Examines the promotional, training, legislative, research and publication, and cooperation activities of the Swaziland Library Association (SWALA). Makes recommendations including: membership-needs surveys; a strategic plan prioritizing legislation and training; administrative, leadership and communication improvements; and an increase in…

To give students a direct voice in library user policy and the library a point of contact with the student body, the Evans Libraries at Texas A&M University formed a Student Advisory Committee. The committee meetings provide a forum for student representatives, library administrators, and student liaisons to discuss concerns and proposed…

Presents security procedures for protecting a library's computer system from potential threats by patrons or personnel, and describes how security can be breached. A sidebar identifies four areas of concern in security management: the hardware, the operating system, the network, and the user interface. A selected bibliography of sources on…

Discusses the importance of managing diversity in student academic library employment. Provides suggestions for orientation, policy review and enforcement, supervisory and management training, task training, interviewing techniques, correct placement, job descriptions, performance reviews, and scheduling. Notes importance of communication,…

Presents strategies for educating administrators as to the value of school library programs and their influence on student achievement. Highlights include meeting and communicating with principals and superintendents; providing documentation to support library policies and collections; demonstrating professional research abilities; inviting them…

This document is an overall policy statement for library collection development for the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Part 1 comprises the library mission statement and a list of ongoing objectives. The second part provides some background information about the university environment and campus libraries. It also gives instructions…

The manual is prepared for use in courses taught at the annual workshops sponsored by the Michigan Department of Education, Bureau of Library Services, for those public library personnel who need state certification. It includes the following sections: (1) The Public Library, (2) Selecting Materials for a Library, (3) Organization of Library…

This document provides guidelines on policymaking for public librarians and public library trustees in Vermont. Topics covered include: (1) the importance of policies in bringing order, logic, stability, and continuity to a library's operation; (2) the roles of trustees and librarians in adopting carrying out policies; (3) reasons why policies…

Published 10 times a year, Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) Kits and Flyers contain information on issues of concern to libraries and librarians; they are the result of surveys on topics related to practice and management of library programs in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). This document focuses on the organization of…

Committed to utilizing information technology, the Westchester Library System (New York) made the World Wide Web publicly accessible. Describes the planning, implementation, and management process; obstacles involving financing; establishing Internet connectivity; and vendor negotiations. Westchester hired a Web manager, created Internet use…

This case study examines social influences in research libraries' collection development. It shows that individuals' ideologies and political agenda shape their impression of user needs and their decision making. The study also reveals how the institution's operating structures, campus politics of interdisciplinarity, personnel deployment, and…

Discusses three major components of library security: physical security of the environment; operating procedures for library staff, the public, and security personnel; and a contract security force (or campus security in academic institutions.) Topics include risk management; maintenance; appropriate technology, including security systems and…

Discusses violence in the workplace and suggests a three-tier approach to dealing with violence in libraries that focuses on personnel issues: (1) preventive measures, including applicant screening, supervisory training, and employee assistance programs; (2) threat management, including policy formation and legal action; and (3) crisis/post-trauma…

Four articles discuss the recruitment and use of volunteer workers in junior and senior high school libraries. Topics addressed include written policies; communicating ideas with the staff; program flexibility; volunteer program evaluation; scheduling; Friends of Libraries groups; and the use of volunteers for booktalks. (LRW)

As electronic objects challenge categorical distinctions central to library organization, efforts are being made to integrate these hybrids and new forms into traditional library systems and to recreate the stability of the print environment. Explores conceptual and theoretical issues raised by the proliferation of electronic objects and suggests…