Describes the development of a new Health Education Assets Library (HEAL), a freely accessible, national library of high-quality digital multimedia to support all levels of health sciences education. HEAL's primary mission is to provide educators with high-quality and free multimedia materials (such as images and videos) to augment health science…

Discusses the importance of weeding library materials. Targets battered books, duplicate copies, shelf sitters, and dated books. The following subjects are used as examples of areas that often need to be weeded: dinosaurs, the "future," the fishing industry, manned space travel, airplanes/automobiles/trucks/motorcycles, manufactories, electronic…

Discusses the factors book dealers consider when assigning value to out-of-print and antiquarian books, including desirability, scarcity, and condition. Guidelines for pricing are followed by descriptions of the major tools general libraries may use in acquiring old books. (16 references) (EA)

This 1992 price index for serial services presents data on the number of titles, average price, percent of price change, and price indexed to 1977 for the following areas: business; general and humanities; law; science and technology; social sciences; U.S. documents; and H.W. Wilson services. (MES)

Discussion of paper manufacturing processes and their effects on library materials focuses on the promotion of alkaline "permanent" paper, with less acid, by Canadian library preservation specialists. Standards for paper acidity are explained; advantages of alkaline paper are described, including decreased manufacturing costs; and…

Discusses interlibrary lending (ILL) systems and explains the localization effect--called "the burgundy effect"--which results in a partial union catalog of serials locating a higher percentage of ILL requests than an up-to-date catalog over a number of years. An econometric model, the Weibull distribution, is used to calculate…

Discusses problems associated with mold growth at the University of Oklahoma libraries and describes the results of using chlorine dioxide in aqueous and gaseous forms. Highlights include toxicity compared to other preservation treatments; environmental controls; and explanations of a preference for the use of a self-activating gas packet.…

Examines issues related to selection and censorship in five public libraries in Southern California in order to document public librarians' selection practices and to determine whether library policy and procedure assist librarians when confronted with challenges from the community. Explores issues of self-censorship in selection and community…

At least once a year, teachers generally request a historical fiction assignment. Bare facts make dry reading but historical fiction, set in an actual time period with plausible dialogue and credible characters, is more palatable to youngsters. This column discusses the most widely-requested historical periods of study for intermediate and upper…

At the end of each school year there are discussions on all the international teacher-librarians' lists about whether there is a need for inventory or, as the Australians call it, "stocktake"; whether it is reasonable for us to request resources be returned before the last day of school; and whether the library should be closed to allow…

In this article, the author describes how a "living memorial" for a deceased individual that provides comfort to the bereaved. The author discusses ways she has used living memorials in her own life and talks about the significance they have had. She states that memorial collections provide a means to grow a library's overall collection and…

In this brief article, the author discusses that teacher-librarians must continually balance the curricular needs of our collection with the needs of each child. Perhaps the needs are now more in other areas: psychological, social, religious and ethnic. Whatever the need, it is the teacher-librarians responsibility to look at their students and…

Without question, the ongoing transition from print to electronic periodicals has challenged librarians to rethink their strategies. While some effects of this change have been immediately apparent--greater breadth of material, easier access, exposure to new sources, publisher package deals, and open access--the broader outcomes on library…

This article focuses on nonfiction titles appropriate for mid-sized public libraries, with a special emphasis on bisexuality, transgender identities, race, disability, class, age, and other issues often marginalized in both mainstream and GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) culture in America. Some colleagues, at San Francisco Public…

The Huntington is a great library set in a magnificent arboretum with trees from around the world. Yet its resources, like those of other libraries, do not match its needs. Important holdings remain uncatalogued and inaccessible to scholars. Many collections were more accessible before they were given to a library, where they can sit for an…