The Internet is many things to many people. Some see the Internet as the Wild West, a yawning wilderness waiting to be tamed and cultivated. For companies like eBay, the Internet is a steady, transaction-based revenue stream. For the dot-com companies, the Internet was perceived as a California gold rush. In terms of online library programming for…

Having sleepovers at the public library can be fun and exciting. This article describes the Brownie Sleepover program, a library sleepover program, which started 10 years ago when two local Brownie leaders approached the former head of children's services to ask if she could help second graders earn their "Be a Reader" patch. After…

According to the 2003 National School Climate Survey, a biannual study by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, an organization which ensures safe schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) students, only 50 percent of students say they have access to community LGBT Web sites, such as Parents, Families, and Friends of…

This article describes how librarians stepped up to the plate to rescue materials and meet the needs of thousands of uprooted evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, employing their unique skills and resources to put forth a humane and herculean effort. In Houston and Austin, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Memphis; Fayetteville, Arkansas; and…

In apparently no time at all, the distance between the once doggedly segregated religion and self-help shelves has shortened, and the two genres are fraternizing openly. Librarians have noticed an influx of books that cannot be definitively classified as religion or self-help. It is a phenomenal time for the breed of books dubbed "spiritual…

The "Student Evaluation of Instruction" (SEOI) was administered to all full-time and part-time faculty. Approximately 91,530 surveys were sent out in 4,980 envelopes; 58,604 surveys were returned to the Office of Institutional Research. The return rate for the paper surveys was 64% including late submissions. Instructors' reports were…

The "Student Evaluation of Instruction" (SEOI) was administered to all full-time and part-time faculty. Approximately 82,806 surveys were sent out in 4,830 envelopes; 52,464 surveys were returned to the Office of Institutional Research. The return rate for the paper surveys was 63% including late submissions. Instructors' reports were…

Over 5 million students aged 6 to 21 received services under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)" during the 2000-2001 school year. In partial response to this growing population of diverse learners, the relatively recent and highly controversial "No Child Left Behind (NCLB)" legislation has served as a…

the findings are presented of 1994 surveys on services and resources for children and young adults (ages 12-18) in public libraries. Each survey was conducted with a different nationally representative sample of public libraries. Data was collected for individual buildings rather than for library systems. Findings indicate the following: (1)…

This study describes regional depository institutions, the organization of their document collections, the staffing of their documents departments, and factors relevant to their providing access to electronic government information. Surveys were sent to 53 regional depository libraries in March 1995. Forty-one of the 53 libraries responded (77%…

This handbook is designed to serve the needs of colleges and universities considering the development of distance degree programs. Its objectives are to report on current practices among colleges offering degree programs primarily through telecommunications; to describe current distance degree programs that can be used as models; and to identify…

One problem with the outcome-based measures used in higher education is that they measure quantity but not quality. Benchmarking, or the use of some external standard of quality to measure tasks, processes, and outputs, is partially solving that difficulty. Benchmarking allows for the establishment of a systematic process to indicate if outputs…

This strategic plan details the commitment of the California State Library to the future and the recognition of its record of achievement of the past. The document is divided into four sections. The first section discusses the Library's mission and philosophy and describes various programs (State Library Service Bureau, Braille and Talking Books…

The public library is uniquely situated to meet the information needs of older adults and can also assist them in both finding ways to make their lives meaningful and staying in the mainstream. This study involved a mail survey of the public libraries of Ohio regarding their services for adults aged 65 and over. One hundred and eighty-four…

This report describes activities of the talking-book program of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress, with emphasis on activities conducted in cooperation with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) library program. First, the overall NLS program in the U.S. which…