Based on experiences of the Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute, Indiana, this article outlines ways libraries can attract patrons to their Web sites and features that can keep them returning. Discusses marketing and publicity; basic content and special sources and services; attractive and easy-to-use site design; good Web site maintenance;…

Describes an elementary school's reading-incentive program, based on a travel theme, that was developed to promote greater understanding of diverse cultures, to increase knowledge of world geography, and to encourage independent reading. Topics include motivation, parent involvement, public-library help, and increased use of the library's…

Reviews current trends in the networked community information literature, including public library involvement, and discusses a present study for which multiple methods are being used to collect data from users, librarians, and service providers in three states. Particular attention is given to explaining use of theory specification to apply…

Explains why school libraries need to share resources and describes a number of projects that share physical, intellectual, and digital resources. Highlights include district union catalogs and integrated systems; consortia and community catalogs with public libraries; statewide union catalogs; statewide integrated systems; gateways; and statewide…

Includes 13 articles that address issues concerning collaboration and partnerships between school library media specialists and classroom teachers. Highlights include projects for specific grades; team teaching; partnerships and activities with public libraries; collaborative planning; and collaboration with college libraries. (LRW)

Discusses academic libraries, digital environments, increasing competition, the relationship between service quality and user satisfaction, and user surveys. Describes the SERVQUAL model that measures service quality and user satisfaction in academic libraries; considers gaps between user expectations and managers' perceptions of user…

Describes a study that investigated the effect teenage folklore storytelling has on the self-esteem of adolescents; its effect on building oral communication and storytelling skills; adolescent perceptions of the media center and public library; and cooperative ventures between school library media specialists and public librarians. (Contains 95…

Addresses how the resources of public libraries and youth-serving organizations can work together to support young people and expand their opportunities. Summarizes ways librarians are developing effective strategies to engage youth who formerly felt alienated from public libraries and describes ways public libraries are connecting with community…

What is the state of intellectual freedom and libraries in the early twenty-first-century digital environment? This question is addressed largely in relation to public and school libraries, where more than 90 percent of documented challenges exist and at which most legislative and judicial actions relevant to intellectual freedom and libraries are…

The environment is a great concern in the 1990s, and everyone needs to work at maintaining our planet. The 1992 Arizona State Library Reading Program, "Rainbow Earth," provides children with many techniques they can use to help the Earth. This reading program guide provides information on the following: goals, objectives, and evaluation;…

This document from Broward Community College (BCC) in Florida provides an overview of the recent trend toward joint ventures in education, with both the public and private sectors, while suggesting possible concerns of both parties involved. The report states that before entering into a joint venture it is important that each party: (1) evaluate…

Stress and burnout are now recognized as serious problems in those fields generally referred to as the helping professions. Whatever the causes, stress and burnout impact on individuals and organizations. Librarianship has many aspects in common with other helping professions. Librarians serving youth face many of the same demands as do educators,…

This manual is designed to give public library trustees basic information on the structure of library service in Michigan, with emphasis on the trustees' major areas of responsibility, in order to help trustees understand and fulfill their obligations. In particular, the "Action Checklist" at the end of each chapter is designed to assist…

The Public Libraries Survey has been conducted annually since 1988 by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through the Federal-State Cooperative System for Public Library Data (FSCS). The survey collects identifying information and basic data on public libraries (8946 in 1992) and their outlets in the United States; identifying…

The U.S. National Education Goals were enacted into federal law in 1994 as the "Goals 2000: Educate America Act." The Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas at Austin is addressing the first of these goals, which states that by the year 2000 all children will enter school ready to learn. This paper…