Developed as part of a three-year project funded by the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), this manual is designed to present librarians in the State of California with an alternative, "sense-making" approach to assessing the information needs of patrons and potential patrons and to assessing accountability, i.e., whether…

In June, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down five decisions which significantly altered the legal definition of obscenity, placing greater emphasis on local community standards for judging a work obscene. A survey of public libraries was conducted in 1974 to determine if these decisions had resulted in an increase in community…

A recent national survey polled public library directors and local government officials concerning the value of public library services and outlook for local tax support of public libraries. This article focuses on procedures used in planning the study sample, and broader issues to be considered in designing a national sample for public libraries.…