The purpose of this study is to gain a finer-grained picture and better understanding of the travel patterns of library users, and the activities, demographics, and other factors that affect library access. Previous studies of physical accessibility of public libraries, which have focused on library users' single-destination trips and their travel…

In this explorative study, we first investigate current use of public library statistics in public library management to identify a governing framework and then carefully suggest an alternative framework with income as a goal for sustainability. The meaning of income in terms of management is also discussed. Within this framework, we conduct a…

Five files were generated from the Public Libraries Survey for fiscal year 1995: (1) the Public Library Data File, including data for the universe of 8,981 public libraries identified by state library agencies; (2) the Public Library State Summary/State Characteristics File, including data aggregated at the state-level for the 50 states and the…

Five files were gathered from the Public Libraries Survey (PLS) for fiscal year (FY) 1996: (1) the Public Library Data File, including data for the universe of 8,946 public libraries identified by state library agencies; (2) the Public Library State Summary/State Characteristics File, including data aggregated at the state level for the 50 states…

A standardized reporting format is being used by Massachusetts public libraries to provide another approach in identifying comparable libraries and to facilitate comparison of employee salary ranges and other personnel data. Tables list libraries by population group with corresponding data on current salary ranges, number of full time and part…

This report contains a series of recommendations for a uniform statistical report system for Pennsylvania public libraries, based on the assumption that many of the procedures in library work can be quantified in a meaningful manner. The types of data needed for the Commonwealth, individual library use, local reporting, and for research purposes…

An analysis of the science and technology collections at Carnegie Public Library of East Liverpool, Ohio was undertaken to obtain more thorough knowledge of these areas of the collection before collection development prioritization was made. The entire shelflist from Dewey classification number 500 through 629 was reviewed using the automated…

Based upon annual reporting data for FY 76, this statistical report was designed to facilitate rapid comparison of support and activity levels among Massachusetts public libraries. The first section presents summary tables providing means, medians, and percentile values by population group for each of the following indicators: (1) library…

This supplemental report has been developed to assist administrators in the comparative analysis and evaluation of Massachusetts public libraries. Libraries have been placed into one of seven budget groups according to their total operating expenditures to provide another method of comparing libraries by "like" size and population of…

Compares directors' use of Public Library Data Service statistics and Federal-State Cooperative System for Public Library Data statistics to show how directors make use of statistics and to highlight the statistical information that directors find particularly useful. The survey addressed: last time of use; ways of use; frequency of use of…

Outlines the general techniques of Guttman scale analysis and briefly describes its uses in social science research. To illustrate the potential application to library science, a Guttman scale of restrictiveness in dealing with overdue books is developed and data from a 1986 survey of public libraries are fitted into the scale. (23 references)…

This study was undertaken to investigate the relative importance of childhood experiences in determining adult reading and public library use. Data were gathered via a nationally representative telephone interview conducted by the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan. The interview contained 25 questions relating to current reading…

An evaluation of 275 titles of adult individual biography selected at random reveals no essential correlation between a quality estimate and any of several measures of circulation. The titles were evaluated for their quality by determining whether or not each title was found listed in eight reviewing journals, five book selection tools, and five…

Four significant data analyses have been made of 6,622 adult titles selected at random from the collections of 20 United States public libraries. An inductive quality estimate was determined by counting the times each was listed in up to eight evaluation guides. The analyses show that: (1) although there is a positive and significant relationship…

Six Arizona county libraries were chosen to participate in a study to investigate the effect of grants on local library funding support. The criteria set for choice of these libraries were: (1) the county library must be the strongest library in the county, (2) the library must have been chartered as a county library for at least three years prior…