Beyond the sprawling Denver International Airport, there's little to put Adams County, Colorado, on the map. The region's light rail only stretches south, so Adams County, a mostly working-class zone to the northeast, has come late to growth. There's no central city; the community is dominated by strip malls, big-box stores, and new developments.…

As question answering services in the commercial sector proliferate, libraries are innovating with new forms of electronic reference (e-reference). The Library of Congress' Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS) extends worldwide. Discussion includes reference service developments; "reclaiming" users; growth of library interest…

Describes recent changes in the District of Columbia Public Library. Highlights include the search and appointment of a new director; financial problems; past managerial problems; needed technology updates; the impact of municipal government problems; and a sidebar with a biography of the new director, Molly Raphael. (LRW)

Facing a major budget crunch, the Hawaii State Public Library System awarded a five and one half-year, $11.2 million contract to a vendor (Baker & Taylor) for collection development. Hawaii librarians argue that outsourcing sacrifices local expertise and a central part of their professional identity. Discusses the controversy from opposing…

A survey of 486 public libraries found that audiovisual (AV) budgets have increased 53% in the last five years. Provides data on average size of AV collections; budget break downs; circulation; audiobook, video, and music CD purchases; popular authors and titles in abridged and unabridged audiobooks; and problems with audiobook, video, and music…

Includes three reports: one from "Library Journal" that reviews significant issues of the year, including budget reversals; Internet filtering, digital copyright, distance education, and electronic books; one that discusses school librarianship, including staffing, collection development, and information literacy; and one that discusses…