This book, written by a number of library professionals, familiarizes the reader with the motives for and purposes of evaluation and the major contexts and models for evaluation and provides explicit examples how evaluation projects have been and can be carried out in a variety of library contexts. The strategies in this book grew from the S:OLE…

Presents a chronological overview of the initiation and operation of the State University of New York at Albany library's computer-based reference services, with a discussion of costs, planning, organizational, and managerial considerations. (Author/CWM)

Rural communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have been having problems accessing much needed information, while traditional bodies of knowledge are slowly disappearing as the old generation passes on. This paper argues that the school library is a possible agent to spread information. In addition to providing information to school children and…

Public and school libraries having begun as an outgrowth of each other and then separated, have some overlap in philosophy, function, and public served. Although studies have opposed the combined school and public library, communities continue to attempt mergers largely for promise of dollar savings. There is also a philosophical trend in…

Discussion of the need for strategic planning in public libraries highlights a case study of a small resort town library, the Crawford Memorial Library, in Monticello, New York. Deciding on specific library roles and planning their implementation are described, and the importance of environment and competition in strategic planning is explained.…

Describes the implementation of a user-centered document delivery system at Colorado State University. Evaluates the system via a statistical compilation of system usage and a telephone survey of the service's users. Results indicate that the system usually provided fast delivery at acceptable costs, but fell short as a substitution for mediated…

The Council on Library Resources, which for many years has identified library issues and developed new approaches to library operations, is interested in addressing the challenges public libraries face in an era of information revolution. Through a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Council has established a program to study innovation…

Case studies of six public libraries that have adopted the concept of long range, community-based planning were conducted to explore what actually happens in natural settings as public libraries implement long range planning, and to document the differences that exist among these settings in process, goals, implementation, participant perceptions,…

Describes how multicultural library services have contributed to the promotion, support, and preservation of the cultural and linguistic identity of the community being served, using the Public Library of Scarborough in Ontario (Canada) as a case study. Observation reveals the importance of commitment, planning, and methodology. (SLD)

Latin American libraries have experienced an important development in the last two decades. Telecommunications and Information Technologies (ITC) have been key elements in this process. There are leading institutions with remarkable programs; nevertheless it is necessary to design marketing strategies to improve their benefits. A case study based…

This book is a collection of 19 essays and case studies about the challenges libraries face today. It assesses a broad range of opportunities and achievements, and emphasizes both theory and practice. The essays are divided into six sections: (1) Introduction--"Restructuring Academic Libraries: Adjusting to Technological Change" (Charles…

Examines literature for guiding libraries to develop services that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Presents a case of the University of Alabama Libraries' establishment of a technologies lab to serve the needs of the blind, visually impaired, and learning disabled students; examines problems and efforts to increase staff…

This case study of the Kossuth Lajos Tudomanyeyetem, an academic library in Debrecen (Hungary), conducted in May 1992, describes its functioning and needs. Information gathered through a series of interviews, tours, library reports, and a review of relevant literature forms the basis for the case study. An overview of the library in its historical…

This self-study of the Ezra Lehman Library at Shippensburg State College presents the analyses and recommendations of two library task forces--one on organization, communication, goals and objectives, and one on user relations. The responsibility of the first group was to develop implementable recommendations for necessary or desirable changes in…

This report provides an evaluation of the Online at PA Libraries project which was initiated in the Fall of 1996 by the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Office of Commonwealth Libraries and the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit. The report documents that the following goals were accomplished: (1) provide public access to the Internet through…