A British consultant describes the planning involved in the development of a new public library in Greece. The organization of public libraries in Greece is explained; the community to be served is described; and planning issues are addressed, including the library role, the organization of library materials, and automation. (three references)…

Answers some of the more common objectives and addresses critical issues raised in over 250 responses from readers of the author's article, "Building the Largest Library: Driving into the Future" (Searcher, March 1999). Responses are discussed under four main subject areas: the catalog, collection development, interlibrary loan, and library…

Describes how, over three years, teachers, students, parents, and administrators of a girls' school in India built a school library, going from a small locked-up collection with no check-out system to a warm and busy library room that was a popular hub of activity at the school, with a dynamic and expanding collection and a full-time librarian.…

Relates the role of Al Sandrini, superintendent of the Norris (CA) School District, in expanding the school libraries, including materials and staffing. Discusses what made him a strong library advocate, investing district money in libraries, site-based management, and how school librarians can be strong advocates. (LRW)

Discusses changes taking place in the library systems of Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Topics reviewed include the influence of Soviet Russian library theory and practices; decentralization of library administration; library finances; library education; library employment; library technology; and censorship and collection policies.…

Arguing that library and information needs should be met at the national, rather than at the local level, this report analyzes ways to meet these needs with special reference to the role of national libraries. The first two chapters highlight such library and information concerns as: (1) collection and preservation of documents of national…

This document examines the impact of new information technologies on the various roles of national libraries. Seventy-two national libraries responded to a questionnaire designed to assist in determining how such institutions worldwide are responding to recent technological innovations. The first of six chapters identifies three basic…

Presents a transcript of a conference call between Bart Kane (Hawaii State Librarian and advocate of the Hawaii/Baker & Taylor outsourcing plan) and Patricia Wallace (chair of the American Library Association's Hawaii Working Group formed to examine details of the plan) who debate the merits of Hawaii's model of outsourcing collection…

Discusses preservation issues for library collection development staff including the library mission, types of materials, preventive preservation measures, active preservation measures, preservation concerns in acquisitions decisions, gaining the support of administration for a preservation program, options for implementing a preservation program,…

The Committee on Library Services to Ethnic Populations of the Colorado Council on Library Development was charged with developing a comprehensive plan to address library services for the increasing ethnic/culturally diverse populations in the state of Colorado and with identifying possible funding sources to implement the plan. In addition, the…

Discometrics, a field of study technically related to bibliometrics, employs statistical analysis of discographies to ascertain public demand for classical music. In addition to providing a tool for collection development, discometric surveys may have a variety of uses for educators, record company executives, music dealers, and scholars. (4…

Offers a listing of 80 books considered to be important for a professional library in social studies. The categories included are: (1) foundations of social studies education; (2) social studies curriculum; (3) social studies instruction; (4) change processes in social studies; and (5) sources on sources. (JDH)

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…

This paper addresses the library collection development of spatial information in cartographic format. Highlights include: the impermanent nature of maps; changes in spatial information creation, storage, processing, and management resulting from developments in computer-based information technology; steps required to download the digital version…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of limited outsourcing in libraries, focusing on the purchase of electronic bibliographic records. Argues that any outsourcing strategy based primarily on saving money is likely to result in lower quality collections and services and lower user satisfaction. (PEN)