This essay on problems associated with library reference service and personnel discusses the pros and cons of four approaches designed to improve staff utilization and quality of performance--hiring additional staff, automation, alternative staffing arrangements, and planning and rearrangement of priorities. Fourteen sources are given. (EJS)

This transcript contains the text of three speeches on the problems of people with hearing impairments and the provision of library services to the hard of hearing. Howard Edward (Rocky) Stone, founder of Self-Help-For-Hearing-Impaired-People, Inc., describes his difficulties as a hearing impaired person, the growing number of Americans with…

This discussion of the problem of funding college and university media centers outlines the general categories of available support, assesses current prospects of attracting funds for instructional technology in higher education, and explores the implications that a media center poses for a library's internal budget policy. Twenty-nine references…

Discussion of public access microcomputer service areas in public libraries covers walk-in access, software/hardware circulation, online call-in services, and special programs. Principles for successful public access programs are also discussed, including hardware/software selection. Problems relating to equipment breakdown, diskette storage, and…

Summarizes the nature and status of videotex, and describes current applications by libraries and information centers, including community information dissemination and information retrieval from bibliographic databases. Prospective uses of videotex and library applications are discussed as well as problems to be overcome before effective videotex…

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)

This report provides a step-by-step look at defining, planning, implementing, operating, and supporting Internet services for library patrons. Experts from the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Public Library share their experiences pioneering a high-speed, graphical Internet service that supports the full range of multimedia materials available across…