ALA could move forward by becoming an association of libraries in fact as well as in spirit. (Author)

Reports on efforts in the 1970's by the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association, to develop new standards for public libraries. (Author/PF)

This discussion of the development of library reference service standards and guidelines for service measurement highlights the work of the American Library Association (ALA) Committee on Standards, guidelines adopted by ALA's Reference and Adult Services Division, and efforts of state, public, and university libraries. Fourteen references are…

Discusses the role of international organizations and library associations in improving the libraries of developing nations, and describes the successes and failures of various programs aimed at universal bibliographical control, universal availability of publications, and promulgation of universal library standards. (FM)

Contains the text of the American Library Association Reference and Adult Services Division's guidelines entitled "A Commitment to Information Services." (PF)

ALA's Public Library Association Goals, Guidelines, and Standards Committee presents this interim document--the first in over a decade to guide public library managers and lay decision-makers in assessing public library services--for review by the public library community. (Author/JPF)

A progress report to the Public Library Association from the Task Forces of its Standards Committee is presented under the following headings: Introduction, Task force on adult services working paper, Task force on young adult services working paper, and Task force on children's services working paper. (SJ)

Overview of the search for standards for American college libraries provides a brief background and discusses qualitative versus quantitative standards, the Association of College and Research Libraries' 1975 revision of the 1959 "Standards for College Libraries," and the future of the standards. Twenty-six references are cited. (EJS)

Outline of the development of state libraries focuses on funding, the establishment of standards by the American Association of State Libraries in 1963 with revision in 1970, and strengths and weaknesses of the present standards; suggestions for revisions of the 1970 standards are included. Twelve references are noted. (EJS)

Provision of library service to the blind and visually impaired and the development of standards for libraries providing this service are reviewed. The development of guidelines for libraries serving the deaf and hard of hearing is also discussed. Thirty-one references are cited. (EJS)

Reviews history of public library standards development and needs. Publications dealing with accreditation, measurement of effective library service, alternatives to standards, state and national standards, and a planning process manual are discussed. Twenty-four references are provided. (EJS)

The concept of total planning as applied in this presentation refers to planning as a part of library organization. It is felt that greater care should be taken at top-level planning to ensure that some proportion of the income and credit available is allocated to various services to allow departmental planning to be carried out effectively. This…

Discusses service standards (level of excellence or adequacy in performance of library service) and their incorporation in the accreditation process for hospital library service and academic health sciences libraries. The certification program developed for health sciences librarians by the Medical Library Association is reviewed. Fifty-nine…

Discusses the role of the "Standards for College Libraries" in accreditation. A comparison of 20 library assessment criteria for 5 regional accrediting bodies using the "Standards for College Libraries" is appended. (AEF)

This report presents and explains new standards developed for Alabama public libraries in response to a need for a clearly articulated, easily used, and broadly based public library planning and development tool. Intended to provide an overview of the new standards, the introduction discusses why the standards were developed; their purposes; how…