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)

Discusses several economic concepts and principles important for librarianship--opportunity cost, resources, assets, and investment--and notes the difficulty of placing a monetary value on patron benefits. The law of diminishing marginal returns is applied to the relationships between library services and collection size, and between investment in…

Describes EasyNet, a gateway system to multiple online vendors. It allows occasional access without learning each system's commands or contracting with each vendor, with either the searcher selecting the database or letting the system select one. Costs are described and various special option plans for specific types of libraries are explained.…

The first part of this article describes a number of building blocks which, in judicious combination, can be used to create a broad preservation program for a library or archive collection. The second section outlines a strategy for evaluating library preservation needs and devising a program suited to them. (Author/PF)

An argument is presented in favor of finding new methods of measuring-evaluating-library performance. (3 references) (SM)

Do's and don'ts for reference librarians trying to fulfill the information needs of the library user. (5 references) (NH)

In response to evidences of critical human need, the King County Library Board and staff have been exploring ways in which to do their part in alleviating the problems of unemployment, hunger and malnutrition and related social and health problems among the people they serve. (3 references) (Author)

The Bay Area Reference Center (BARC) offered a workshop that concentrates on how the public library can act as a center for free knowledge for the consumer in all fields. The bibliography is one of those included in the workshop kit. (46 references) (Author)

A report to the profession on the status of the urban information specialist project at the University of Maryland is presented. (Author)

Describes several library programs funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and encourages librarians to apply for the grants in the future as the number, quality, and variety of applications is not what was expected. (JVP)

Describes the organization and administration of a program designed to educate adults in the use of a library. The program, which is offered as a series of six workshops led by department members, uses library facilities and library generated materials. (JVP)

Librarians should expend less effort on debates about fees for services; instead they should seek to provide those services in the fairest possible manner. Cooperation with vendors, administrators, politicians, and others offers an opportunity to minimize through special subsidies the costs of the services to individual users. References are…

Suggests that the divisions and animosities of the library community could be resolved through proper emphasis on access to information and resource sharing. Urban versus rural library, school versus public library, trustee versus librarian, and issues of professionalism are examined. (RAA)

Describes the Bibliographic Service Development Program begun in 1978 by the Council on Library Resources. The program's goals include (1) providing effective bibliographic services for all who need them, (2) improving the nature and quality of bibliographic products, and (3) stabilizing the costs of many bibliographic processes in individual…

Reviews current methods of public library financing through governmental support at the local, state, and federal level. The imposition of user fees is proposed as a method of preserving equity; i.e., individuals receiving the benefits would bear the costs. (JVP)