Seven articles on library reference services highlight reference obsolescence in academic libraries, major studies of unobtrusive reference tests, methods for evaluating reference desk performance, reference interview evaluation, problems of reference desk control, online searching by end users, and reference collection development in…

Describes library services and operations at the University of Burundi, including historical background, branch libraries, collection development, acquisitions, and library organization. An exchange program with Pennsylvania State University is explained, and existing constraints in Burundi are discussed, including inadequate facilities,…

Describes an annual forum of academic and public librarians from the United States and Mexico that discusses common interests such as resource sharing, collection development, and literacy programs and considers longer-range programs. Sidebar articles cover Spanish language publishing in the United States and an annual book fair held in Mexico for…

The following papers were presented at a joint conference of the Mountain Plains Library Association, the North Dakota Library Association, and the South Dakota Library Association in September 1987: (1) "Catalog Backlog Project" (Kay Juricek, Tedine Roos, and Carol White); (2) "How Are We Doing? Using a Materials Availability…

From 1963 to 1996, Director Charlie Robinson and Deputy Director Jean-Barry Molz led the Baltimore County Public Library, a system known for customer orientation, a philosophy of collection development heavily emphasizing best sellers, centralized materials selection, interchangeable adult and children's staff, and service fees. Upon retirement,…

Defines the role of children's librarians in public libraries by listing necessary competencies in various areas, including knowledge of users; administrative and management skills; communication skills; materials and collection development; program development; advocacy and public relations; and professionalism and professional development. (LRW)

Explores the changing role of the collection development librarian in relation to the issues of budgetary constraints and the impact of electronic technology on academic research. The characteristics, skills, and knowledge required on the job are defined, and different approaches to acquiring them are offered. (Contains 17 references.) (EAM)

A 1956 Office of Education study showed that 26 million rural residents were without any public library service and that more than 300 rural counties had no public library within their borders. An additional 50 million rural residents had only inadequate service. Congress passed the Library Services Act in 1956 to stimulate the further development…

Prison librarians usually work in isolation from other librarians, so getting information and advice about their jobs can be difficult. This book offers a guide to prison librarians, presents new ideas, and raises compelling issues about this field of librarianship. Ten current or former prison librarians cover all aspects of prison libraries and…

Articles from "Library Talk" and "The Book Report" on school library management about setting goals, long-range planning, and the day-to-day operation of a school library are collected in looseleaf notebook format for the convenience of the librarian. Each section begins with a general discussion of the topic, followed by selected articles.…

Designed to assist rural Montana schools in establishing and maintaining library-media centers, this procedures manual presents basic and specific information on all phases of operating a small school library. The first three chapters set forth the major responsibilities of the school librarian, Montana standards for school library personnel, and…

Discusses the changing environment of the academic library, highlighting the role of collection development librarians and listing issues for collection development officers: ownership/access, consortia, collections analysis, intellectual property/fair use, public relations, allocation formulas, library research, collection balance, rising costs,…

Participants from Washington, Hawaii, Majuro, Palau, Guam and other points in the Northern Mariana Islands came together to share information relating to the functions of libraries and archives as information banks and as preservers of the cultural heritage of Micronesia. Papers presented were: (1) "Reading Motivation in the Pacific"…

This resource guide provides information about the range of activities that can be implemented to maintain and improve the condition of research collections to ensure that they remain usable as long as possible. After an introduction that describes the major activities and a review of an investigation process that gives an overview of good…

This book addresses two problems common to school library media specialists: the lack of time to conduct evaluations, and the lack of knowledge on how and what to evaluate in the school media center. The book contains research and evaluation techniques and studies that have been conducted in school library media centers. Many study results are…