Examines development of social libraries (formed by associations for member use) in New England and rest of United States before 1850, and social and public library growth between 1850 and 1900. Opinions of contemporaries and seven aspects of American life indicating reluctance to abandon social library are highlighted. (27 references) (EJS)

Provides results of a study conducted by the Illinois State Library that examined voting trends on library issues based on the results of Illinois public library referenda from 1978 through 1994. Comparisons are made by types of libraries, by population groups, and with school district referenda. (LRW)

A nationwide survey of 2,486 American adults, conducted for the Commission on Obscenity and Pornography in 1970, is reanalyzed to permit new comparisons of the large majority who favored library censorship of erotica with the minority who opposed it. Sixteen references are cited. (Author/FM)

Random samples of monographic materials from U.S. and Canadian public libraries were matched with collections from similar libraries of different sizes. Strong positive correlation appears between percentage find rate and target library size, with regression analysis suggesting linearity over a wide range of collection sizes. (Author)

A survey of 113 Texas libraries examined characteristics of reference positions to determine whether there were important similarities and differences between public and academic libraries in the areas of professional qualifications for employment; job skills and responsibilities; work scheduling; benefits; and departmental characteristics. The…

Reports on comparison of costs of manual versus computer reference service at Deerfield Public Library (Illinois) and Houston Public Library. Costs for online services, equipment, searches per database, salaries, reference books, business reference subscriptions, periodicals, and labor are included. Unknown costs and time involved to answer…

Two sophisticated--autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), straight-line regression--and two naive--simple average, monthly average--forecasting techniques were used to forecast monthly circulation totals of 34 public libraries. Comparisons of forecasts and actual totals revealed that ARIMA and monthly average methods had smallest mean…

Presents salary data for public library directors based on information published by the International City Management Association (ICMA). Ten population groups are represented and are further classified by geographic region, city type, and form of government. A comparison of data shows highest salaries in the West and lowest in the South. (LRW)

Discussion of public librarians' salaries examines data on: (1) salary progression from 1978 to 1987; (2) public librarians' salaries compared with salaries of librarians in other positions; (3) public librarians' salaries compared with increases in the Consumer Price Index since 1978; and (4) salaries earned in other fields. (19 references) (MES)

Research methods and a comparative analysis of quantitative results of a study of the adequacy of collections and efficiency of reference services in 25 New Jersey public and county libraries are presented. Methods include use of a prepared bibliography on paleontology and a test question, both designed to be asked of reference librarians by…

Results of this study evaluating library reference service indicate a statistically significant difference at the .05 level between obtrusive and unobtrusive evaluation methods. Library staff answer a greater proportion of questions correctly when they are aware of being evaluated. The 30 questions used, a report form, and references are included.…

Examines the catalogs of 19 urban public library systems, 10 American and nine Canadian, to determine the extent of their holdings of 99 gay-related fiction titles in English for young adults. Data are tabulated by title, and a list of the titles surveyed is appended. (Author/LRW)

Interlibrary loan requests originating at 72 Idaho public libraries during a 12-day period in January 1978, were analyzed to determine fill rate, turnaround time, and patron satisfaction with turnaround time and materials supplied. The results show that of 910 total requests submitted 75.05 percent were filled, 20.11 percent had not been received…

The Texas Public Library Summary for 1999 contains summaries of the information submitted by Texas public libraries in the 1999 Annual Report/System Membership Application Form (ARSMA) and reported in detail in the Texas Public Library Statistics for 1999. The Summary provides an overview of Texas public library income, expenditures, services, and…

Reports on a study of the validity of Trueswell's 80/20 collections and holdings rule with regard to the circulation levels for fiction and nonfiction books at the Clearwater Public Library in Florida. Data are presented in five tables, and an 18-item reference list is attached. (JL)