Examines how librarians are customizing their services and collections for handheld computing. Discusses the widest adoption of PDAs (personal digital assistants) in libraries that serve health and medical communities; PDA-friendly information pages; the reference focus; journals and databases; lending materials; publicity; use of PDAs by library…

Describes how the New Main San Francisco Public Library was created in spite of budget cuts and threats of shutting down library branches. Discusses community support, the political approach to fund raising, collection development and increased patronage, and linking branch libraries to the New Main's system. (AEF)

The most surprising response from the "Library Journal" 2002 survey of 150 public libraries is that circulation is up after declines for the past couple of years. Budgets are holding their own, with a slight increase overall of 3%. Aggressive merchandising, promotion, and better circulation systems point to success. (AEF)

In marketing one's library wares, an effective publicity strategy is to use promotional giveaway materials, mainly personalized items that promote one's resources and services. As with any marketing effort, it is important to be clear about the promotional initiative and whom librarians are attempting to reach. This author emphasizes that…

Over the years, the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) has experimented with various continuous improvement initiatives. Some projects fizzled owing to the universal killers of grand ideas such as inertia, inconsistent implementation, lack of buy-in, "flavor of the month" attitude, and the all-time favorite: if they ignore this idea it…

Twenty-six scholarly papers and ten abstracts comprise the content of the thirteenth annual Brick and Click Libraries Symposium, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the symposium, portray the contemporary and future face of librarianship. The…

Designed as a simple how-to guide, this revised handbook presents guidelines for setting up a church or synagogue library or revitalizing an existing one. The first section, "Begin with a Purpose," advocates preparing a statement of purpose. The second step, "Be Prepared," discusses the importance of the planning process.…

This guide presents practical information about planning a school library media center budget in consideration of the goals and objectives of the district, the school, and of the particular programs involved, both for the year under consideration, and for the future. Three chapters are devoted to discussions of initiating a budget, the Iowa budget…

The primary goal for digitization projects sponsored by the Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRC) is enhanced access for the people of the region to digital resources created from collections in Central New York's libraries, archives and museums. The CLRC Digitization Plan provides a framework for the support of digitization activities…

Presents tips from a project that made modest but significant improvements to the young adult areas and services of 11 rural libraries in the Pioneer Library System in upstate New York. Discusses floor plans, layout and location; furniture and fixtures; collections and displays; technology; and staff. Illustrates changes with before-and-after…

The Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) assists the state of Alabama in the extension and improvement of public library services to areas and populations of the state which are without such services or to which such services are inadequate. Federal LSCA monies are spend on statewide projects at the Alabama Public Library Service. Projects…

The Library Service and Construction Act (LSCA) assists the state of Alabama in the extension and improvement of public library services to areas and populations of the state which are without such service or to which such services are inadequate. Federal LSCA monies are administered by the Alabama Public Library Service and are spent on local and…

The purpose of this paper is to relate the history and growth of the Barberton Public Library (Ohio) as it has been influenced by its founders and its six directors. The biography of prominent persons who have in some way affected the development of libraries is also considered to be part of library history. The following persons and their careers…

The Assembly of Associations meets annually at the International Association of School Librarianship Conference (IASL) to exchange "grassroots" information about developments in school librarianship in the various countries around the world. Individuals were given questions that focused on: significant achievements in school library…

This paper outlines the challenges and opportunities for the services of the Japanese National Diet Library (NDL), especially the Research and Legislative Reference Bureau by using a SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. The introduction lists the major goals of the NDL's reform. The second section discusses the NDL's…