In spring 2024, the Multicounty Multitype Library Systems, supported by State Library Services, conducted a census of K-12 public and charter schools in Minnesota to learn about the status of school libraries. A total of 1,528 out of 1,777 eligible schools completed the census. The findings can help legislators, school staff, librarians, and…

This timely special report from ALA Editions provides a succinct but comprehensive overview of the "privatization" of public libraries. It provides a history of the trend of local and state governments privatizing public services and assets, and then examines the history of public library privatization right up to the California…

This research examined the functions and roles of public library systems in New York State and the services they provide for individual libraries and the public. The dissertation further studied the service decision-making processes at three selected New York State cooperative public library systems. Public library systems have played an important…

"California Library Laws 2008" is a selective guide to state laws and related materials that most directly affect the everyday operations of public libraries and organizations that work with public libraries. It is intended as a convenient reference, not as a replacement for the annotated codes or for legal advice. The guide is organized…

Any successful library media center or program requires advanced planning. In this column, the author advocates the development of measurable goals for library media programs and describes several resources that can be used to help meet these goals and, at the same time, succeed in providing what the patrons most want out of the library media…

This new edition of the Idaho Library Laws contains changes through the 1998 legislative session and includes Idaho Code sections that legally affect city, school-community or district libraries, or the Idaho State Library. These sections include the basic library laws in Idaho Code Title 33, Chapters 25, 26, and 27, additional sections of the law…

Prepared by the Task Force on Library Legislation appointed by Wisconsin's State Superintendent of Public Instruction, this final report presents policy statements and action recommendations addressing issues related to the organizational and funding problems of public libraries, public library systems, and multitype library cooperation. The…

This handbook for library trustees identifies the duties and responsibilities of library boards and librarians, the qualifications of an effective library and of a library board, and library policy requirements. The concept of intellectual freedom, the Library Bill of Rights, and the Freedom to Read Statement are discussed, and the role of the…

This new edition of the "Idaho Library Laws" contains changes through the 1996 legislative session and includes "Idaho Code" sections that legally affect city, school-community or district libraries, or the Idaho State Library. These sections include the basic library laws in "Idaho Code" Title 33, Chapters 25, 26,…

The materials in this manual are intended to provide the introductory information needed by new system advisory council members and staff of the Texas State Library on the history, role, governance, funding, services, and administration of library systems. Included in the handbook are discussions of: (1) the role of systems in public library…

This booklet presents the Texas State Library Systems Act and some supporting documents to help in the operation of a library under the Texas system. The State Library Systems Act establishes and defines the state library system, allowing for its operation and management and defining the member libraries. Information on state grants is provided,…

The materials in this manual are intended to provide the introductory information needed by new system advisory council members and staff of the Texas State Library on the history, role, governance, funding, services, and administration of library systems. Included in this handbook are discussions of: (1) The Role of Systems in Public Library…

Findings and recommendations compose the two sections of this summary of A Study of the Organization and Governance of Alabama Library Systems. The findings indicate the need for a central coordinating state library agency with multi-type library concerns that could strengthen the role of other state agencies concerned with library development. In…

This orientation manual serves as a general guide to the role of the public library trustee in the state of Nevada. It is designed to provide the trustee with basic information and to be used as a quick reference tool for helping the trustee do the job in an efficient and effective manner. The guide endeavors to provide a map by which the…

In compliance with legislation enacted by New York State in 1981, a manual of recommendations and standards for hospital libraries was developed (1) to assist in assessment of the quality of hospital library services; (2) to enable measurement of the improvement in individual institutions; and (3) to be used as criteria in the administration of…