The purpose of the Calcasieu Parish (Louisiana) literacy project was twofold: (1) to pool the resources of the existing local adult education agencies in the area; and (2) to perpetuate the advancement of literacy in the area by bringing together adult education students, qualified volunteer tutors, and needed adult education materials in an…

Intended as a guide and resource for staff and volunteers in small public libraries in Alaska, this manual is divided into the following chapters: (1) "Establishing a Library," which covers the establishment by ordinance or by organization of a non-profit corporation, information on drafting bylaws, and the role and responsibilities of…

In response to wide concern regarding the present state of school libraries in Alberta, Canada, and a strong perception that the quality of school library programs was deteriorating, the Department of Education devised a provincial statement of policy, guidelines, procedures, and standards designed to guide the development and implementation of…

Addresses public and scholarly interest in the fields of family history and genealogy. Highlights include attitudes before and after publication of Alex Haley's "Roots," library literature on genealogy, history of the family as a field of study, and academic library collection development and services. Twenty-five references are provided. (EJS)

Discusses issues facing librarianship in the People's Republic of China based on observations by a delegation of American and Canadian librarians in 1985. Highlights include the impact of the Cultural Revolution, collection development strategies, user needs and barriers to use, outreach to special populations, networking and resource sharing, and…

Describes programs developed at Houston Public Library to meet information needs of the immigrant population. Highlights include serving students, children's and young adult collections of foreign language materials, folklore and cultural materials, developing staff expertise, English-language materials, audiovisual support materials, and foreign…

Representatives from wide spectrum of cooperative programs discuss issues associated with cooperative library development. Programs described include statewide projects in Colorado, Illinois, Alaska, and New York; University of California Shared Purchase Program; Hampshire Inter-Library Center; Triangle Research Libraries Network; Pacific…

This article presents results of a survey of 100 U.S. libraries focusing on their audio and video collections. Discussion covers genre or type of video collected, popular feature video titles, nonfeature films, nationwide jobbers and wholesalers and local distributors of audios and videos, and popular audiocassettes (how-to, motivational tapes).…

Description of services and functions of special collections as found in the academic library covers criteria for acquisition of materials, categorization of formats, role of special collections in promoting university scholarship and research, archival and repository functions, and administration and policy. A 12-item bibliography is included.…

Studies show that the older a child gets the less likely he or she is to trust a librarian. To encourage pre-YAs (pre-young adults, 6th-8th graders) to use the library, librarians should consider four elements: client, librarian, library, and materials and services. Discusses these elements and suggests how to make the library more appealing to…

Collection development for interdisciplinary areas is more complex than for traditionally well-defined disciplines, so new evaluation methods are needed. This article identifies variables in interdisciplinary fields and presents a model of their typical information components. Traditional use-centered and materials-centered evaluation methods…

Results of the 1991 White House Pre-Conference and White House Conference on Library and Information Services included several resolutions to strengthen the library services of Native American tribal and reservation libraries. Resolutions called for increased federal support for family literacy programs, staffing, and research studies and for…

Discussion of development in academic libraries in light of budget restrictions presents two approaches to this situation: short-term coping strategies, and a change in the role of libraries from repositories of resources to access services. Unanswered questions raised by the second approach are discussed, and reactions by six librarians are…

Presents a conceptual and organizational model for systematic selection of electronic publications that was developed at Cornell University's (New York) Mann Library. Described are the concept of information genres, the role of genre specialists, and a selection review board. The model is a method of mainstreaming electronic publications into the…

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.…