Stresses the importance of early literacy experiences for very young children and explains how children become literate. Library services, such as choosing materials to meet the special needs of young children and their parents, and outreach programs are described. Tips to share with parents on reading to infants and toddlers are included. (EAM)

Describes the Oregon State University library's experience with Total Quality Management (TQM) from initial training and development of two teams to its use as an impartial problem-solving tool which anyone can use. Staff concerns and fears about TQM are discussed, and benefits are explained. (Contains five references.) (EAM)

Explains the need for meaningful performance measures in libraries and the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach to data collection. Five tools representing different stages of a TQM inquiry are covered (i.e., the Shewhart Cycle, flowcharts, cause-and-effect diagrams, Pareto charts, and control charts), and benchmarking is addressed. (Contains…

Discussion of the distribution of government information on CD-ROM to federal depository libraries focuses on a survey of a sample of federal depositories that investigated the availability of hardware; software; staff, including staff training; reference service; and bibliographic instruction. Suggested GPO (Government Printing Office) guidelines…

Describes the problems IBM Corporation in Boca Raton, Florida, has had staffing and managing a corporate library and its cooperative agreement with Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to provide professional librarian services. Issues to consider in developing an academic/special libraries agreement are discussed. (EA)

Describes a survey of reference librarians in libraries with online public access catalogs that was conducted to determine what types of searches patrons would use to look for names of fictional characters. Name, subject, and author indexes are discussed, and implications for cataloging using the MARC format are suggested. (10 references) (LRW)

Describes the development of a Personalized Research Consultation Service (PERCS) for graduate students at Bowling Green State University. Graduate students' library research behavior and adult learning strategies are discussed; an evaluation of the program is reviewed; and the impact on library services, including computer searches and…

Describes study conducted at Chicago Public Library's Computer-Assisted Reference Center (CARC) that examined patron's evaluations of their online searches and the search service provided. The relationship between user satisfaction and relevance, precision, and recall is highlighted, and suggestions for future research are offered. (40 references)…

International sharing, by libraries, of special-format materials for blind and physically handicapped readers is discussed. Topics include the variety of formats for such materials, identification of potential users, library activities for improving loan procedures, production practices and facilities, determination of available publications,…

Describes results of a survey of Canadian academic libraries that was conducted to determine the provision of services to the disabled, i.e., students with visual, hearing, or motor deficiencies. External resources are described, the role of library staff is emphasized, and library policy statements concerning the provision of special services are…

Describes the history and development of the Queens Borough (New York) Public Library's New Americans Program that was designed to meet the needs of a culturally and linguistically diverse community. Highlights include outreach services, language classes, collection building, and examples of specific programs for Hispanic, Chinese, and Korean…

Describes current concerns and activities of the American Association of School Librarians, including the relationship between whole-language programs and school library media programs; local school site-based management initiatives and their impact on library media programs; fund-raising possibilities; federal funding for library media centers;…

Describes the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) library. Highlights include security measures, a day in the life of two CIA librarians, sample reference questions, collection development, the Historical Intelligence Collection, the CIA Web site, and library modernization. (JAK)

In this study, 182 Canadian senior administrators, middle managers, and front-line librarians in public and academic libraries were asked to describe the nature of organizational change in their workplaces and how new technology affected the restructuring. Respondents agreed that financial pressure is driving most change and that technology is a…

A survey of undergraduates taking non-course-related library tours found that 86% learned what they expected to learn, 96% believed they learned useful information, and 93% indicated feeling more comfortable about using the library after the tour. Overall use of the tours suggested a need for more promotion of the service. Includes the tour survey…