Libraries rely heavily on student workers for the day-to-day running of the library. Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas is no different. We report on Steen Library's training efforts to staff several public service points as well as keep materials on the shelves by cross-training student employees.

This study provides an overview of the various products available for library patrons with blindness or visual impairments. To provide some insight into the status of library services for patrons with blindness, a sample of American universities that are recognized for their programs for students with visual impairments was surveyed to discern…

Purpose: To describe the development of the library management system, e-Granthalaya, for public libraries in India. This is an initiative of the Indian government's National Informatics Centre (NIC). The paper outlines the challenges and the potential of a full-scale deployment of this software at a national level. Design/methodology/approach:…

Libraries are investing heavily in an increasing number of electronic journals and providing access to them through their websites. We set out to determine if ARL academic libraries offer the same options on their websites to access electronic journals and databases. Using a checklist, we evaluated the websites for the presence of A-Z lists, links…

In this article, the author shares how she became an advocate for school libraries. Moving into a career as a school library media specialist after five-and-a-half years as a teacher, she eventually became a delegate to the first White House Conference on Library and Information Services. At these conferences, she learned where and how decisions…

When Bruce Miller took up the position of head librarian at the University of California, Merced in 2001, the plan for the new library was to use the University of California (UC) system's rich base of support as a launching pad for something great and extraordinary: a model academic research library for the twenty-first century. This article…

A healthy volunteer program can be a great asset to any school library. Volunteers do much of the routine work that then frees the librarian to work with students individually or in groups, providing instruction and reading guidance. In addition to the physical work volunteers provide, they become strong advocates for a school library program…

According to one of the authors, teacher/librarian collaborative instruction is still the most effective means to teach information literacy skills in order to improve student achievement. Numerous studies have confirmed the importance of library media center and library media specialists (LMSs) in improving student achievement. In this article,…

This study examines the use of chat in an academic library's user population and where virtual reference services might fit within the spectrum of public services offered by academic libraries. Using questionnaires, this research demonstrates that many within the academic community are open to the idea of chat-based reference or using chat for…

This article features Eliza Dresang, an award-winning author, and her achievements. Dresang was responsible for making a radical shift in how teachers and parents understand modern children literature when she wrote her groundbreaking book, "Radical Change." She found the motivation to write this book after realizing how teachers and parents were…

This document is a directory of public libraries in the state of Maryland. Agencies which cooperate with public libraries, such as Cooperating Libraries of Central Maryland, State Library Resource Center, and Public Libraries and State Networking Branch, are also listed. The library entries are arranged alphabetically by county, beginning with…

The General Library at the University of California, Berkeley, has made its collection physically and intellectually accessible to disabled users. A task force convened to discuss ways to meet the needs of disabled students has met regularly since 1981. Among changes undertaken as a result of the task force are the appointment of a resource…

This publication describes Rhode Island's expenditure of funds under the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), compares this expenditure to that of other states, and presents recommendations for change in the funding policies of the Rhode Island Department of State Library Services. A list of major library programs is provided, showing the…

A nationwide survey completed by 242 braille readers was undertaken to gather information on readers' current use of braille materials and their individual reading interests. The majority of respondents preferred braille as their primary reading medium, yet only 63% had borrowed braille materials from the library in the past year. Readers were…

Covers library budget crises, community book brawls, ongoing library issues, and efforts to combat inflation. (Author/PF)