Discusses problems that adolescents deal with and examines the prejudices and lack of services that adolescents encounter in public libraries, including a lack of specialized staff, no separate space, no outreach programs, and disproportionate budget allocations. Emphasizes the need that adolescents have for adult relationships that public…

Discusses the need for public libraries to improve their collections for and services to beginning readers. Suggests that public libraries should reconfigure their children's departments and budgets based on the three stages to reading fluency, of which level two is the learning to read years that includes beginning readers. (LRW)

Discussion of public library standards focuses on an examination of four quantitative standards: hours of service, library resources, library staff, and library operating budgets, to determine if any agreement exists about them among states. Results indicate that there is no consensus regarding public library standards or approaches to public…

Discussion of the need for strategic planning in public libraries highlights a case study of a small resort town library, the Crawford Memorial Library, in Monticello, New York. Deciding on specific library roles and planning their implementation are described, and the importance of environment and competition in strategic planning is explained.…

Discusses the impact of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) on state prison libraries. Evaluations of the LSCA are reviewed; the effectiveness of the LSCA in the areas of library budgets, staff, and book collection size is considered; and recommendations for further research are suggested. (22 references) (LRW)

Describes the results of a survey of public libraries that was conducted to identify digital technology projects. Highlights include kinds of collections being digitized (primarily photographs); costs; hardware and software used; experience levels of personnel; reasons for digitizing, including providing access to fragile materials; and technology…

Describes a survey of library development officers in state library agencies that was conducted to investigate the types of governance structures of public libraries. Highlights include consolidation of public library services, public library boards, trends in public library governance, financial support and managerial effectiveness, and…

This preliminary study suggests that the same level of timeliness and accuracy can be obtained for answers to reference questions using resources in freely available World Wide Web sites as with traditional print-based resources. Discusses implications for library collection development, new models of consortia, training needs, and costing and…

Presents the perspectives of four public library administrators on sharing facilities with local schools, including benefits and problems. Topics include physical accommodations; intellectual freedom issues; security issues; management issues; costs and budgetary considerations; staffing; collection development policies; and the need for a…