While most organizations, including libraries, can benefit from a structured wiring system, few likely have the expertise and resources to place, specify, and install network cabling by themselves. This article reviews common wiring plans, addresses basic concepts of structured wiring systems, and discusses the importance and benefits of such a…

Provides a bibliographic listing of 49 reference materials, books, and video recordings that relate to racial and ethnic diversity. (LRW)

Argues that the phrase "library science" is an oxymoron and that the term "librarianship" is correct. Suggests that library science and information science are now completely different fields. An information access model is proposed that can be used as a vehicle for unification and integration. (JMV)

An analysis of the occurrence of conference proceedings in physics journals indicates that libraries may be spending a significant portion of their serials budget for conference proceedings that they may not have chosen to buy as separate monographs. It is suggested that conference proceedings should be published as monographs or in an electronic…

To help the community encourage reading, a Texas elementary school's community involvement committee established a children's lending library in a nearby rent-subsidized apartment complex. Several thousand books were donated over a two-week period, hours have been extended, and teachers and staff generously donate time and expertise to manage the…

Describes the background of library outsourcing, and discusses the quality of cataloging and physical processing services provided by Blackwell North America and B. H. Blackwell Ltd. during a one-year pilot project at Stanford University (California). At the end of the project, an error rate of less than 1% was achieved in outsourced work.…

Provides an annotated list of recommended selection tools for children's and young adult materials in Spanish. Commercial vendors, books, older lists for retrospective collecting, and periodicals and journals are among the categories included. (five references) (LRW)

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)

Provides a detailed table of contents and an overview of this special issue. Describes how federal agencies and other organizations are addressing issues related to the earth's changing environment, including providing the infrastructure for global change data and information management. (LRW)

Reviews a study conducted at the University of Alabama that compared two bibliographic instruction programs by using the Kohl and Wilson criteria to evaluate each method's effect on student term paper bibliographies, discusses the application of evaluation criteria, and offers suggestions to increase the effectiveness of evaluation criteria.…

This survey, which obtained responses from 37 countries, concluded that there are more than 4,500 toy libraries in the world in 31 countries on all continents. Libraries include (1) community-oriented toy libraries; (2) lekoteks for children with special needs; (3) toy libraries as a cultural, social, and recreational center; and (4) toy lending…

Describes a study conducted at Rutgers University that investigated whether the ability to recognize and assess the information-seeking stage of the user is limited to skilled and experienced intermediaries or is achievable by novice searchers. Searchers' assessment of the user's problem definition level and work stage are examined. (five…

Offers principals practical advice about writing for audiences other than the school community. Aspiring authors should look at hobby-related magazines and consult reference sources such as "The Writer's Market,""The Writer,""The Writer's Digest," and "The International Directory of Small Presses" for valuable writing and publishing tips. (MLH)

Summarizes the first report on the Intergovernmental Records Project (IRP) of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Topics discussed include the use of RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network), a lack of indexing consistency and access term selection, the need for standards, and shared cataloging. (six references) (LRW)

Discusses the operations of the Government Printing Office's Office of Superintendent of Documents and suggests that changes are needed. The depository library program is discussed, government publications are described, the proliferation of publications and other information sources is considered, and issues relating to improvements are raised.…