Recovery of significant achievements by exemplary individuals and institutions in public education and librarianship informs our present understanding and motivates future efforts. This narrative history recounts some of the struggles and successes of a great city library when the very conception of a free, public library was still being defined.…

Focuses on the current interest in school/public library cooperation, the content of recent research, the examination of the components of cooperative activities, and a discussion of outstanding examples of cooperative programs. References are appended. (Author/LLS)

Describes facsimile technology and reviews library telefacsimile projects. Four issues to be considered before purchasing telefacsimile equipment are discussed: (1) patron need; (2) processing priorities; (3) copy quality; and (4) cost factors. Costs are compared with other delivery methods, and new developments in facsimile transmission are…

Cooperative collection development is discussed as a method of coping with rising prices for expensive and little used library materials. The experiences of institutions which have had success in overcoming difficulties associated with cooperative ventures are presented, and a program of 12 recommendations is suggested. Twenty references are…

Summarizes the topics covered at a seminar for rural librarians in Australia that focused on practical solutions to the problems inherent in being physically and professionally isolated. Areas discussed included education and training, communication and networking, and library management and services. (10 references) (CLB)

Intended for use by state library officials with policy responsibilities, this report presents a process for determining state levels of adequacy of public library services, measuring the current statewide performance, and planning statewide strategies for improving performance. Several facets of library service and resources are addressed, and…

This study was funded by the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) to enable the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) to plan the automation of the state's school libraries. The research was intended to identify current national programs of interest to ISLMA, identify current automation programs within Illinois library systems,…

The first of a two-part series covers research published since 1970 that is directly relevant to interlibrary loan in the United States, with emphasis on studies of total volume, growth rate, nature of exchange relationships, characteristics of requests and types of material requested, users and uses, and financing. (47 references) (EJS)

This document contains the full transcript of a 2-day workshop on library automation. The first day of the workshop was devoted to a review of the state-of-the-art of library automation and the second day included presentation of testimony by Maine librarians. The transcript of the first day includes discussions of the historical development of…

Describes the effects of economic factors on information services in Mexico. Topics discussed include librarians' salaries; inadequate library budgets; acquisitions in academic libraries; the development of public libraries; library networks; national databases; microcomputers and library automation; library research; effects of devaluation; and…

Discusses the current environment in which health information is disseminated. Topics addressed include health information versus patient education; a model for examining delivery of consumer health information; the role of library professional associations; national libraries; public libraries; hospital libraries; academic health sciences…

Includes nine articles that discuss cooperative library networking in Illinois. Highlights include library systems as cooperative agencies; PALI (Private Academic Libraries of Illinois); rural school and public library development; systemwide users; regional medical libraries; virtual libraries and the Coalition for Networked Information; a…

Discusses a variety of library applications of optical disc storage technology, including CD-ROM, digital videodisc, and WORM. Research and development projects at the Library of Congress, National Library of Medicine, and National Agricultural Library are described, products offered by library networks are reviewed, and activities in academic and…

A comprehensive study of the current state of library services and library cooperative activities in Massachusetts found that the state's 2,796 public, academic, school, institutional and special libraries make a significant contribution to lifelong learning, to the economy, and to the quality of life. The libraries have a combined collection of…