ERIC/CLIS has compiled this bibliography in an effort to assist the members of the library community who are concerned with the role of public libraries. Although unpolished it is hoped that this tool will serve as a general reference source for those who wish to undertake the preparation of critical review articles or substantive state-of-the-art…

This directory of materials gives the location, nature, and quantity of the holdings of over 2100 private and public organizations, institutes, and libraries in the United States which collect information on Afro-Americans. Information on the 5300 collections listed was gathered through the use of a questionnaire circulated in 1968-69. Most of the…

The results of this study outline the plans for the establishment of a cooperative network of Ohio Art Libraries. Academic, Special, and Public Libraries are included. The study reveals that these several libraries jointly possess a major art research resource. In addition to sharing, it was decided that a clearly defined program outlining areas…

The five essential features of any good library plan are objectives, inputs, process, outputs, and evaluation. In developing countries, the following factors affect, and should be considered, in the formulation of library plans: illiteracy, lack of educational facilities, no common language, insufficient funds, and geographical features and the…

The "National Inventory of Library Needs" being conducted by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science covers public libraries, school library/media centers, and academic libraries. The resource categories being used for the Inventory are staffing, collections, acquisitions, space, and operating expenditures. For…

Summarizes views presented by three speakers from the Canadian library and information community in a workshop at a joint conference of two professional associations. Topics addressed were the state of research in public, academic, and special libraries; the need for library research; and how to find funding to support research. (CDD)

Two articles explore the process of budgeting for library technical services and the impact of automation on this process in terms of equipment expenditures. The second article describes the retrenchment and fund raising activities of a public library in financial difficulty and their effects on future plans for the library. (CLB)

Describes a project in which a library's circulation figures were used as a basis for weeding out inactive items. The findings of the project are used to provide guidelines for purchasing library materials and making recommendations on rebound books, security systems, and promotion of classics and core titles. (CLB)

Describes PLEXUS, an expert system for information retrieval related to gardening, designed at the University of London for use in public libraries. Focusing on the semantic problems encountered, methods used in artificial intelligence and information science to resolve them are discussed, including classification and facet analysis. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the trend toward increased numbers of off-campus programs and the difficulty of providing adequate library services to off-campus students. Several delivery systems are described and compared, and a system at the University of Wyoming that utilizes bibliographic utilities is presented as model for off-campus library services. (22…

Reviews several issues facing public libraries, including the impact of information technology and its effect on traditional library services, the need to select library administrators who are comfortable with the technology, and the need for lay bodies that oversee library services to be aware of the complexity of the situation. (Author/CLB)

Public librarians in Quebec were surveyed to compare their orientation toward a field-specific model of professionalism with their orientation toward a traditional model based on traits derived from other professions. Results indicate that they had a stronger orientation toward the field-specific model to measure the level of professionalism in…

Describes a survey which answers the questions of who challenged what, why, and with what results in the school and public libraries of Manitoba from 1982-1984. Library censorship policies, how often they are followed, the response of the news media, and the difference between selection and censorship are discussed. (EM)

Discussion of various alternatives for privatization of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) being studied by the Department of Commerce highlights issues identified in the April 1986 notice in the Federal Register, representative users' comments, the range of NTIS services and products, and the implications of privatization for…

Examination of data from four General Social Surveys (1976, 1977, 1980, 1982) focuses on questions related to intellectual freedom, especially library censorship. Responses are analyzed together with selected demographic variables to determine which broad segments of society give majority support to censorship and which do not. (7 references) (EJS)