The "Best of the Literature" column is intended to keep librarians, administrators, and staff up to date with the most recent, relevant, and useful literature of the field. In the last few years, students of color across the nation have spoken out about their experiences of racism and racial microaggressions on their campuses. They have…

As high school enrollment continues to rise, the need for effective librarianship serving young adults is greater than ever before. "Young Adults Deserve the Best: Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth," developed by Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), is a document outlining areas of focus for providing quality library service…

Presents ideas for public library family programs and discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of including parents in the programs. (MES)

Description of the planning and implementation of a microcomputer-based local area network in the Northbrook (Illinois) Public Library highlights: (1) applying for a grant; (2) network design; (3) the bidding process; (4) installation; (5) implementing the network; and (6) problems and cautions. (MES)

This article enumerates factors which created demand for fee-based information service (commercial databases, competition for proprietary information in business world, effectiveness of librarians) and relates experiences at two public libraries. Sources of business, value of advertising, techniques of selling, and hiring and deployment of staff…

"ARL" is the bimonthly report on research library issues and actions from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). "ARL" reports on current issues of interest to academic and research library administrators, staff, and…

Reviews demographic and health data on older Americans and describes services at the Topeka Public Library that are targeted to serve adults aged 75 and older, including selection and delivery of books to shut-ins and nursing homes, materials and information for the visually handicapped, and special programing. (8 references) (MES)

School librarians can be an important resource for school administrators, provided that the right relationship is in place between them. In this article, the author reports on the critical points emphasized with librarians/media specialists in a recent panel presentation on their changing roles: (1) the importance of building ongoing relationships…

The Orientation and Training Task Force of the Temple University Library was charged by the Director of the Central Library System (CLS) in October 1987 to develop plans for a three-level program, including an orientation component for all CLS staff, a second component for staff who regularly work at any public service point, and a third component…

Discusses the library's responsibility toward children, including the development of literacy skills, the use of public libraries by latchkey children, and increased demands for youth library services. The need for children's services now to improve the outlook for adult services later is examined, and suggestions for non-children's services…

In September 1981, Carnegie-Mellon University Libraries inaugurated a Question/Comment Board, soliciting from users their suggestions, opinions, and complaints, and prominently displaying the libraries' responses to these queries. This technique has proved to be an effective method for identifying users' perceptions of libraries (i.e., physical…

The Read Illinois project was launched by the Illinois State Library in 1981 to initiate adult service efforts to promote appreciation of the state's literary heritage. The program draws together and provides support to writers, scholars, teachers, librarians, publishers, and booksellers by organizing literary activities for adults and young…

This manual contains basic information about the Bibliographic Instruction Section (BIS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). As of November 1984, BIS membership was approaching 3,000 with nearly 100 members actively involved in the section's committees. Following an introduction that describes the development of the BIS,…

This report proposes a program for orientation and training for public services staff at the Temple University Libraries. In the first section, orientation and training needs are assessed. Goals and an overview of the program are outlined in the next section. The third section describes the five program elements and objectives: (1) an individual…

Profile of fee-based information services offered by the Information Exchange Center of Georgia Institute of Technology notes history and background, document delivery to commercial clients and on-campus faculty, online and manual literature searching, staff, cost analysis, fee schedule, operating methods, client relations, marketing, and current…