Few standards for reference services have appeared in the past, therefore guidelines for reference librarians at the University of Michigan--Dearborn library are offered. The guidelines presented are based upon reference standards prepared by the Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD) Standards Committee for the ALA Centennial Conference in…

Examines national and state public library standards to discover the extent to which rural library services have been considered and to identify aspects of the standards that might be applicable to rural libraries. (Author/FM)

Respondents to a survey of prison librarians (n=35) regarding how they cope with demands for materials and services related to diversity issues felt that adherence to Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions was often impeded by security concerns. Racial differences between library providers and prisoners was not considered relevant.…

Describes a model which uses patron arrival rate, length of time on the terminal, and library service policies to determine the minimum number of terminals needed. The model is then used to compare the effects of various service policies on the minimum number of terminals. (CLB)

This survey of school media standards, prepared to describe the impact of Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) on the development or revision of media standards for elementary and secondary schools, provides an up-to-date compilation of standards and an analysis of trends. The study describes the background of media…

A survey was conducted to provide an analysis of faculty homework expectations on which to base a viable pattern of library service. Students were surveyed in winter quarter 1974 about their life patterns and use of services, with particular attention given to homework assignments and library use. Faculty were given the results of the survey,…

Discusses results of a study that produced a preliminary sense of reference librarians' experiences in adapting reference practice to the digital environment, and described their own views about digital reference. Considers reference interviews, digital reference service quality and standards, and types of questions best suited to digital…

In order to discern states' compliance with court mandates to provide prisoners with adequate legal counsel or access to legal reference materials, a questionnaire was administered to state consultants in 1972 and updated and expanded by later contacts with institutional consultants. Findings indicated that states are trying to comply with…

Presents a model that calculates the conditions under which a library may adopt a highly service-oriented online catalog access policy at minimum additional cost. The use of arrival rates, service rates, and queueing calculations to arrive at a cost-effective policy is explained. (Author/CLB)

Community characteristics must be identified and analyzed before relevant library planning can occur. Although census data indicate that the Kent County resident is not the type of person usually thought of as the typical library user, there is a record of active community participation in the county which indicates a strong potential for…

This paper describes the theoretical design and practical implementation of a set of performance indicators in a public library system in London (England). Bromley Libraries has 15 branch libraries and serves 300,000 people. The need for improved management control by assessing performance and monitoring progress, library restructuring, and…

A program and policy statement was developed by librarians at the Carleton College Library to address various planning demands being made of the library, to meet the specific and idiosyncratic information needs of the academic community, and to help clarify long range goals of the library and policies by which these goals may be successfully…

A needs assessment of the library services of the Lake Agassiz region of North Dakota was begun in 1974. A mail survey of the area population and an in-library user survey were conducted. Almost all libraries in the region fell below state standards on holdings primarily because the population base was inadequate to support 11 municipal libraries.…

The appendixes to the evaluation of Victoria, Australia's secondary school libraries include lists of the 33 schools visited to gather information and of the interviewees. The names of the 132 high schools with Commonwealth libraries are given with the dates of their openings and maps showing their locations. Copies of survey instruments used to…

Questionnaires were submitted to a number of Dutch public libraries where books are loaned to children to gather data for an investigation of the nature and scope of tasks in the children's library and changes that have taken place since the introduction of the free library system in 1975. Also examined were the duties of children's librarians and…