Outlines the Family Friendly Libraries (FFL) charter and how its aims challenge equal and unrestricted access to information as mandated by the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights. Discussions include how FFL might hurt libraries, how libraries can "keep things positive" by promoting services that FFL can support, and…

Reviews the research on maintaining information currency in reference collections. Discusses age versus use; continuity of maintenance; problems with irregularly published works; manual maintenance methods; computer-assisted methods; assignment of responsibility; and collection management/maintenance policies. Suggests how to improve reference…

Examines the history of abridged audio publishing 10 years after the formation of the Audio Publishers Association. Topics include abridged versus unabridged versions for bookstores and libraries; vendors and publishers; future possibilities for CDs and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc); and audio leasing for libraries. (LRW)

Discusses results of a survey of gender factors in library resource use at Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria (Africa). Highlights include reasons for library use, how library materials are located, materials consulted, relevance of library materials to information needs, frequency of use, and factors inhibiting effective use of the library.…

Discusses the role that school library media specialists can play in the development of children's writing skills. Recommends a number of reference books for student writers published by Scholastic, including a dictionary, thesaurus, dictionary of idioms, rhyming dictionary, dictionary of spelling, and a treasury of quotations. (LRW)

Describes a reference source for middle school students on biotechnology that is useful for science and social science curricula as well as interdisciplinary approaches. Explains the four-volume format and various features that make it useful to media specialists and students. (LRW)

Discusses reasons for including sports books in school library reference collections, explains why they should not be found only in public library collections, and provides six annotated bibliographies of sports books suitable for intermediate or middle school library collections. (LRW)

Suggests that varied and often understated uses of copyrighted materials exist in academic settings. Introduces four "frames" of reference: Academic, Technological, Social, and Market. Presents court cases relevant to each frame. Explores two scenarios involving use of copyrighted materials. As technology increases both access and control, the…

Via an overview of core journal studies, emphasizing the social sciences and education, this review looks for best practices in both motivation and methodology. Selection decisions receive particular focus. Lack of correlation between methods is indicative of the complexity of the topic and the need for judgment in design and use. (Author)

Discusses the benefits of using informative trade children's books in elementary science instruction. Presents an annotated bibliography of 15 trade books that have special features that should complement any active science curriculum. (AEF)

Defines book display as an adult service as choosing and positioning adult books from the library collection to increase their circulation. The author contrasts bookstore arrangement for sales versus library arrangement for access, including contrasting missions, genre grouping, weeding, problems, and dimensions. (Author/LRW)

A survey of Illinois public libraries found that: security was a problem (58%); material theft was a problem (56%); periodical mutilation was a problem (42%); and a patron or staff member was expelled or arrested in the previous year (26%). Discusses perceptions of security, security incidents, electronic security systems, and security policies.…

Reports on a 1995 survey of Wisconsin academic libraries regarding collection development practices for languages and literature. Results suggest that faculty control selection; approval plans have not taken over from personal selection; and local demand is emphasized over presumed quality as suggested by review magazines. (LRW)

Discusses the results of two collection assessments conducted 13 years apart at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Both assessments focused on the central stacks collection, a repository collection serving the institution's 42 branch and departmental libraries. Findings provide insight into the results of deferred collections care and…

Includes seven articles that discuss overcoming obstacles to getting teenage boys to read. Highlights include what teacher-librarians can do; what boys see as obstacles; material selection; collection organization; gender issues; learning differences; magazines; lunchtime book discussion groups; motivating boys as beginning readers; and popular…