In 1903, Andrew Carnegie provided the community of Lincoln, Illinois, with a $25,000 grant to build a public library. The purpose of this study was to determine if the Lincoln Public Library conforms to the general characteristics of Carnegie public libraries as defined by George S. Bobinski, a leading researcher in the area of Carnegie public…

The purpose of this paper is to relate the history and growth of the Barberton Public Library (Ohio) as it has been influenced by its founders and its six directors. The biography of prominent persons who have in some way affected the development of libraries is also considered to be part of library history. The following persons and their careers…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the reference interview is essential in the provision of public library reference service. A survey questionnaire was mailed to 125 small and medium sized public libraries throughout Ohio. The survey was administered in the spring of 1994 with a response rate of 56%. Respondents were asked…

A survey of reference librarians working in 114 public libraries in metropolitan Chicago was conducted in 1983 to determine their acceptance of specific community information and referral (I&R) services, as defined by Thomas Childers in his nationwide survey of public libraries in 1978. A total of 106 responses to the 1983 survey were…

This overview traces the history of storytelling, outlines the development of storytelling in public libraries, discusses some contemporary master storytellers, presents some current practitioners of the craft, explores the controversy between the traditional and multimedia methods of storytelling, and surveys American Library Association (ALA)…

Consumers are becoming more actively involved in making decisions about health care, but librarians have had difficulty providing them with current, authoritative, and readable information. Medical databases provide the best reference to information on most health questions, from the latest breakthroughs to information on treatment methods and…

A preservation census was conducted of selected Dewey ranges of the volumes located in the mezzanine area of the Social Science Department of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library main branch. This collection is housed in a non-circulating, semi-supervised stack area and includes approximately 500 volumes in the fields of bibliography and rare…

Because advances in medical science can lead to rapid changes in current health knowledge, a library collection of medical science materials can become dated rather quickly. This factor, as well as the many variables of library use and operation which impact the availability of current materials on the library shelves--loan periods, weeding…

This study considers the theories of impulse buying in an examination of the effects on circulation of library books when books are displayed face front (with all or most of the book jacket showing) as opposed to spine front. Reviews of the literature on consumer behavior and on library displays support the hypothesis of this study, i.e., that…

The Sydney Public Library began as the Australian Subscription Library and Reading Room which opened in Sydney on December 1, 1827, with 1,000 volumes. The Municipal Council of Sydney took possession of the library in 1909. The library evolved from a closed access, fixed shelf position library to an open access system in 1910. A complete…

Many reference librarians still rely on manual searches to access vertical files, ready reference files, and other information stored in card files, drawers, and notebooks scattered around the reference department. Automated access to these materials via microcomputers using database management software may speed up the process. This study focuses…

The history of the Coshocton Public Library (Ohio) is traced from 1872 through 1992, highlighting its connection with the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum. In response to a newspaper editorial, citizens of Coshocton formed the Coshocton Library Association in 1872. The library evolved through the years as a free school library, a municipal library, a…

The Kent Free Library (Ohio) evolved from the Great Atlantic and Western Railroad Reading Room of 1875, into a municipal Carnegie library, and then grew to be a medium-sized public school district library, in the city of Kent, Ohio. Its original building has been enlarged through three separate expansion campaigns, in order to have space to house…

With the results of the first national survey of children's library services in the United States to be finalized in 1991, a historical perspective on library service is warranted to add comparative value to the new findings. The Youngstown (Ohio) Public Library, which began with a small collection in 1880, traces its history of children's…

The purpose of this study was to determine what services and materials are presently being offered to school teachers by public libraries. Sixty sample libraries chosen randomly from all libraries serving 100,000 or more people in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois were sent a questionnaire surveying services and materials they…