Anyone at the helm of a small public library knows that every little detail counts. But juggling the responsibilities that are part and parcel of the job is far from easy. Finally, here's a handbook that includes everything administrators need to keep a handle on library operations, freeing them up to streamline and improve how the organization…

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…

The heart of the public library mission is to provide service to the entire community and serve the underserved. But how does a library identify the people it is not reaching, where they live, and what they need? And what does it mean for a library's services if in its community the underserved are not also underprivileged? Contrary to popular…

The President of ALIA writes about expectations for the Public Libraries Summit, and provides an account of what took place on the day of the meeting, and what has taken place since. In funding terms, the most likely areas of productive engagement with the federal government are considered to be: children, early learning and a literate Australia;…

Fewer employees, shorter hours, diminished collection budgets, reduced programs and services--all at a time of record library usage. In this book, library expert Carol Smallwood demonstrates that despite the obvious downsides, the necessity of doing business differently can be positive, leading to partnering, sharing, and innovating. This…

Here are 250 tested ideas for lively libraries, from GO (Getting Outside) to PEP (Programs, Exhibits, Projects) and POP (Positive Operating Procedures), collected by the Mercer County (New Jersey) Library at Trenton. GO ideas include public relations and outreach ideas ranging from ads at the drive-in movie to attending high school sports events…

Describes the features of the Austin Public Library that made it Library Journal's pick for the 1993 Library of the Year Award. The library's outreach programs, use of total quality management, volunteer program, and the bonds between the library and the city government are covered. (KRN)

A brief history of the Dallas Public Library, which first opened in 1901, highlights new central library facilities erected in 1955 and 1982; the development of branch libraries; leadership of directors Rosa Leeper, Cleora Clanton, Jim Meeks, and Lillian Bradshaw; and library programs, publications, and community outreach efforts. (EJS)

Discusses the increase in circulation over the past seven years at the Queens Borough Public Library. Improvements in collections, promotion, and services responsible for this increase are examined, and circulation data are presented in graphs. (MES)

This study focuses on certain demographic, commercial, and social characteristics of Johnston County and its towns as they relate to the library's organization, administration, resources, and services. Recommendations are given, as is a five year plan of service which lists objectives in the following areas: (1) administration, (2) information…

Living in the vast shadow cast by the spires of the Magic Kingdom presents special challenges for Orlando's Orange County Library System (OCLS), the most formidable of which is increasing its relatively small user base. The library additionally faces tension between the administration and staff, political strife on the board, and looming contract…

A review of changing attitudes of library directors toward children's services shows parallels between the rhetoric of 100 years ago and that of today. Library directors interviewed believe children's services are essential to public library survival, the library's critical outreach arm, and dependent on multitalented, politically astute…

These standards provide measures for evaluating communities' needs for public library services, and summarize the essentials for quality service for youth and those who work with youth. New management tools, specifically guides for planning and role setting and manuals for defining output measures, the challenge of electronic access, as well as…

These guidelines were developed by the bookmobile community that has met in Columbus, Ohio, since 1985 for their annual conference. The guidelines comprise the collaborative effort of hundreds of conference participants and representatives from 79 libraries throughout the United States and Canada, who discussed the guidelines in regional and state…

Designed for the staff of the Onondaga County Public Library (OCPL), this manual provides guidance for the provision of a variety of activities and services common to public libraries. Detailed procedures are included for specific activities organized under the broad headings of Collection, Registration, Circulation, Publicity, Interlibrary Loan,…