive materials, and periodicals. (KRN)

Examines in detail approach of Library of Congress (LC) to selection and review of material for microfilming. Background of Preservation Microfilming Office, mission of program, selection of brittle material, role of LC custodial divisions, stack survey and inventory, cooperative activities, review process, gaps and missing material, and copyright…

Describes three selection theories and concepts from other disciplines which are used to explain matters of selection and constitute a diverse array of approaches in rethinking problems of library selection: random selection in statistics, theory of natural selection in biology, and gatekeeper theory in field of communication. Ten sources are…