In this report, a task force appointed by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) to prepare a plan for a National Periodicals program recommends a three level program consisting of: (1) local, state, and regional library systems responsible for meeting a substantial portion of routine needs for periodicals; (2) a…

Librarians store, protect, and provide the knowledge our modern society needs, but it is frequently difficult to justify the services a reference librarian provides. The work load of a reference librarian varies greatly with periods of frantic activity separated by much longer inactive periods. The role is principally passive, waiting for library…

A symposium was held in 1971 at Syracuse University on the topic of measuring library effectiveness. The first speaker, Allen Hershfield, introduced the topic with emphasis on the importance and critical need for measurements of library effectiveness. The next speaker, Ernest DeProspo, was concerned with methodological problems and the relation…

University administrators must not fail to consider the increasingly sophisticated library technology when making administrative and budgetary decisions about college libraries. The declining traditional student enrollment combined with an expansion of continuing education means that the role of the central compus library must be reconsidered. The…

The purpose of the investigation is to identify an operationally viable research methodology for assessing the value derived from selected library services at Cranfield Institute (England) and to evaluate and comment on the costs of providing such value. Four population groups are critical in the development of the expected value of library…

Includes three reports: one from "Library Journal" that reviews significant issues of the year, including budget reversals; Internet filtering, digital copyright, distance education, and electronic books; one that discusses school librarianship, including staffing, collection development, and information literacy; and one that discusses…

A general methodology for cost effectiveness analysis was developed and applied to the Colorado State University library loan desk. The cost effectiveness of the existing semi-automated circulation system was compared with that of a fully manual one, based on the existing manual subsystem. Faculty users' time and computer operating costs were…

Presents eight articles that discuss research on libraries and librarianship; number of libraries in the U.S. and Canada; highlights of NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) surveys; library acquisition expenditures; budgets; price indexes; library buildings construction; and expenditures for school library media center resources. (LRW)

Provides nine articles: research on libraries and librarianship, 1997; changing faces of library education (ALA-accredited graduate program title changes); number of libraries in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; highlights of NCES surveys; library acquisition expenditures; price indexes for public and academic libraries; state rankings of selected…

This overview study examines the systems presently used at Purdue University to circulate library and audiovisual materials in the general library, the 28 departmental libraries, and the audiovisual center. Also examined are three basic approaches to the automation of library circulation systems, with examples drawn from systems already in…

Presents: "Research on Libraries/Librarianship in 1998"; "Assessment of the Role of School/Public Libraries in Support of Education Reform"; "Number of Libraries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico"; Highlights of NCES Surveys"; "Library Acquisition Expenditures, 1997-1998: United States Public,…