Addresses three aspects of the issue of intellectual freedom: the nature of intellectual freedom as defined by the American Library Association's "Intellectual Freedom Manual," the underlying philosophy implicit in that expression, and an alternative to both the manual and its philosophical presuppositions. Attempts to define the…

In these closing remarks, the First Lady thanks the speakers and presenters at the White House Conference on School Libraries and announces the formation of, as well as major gifts to, the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries, which aims to bring books to inner-city and rural school and community libraries. (MES)

Discusses the relationship between public libraries and the labor movement. Highlights include the literature of labor and libraries; historical background; labor education; the role of the AFL-CIO/ALA (American Federation of Labor (AFL)-Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)/American Library Association (ALA)) Joint Committee on Library…

Discusses the need for planning in public libraries. An example of successful planning in a small, rural library system is given; the importance of providing staff time for planning is emphasized; recommendations for administrators are offered; and an annotated bibliography of planning materials prepared for the Public Library Development Program…

Public libraries have always served as partners in adult education through many formal and informal programs and activities. One example, the Intermountain Community Learning and Information Services project, creates a network linking rural populations with library, information, and educational services in the mountain states. (SK)

Summarizes 20 statements on the tying of state aid to performance measures which were presented at the 1989 Spring Conference of the New Jersey Library Association. The discussion covers the need to derive a formula for the award of aid, and the complexity and difficulties involved in deriving any such formula. (18 references) (CLB)

Describes a study that used survey questionnaire and case study methodologies to compare proportional relationships among services to children, teenagers, and adults in California public libraries during fiscal years 1977-78 and 1982-83. It is concluded that the findings both support and refute the belief that youth services received limited…

Presents an overview of the National Endowment for the Humanities sponsored Let's Talk about It Program. The intended audience is examined, the role of the scholar analyzed, and the special responsibilities of the discussion leader delineated. Results of the program are evaluated and suggestions for planning a program are offered. (six references)…

Reviews the reasons for the lack of national statistics on public library services to adolescents and describes the administration of a national survey of public library services and resources for young adults. The survey instrument is described, major findings are outlined, and implications for further study are discussed. (seven references) (CLB)

Discusses the increase in circulation over the past seven years at the Queens Borough Public Library. Improvements in collections, promotion, and services responsible for this increase are examined, and circulation data are presented in graphs. (MES)

Discussion of public librarians' salaries examines data on: (1) salary progression from 1978 to 1987; (2) public librarians' salaries compared with salaries of librarians in other positions; (3) public librarians' salaries compared with increases in the Consumer Price Index since 1978; and (4) salaries earned in other fields. (19 references) (MES)

Information on freebasing cocaine was requested from reference librarians at six public and seven academic libraries. None of the librarians refused to offer assistance, although assistance varied in its extensiveness. None of the encounters involved a reference interview or bibliographic instruction. Arguments in support of information…

Develops two models of reference interview behavior: the Needs-Oriented Model and the Question-Oriented Model. The models are tested by reanalysis of data from a 1978 dissertation on interviews in the public library setting. Results show the appropriateness of the models and indicate that the question-oriented interview was more prevalent. (eight…

Briefly describes the career of Herbert Goldhor and discusses two aspects of his contributions to librarianship: public library service and administration, including the collection and publication of data for analysis and use by researchers and decision makers; and scientific research in librarianship. A chronological list of over 175 publications…

Discussion of financing database searching in the public library examines the role of the public library in providing access to information; costs of online services; and user fees. Techniques that a library can use to control online services and deliver them at a minimum cost are suggested. (eight references) (MES)