The majority of research that has been conducted on structuring mentorship programs has been on career support in terms of transferring tacit and explicit knowledge from the supervisor to the protégé. While the instructional design literature touts that cognitive apprenticeships provide a great framework for constructivist and situated learning…

To better understand health information provision in the public library setting, two cooperative library systems that serve primarily rural populations in upstate New York were studied. The central library in one of those systems established a consumer health information center (CHIC) in 1999. In the other system, the central library does not have…

This study aimed to develop and pilot a questionnaire to determine the ways in which working in a UK public library system can impact the well-being of those deployed in the sector. The methodological framework was based on an approach used to evaluate the well-being of patients in a clinical setting. Based on the responses of 466 employees, the…

Librarians, like patrons and researchers, are caught between traditional library service models and the promise of evolving information technologies. In recent years, professional conferences have strategically featured programs and presentations geared toward building a mobile agenda and adapting or adopting services to meet new demands of mobile…

Purpose: To describe the development of the library management system, e-Granthalaya, for public libraries in India. This is an initiative of the Indian government's National Informatics Centre (NIC). The paper outlines the challenges and the potential of a full-scale deployment of this software at a national level. Design/methodology/approach:…

Discusses making the resources of the special library, which are not usually accessible to the individual, available to the citizen through the Vancouver Public Library. (CHC)

This history of public libraries, which updates a 1959 publication entitled "Colorado's Century of Public Libraries," was published for Colorado's State Centennial and the Nation's Bicentennial. Included are histories of 114 public libraries, the seven regional library systems, and the Colorado State Library. Statistical tables list the…

This five-year plan of the Chicago Public Library revises the plan of 1976-1980. Several operational/procedural objectives have been dropped and incorporated in normal operations. New goals, objectives, and tasks are service-directed with special attention to expanding services to affiliated and other cooperating Chicago libraries. The specific…

Using data provided by the annual reports of Illinois public libraries and by the Illinois state library, this publication is a companion to the November 1982 issue of "Illinois Libraries," which enumerated the 16 data elements upon which the analyses are based. Three additional types of information are provided for each of six…

The Southwestern Library Association (SWLA) conducted an inventory and study of the SWLA libraries in cooperative, network, and computer activities to collect data for use in planning future activities and in minimizing duplication of efforts. Questionnaires were mailed to 2,060 academic, public, and special libraries in the six SWLA states.…

Prepared by the Texas State Library staff as guidance for future legislative action to amend the current library systems act, this paper provides an overview of the governance of library systems, a description of the current governance of the Texas Library System, and a summary of positive and negative aspects of the different structures. Cost…

The Texas Information Exchange (TIE) is a state-wide library network organized in 1967 for the purpose of sharing resources among Texas libraries. Its membership includes 37 college and university libraries, the Texas State Library, and ten public libraries that serve as Major Resource Centers in the Texas State Library Communications Network. In…

This analysis of the existing Texas State Library System with recommendations for improvement is divided into three phases: Phase 1 examines the governance and operations of the system as set up by the Library Systems Act of 1969; Phase 2 discusses alternative models for organization and governance; and Phase 3 presents proposed model legislation…

Discusses a method of evaluating public library systems development in metropolitan areas with regard to four aspects: financial systems, interlibrary cooperation, new uses and services, and technical developments. The method was first proposed by the Urban Library Study Project of the Toronto Public Libraries. (Author/FM)

In November 1994, directors of Alabama's 21 public library systems were surveyed to determine their experiences with, and opinions of, the 1988 "Standards for Public Library Service in Alabama." Replies were received from nine (34%) of the directors. Directors were provided with a list of 15 ways in which they might have used the system…