Results of a five-city pilot project on information and referral (I&R) services--the nature of I&R, the public library's role, evaluation of the three-year program, the project's implications, and the future of I&R. (LS)

This report contains data on state library agencies in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for state fiscal year (FY) 2003.1 The data were collected through the State Library Agencies (StLA) Survey, the product of a cooperative effort between the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and…

Small public libraries can deliver service like big libraries, without sacrificing hometown warmth and charm. By borrowing strategies used by successful small businesses in the private sector, defining goals and exploiting low cost technologies, small public libraries can serve customer wants as well as much larger institutions. Responding to just…

This annotated bibliography attempts to make the collection of the Tyler Free Library in Foster, Rhode Island, more accessible to anyone interested in the history of the town. The library has long been an unofficial repository of historical information and town documents for the community of Foster, Rhode Island. The library also houses the files…

From 1988 to 1995, Partnerships for Change (PFC) led the way in developing innovative library service programs and forging new community partnerships. Today, many PFC principles--planning, needs assessment, valuing diversity, community linkages, public relations and evaluation--have been incorporated into how California public libraries plan for…

This guide assists Minnesota school districts and libraries in technology planning by providing information for meeting the requirements for federal assistance through the Universal Service Fund E-rate program and gaining approval from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families & Learning. Fourteen technology plan criteria needing to be…

This document contains brief answers to some of the most frequently raised issues related to running a small Vermont public library. Areas covered include accessibility, the American Library Association, automation, awards, binding, services for the blind and physically handicapped, the Board of Libraries, the Board of Trustees, book dealers, book…

This study examines persistence narratives of female immigrants in three public library literacy programs. The narrative analysis method was used. Transcripts of student interviews and biographical portraits were read, and incidents, images, events, and statements concerning persistence supports and barriers, literacy, and language learning were…

This handbook for Trustees of the Wisconsin Public Library describes in detail the tasks involved in being a library trustee. The handbook comprises a number of "Trustee Essentials" that cover the basic essential information needed by Trustees, as well as sources of additional information. Contents include: The Trustee Job Description;…

This leaflet is a guide to data resources on the Internet related to education. The first Web site listed, http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/, allows the user to search for public and private elementary and secondary schools by name, city, state, or zip code. The second site, "The Students' Classroom," offers information on a range of…

This document provides information on applying for LSTA grants. LSTA is administered at the federal level by an independent Institute of Museum and Library Services, and at the state level by the California State Library. This guide includes a brief introduction followed by general information on: administration; eligibility; procedure; duration;…

This paper discusses the impact of the Baby Boomer generation on public libraries. The paper has five main objectives: (1) to provide a statistical and demographic profile of the Baby Boomers at the local, state, and national levels within Australia; (2) to provide characteristics of the Baby Boomer generation; (3) to present comparative results…

This paper examines the Kalamazoo Ladies' Library Association during the 25-year period in the last half of the 19th century when the association formed a Reading Circle, held Social Meetings, and finally established a Ladies' Library Club. The Reading Circle met weekly and bi-weekly between 1861-1868; the Social Meetings took place once a month…

This essay by the president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York (reprinted from the 1998 annual report) opens by noting that the year 1999 marks the 100th anniversary of Andrew Carnegie's support for the planning and development of 65 branch libraries of the New York Public Library System, a gift that came to more than $5.2 million. Discussion…