Introduction: Our paper describes three examples of how public libraries in at-risk-neighbourhoods have worked with social innovations in order to develop and strengthen their services for minority groups. The libraries were chosen because they are frontrunners in the field of cultural diversity and social inclusion in Denmark. Method: The…

When Louise Schaper opened the new Fayetteville Public Library (FPL) in Arkansas in 2004, she brought the state's second LEED Silver-certified building to completion. The green building fulfilled a community expectation for sustainable innovation established through complex public dialog, and the library went on to become the "2005 LJ/Gale Library…

Bill Schickling has spent a good chunk of his professional life at what is now Polaris Library Systems, shaping both the older Galaxy system and the newer Polaris integrated library system (ILS). When he joined the company as a programmer in 1987, it was still part of Gaylord, known mostly for its furniture and supplies division. Schickling was…

When resources are scarce, libraries have three basic options, which can be conducted in combination or separately, to bring them into balance: Seek additional funds, reduce expenses, and identify more efficient modes of operation. The authors explore whether, and if so how, the factors that consume or contribute resources--and the tradeoffs…

Presents interviews with Fred Kent, founder of the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) and Phil Myrick, PPS's assistant vice president, about transforming libraries into desirable public spaces. Discusses qualities people value in public spaces; great library buildings and what they are doing right; the first thing library directors should do when…

Reports on Bill and Melinda Gates's tour of Alabama, the first state to be wired to the Internet by the nonprofit Gates Library Foundation, and the model for connecting 1000 more libraries this year. Mutual appreciation between Alabama librarians and the Gateses resulted. An interview with Bill Gates focuses on challenges libraries face in…

This paper describes the development from 1963 to 1986 of the Clark County (Nevada) Library District, which includes the rapidly growing urban area of Las Vegas. It notes that, besides responding successfully to a population growth of 330% over two decades, the system was also able to fulfill its original goal of developing local libraries that…

Historical studies of public libraries are important because they provide insight into the development of these institutions and serve as an aid to future researchers. This paper examines the development of the Tuscarawas County Public Library (TCPL), in Ohio, for the years 1937-60, in order to discover how the library's building, budget,…

Case studies of six public libraries that have adopted the concept of long range, community-based planning were conducted to explore what actually happens in natural settings as public libraries implement long range planning, and to document the differences that exist among these settings in process, goals, implementation, participant perceptions,…

Discusses results of interviews at Canadian public libraries that were conducted to determine who users thought were responsible for collection development. Concludes that librarian's work is misunderstood because of its hidden nature and suggests implications for the image of librarians, recruitment, and staffing and funding of libraries.…

Contains an introduction (Jean Thibodeaux Kreamer) to this section and five articles on video in libraries: "Managing an Integrated Video Collection" (Michael Hedges); "The Video Librarian's Hide and Seek: Videotapes and Collection Development" (Merle Slyhoff); "Video in the Schools" (Charles Triche); "A Conversation with Sally Mason" (James…

A librarian at the Western Illinois University Library examined a list of the approximately 380 current subscribers to the Alternative Press Index (API), which has been the only access point to most periodicals on the political left since its beginning in 1969, in order to see who and what kinds of libraries receive the index. The Library Bill of…

This report describes a study of the Jackson-George Regional Library (JGRL) System, which serves a 2-county area in Mississippi with a population of 131,918. The purpose of the study, which built on the planning and administration goals identified in "Planning for Progress: The Long Range Plan of the Jackson George Regional Library," was to…

From 1963 to 1996, Director Charlie Robinson and Deputy Director Jean-Barry Molz led the Baltimore County Public Library, a system known for customer orientation, a philosophy of collection development heavily emphasizing best sellers, centralized materials selection, interchangeable adult and children's staff, and service fees. Upon retirement,…

The 28 papers in this sourcebook relate to the evaluation of children's services in public libraries: (1) "Introduction to Evaluation" (Jane Robbins and Douglas Zweizig); (2) "Research and Measurement in Library Services to Children" (Adele Fasick); (3) "Evaluating Children's Services" (Diana Young); (4) "What Is…