The public library must meet the needs of the community and the patrons it serves. One area of need is for genealogical materials to support the study of genealogy and family history. Because of the lack of information on the materials needed to make up a core collection of Ohio materials, a select group of 18 libraries and 15 genealogical…

Recent work in both the history of education and the influence of popular culture suggests that libraries can be studied as sites where the public is taught--through a variety of mechanisms--important lessons about communication, knowledge and society. Researchers have addressed the interpretive question of whether literacy is tied to progress and…

This study examined whether user satisfaction with library services is affected by certain objective and subjective librarian behaviors exhibited during the reference interview. A patron survey was conducted during July 1993 in three branches of Cuyahoga County Public Library, located in northeastern Ohio. The sample was determined by the patrons…

This collection of addresses, remarks, and papers presented at the second White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS2) includes excerpts from remarks made by First Lady Barbara Bush, President George Bush, Marilyn Quayle, and William T. Esrey of United Telecommunications, Inc., and keynote addresses by Mary Futrell from the…

This report presents the methodology and results of a survey which determined the current level of involvement in literacy-related services of 50 public libraries in British Columbia. The primary areas addressed by the survey are: (1) the degree of "formal involvement" in literacy-related activities; (2) most common literacy activities;…

The use of information regarding the ages of library items is a standard component of many approaches to weeding library collections, and has a long history in the literature of collection management. Current and past approaches to using aging information to make weeding decisions make use of very arbitrary decision criteria. This study examined…

This checklist is designed to provide librarians, architects, and other members of a building design team with a list of questions to ask during the design phase of a new or remodeled library building project. The purpose of the questions is to make sure that no element of the building is overlooked by the building design team in their programming…

This report describes the work of the Community Information and Referral (CI&R) Services Task Force, which was appointed by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) to investigate the status of CI&R in libraries and social service agencies and to make recommendations regarding the appropriate role for libraries…

This pamphlet focuses on the concept of information and referral (I&R) as a system and describes seven highly effective I&R systems that bring together people in need with the human service agencies that can help them. It is noted that when thinking in terms of I&R systems, attention must be directed to the overall quality of the structures and…

This booklet provides background information about the Texas library system for both new and experienced system advisory council members and lay representatives. It is noted that most of the material included was previously distributed at the 1980 System Advisory Council Conference. Five sections are presented: (1) "The Public Library and the…

A seminar held in October 1978 brought together teams from public and school libraries in 36 Illinois communities representing the 18 Illinois library systems, in order to: (1) provide an environment where school and public librarians who work with young adults could identify their problems, assess their needs, and begin working toward mutual…

Based on bibliographies in Arthur Chickering's "The Modern American College," a search in the ERIC database, a manual search in "Library Literature," and additional sources, this annotated bibliography presents 57 items on the evolving relationship between the independent adult learner and the public library. These sources of information examine…

Two surveys were conducted in 1981/82 and 1982 respectively to determine if Illinois public libraries were satisfying their patrons in terms of book use, and how much money Illinois public libraries received directly from their patrons in library fines, fees, and charges. In the first study, 2,133 adults returning a book at a random sample of 71…

This report describes library applications of electronic bulletin board systems (BBS), i.e., telecommunications software designed to receive incoming calls from other computer systems. It begins by explaining the basics of a BBS; describing a typical configuration, i.e., a microcomputer and a modem connected to standard phone line bulletin board…