This essay on library book selection critiques Nora Rawlinson's article on practices at the Baltimore County Public Library which appeared in Library Journal, November 15, 1981, p. 2188, and discusses library circulation statistics in relation to book selection. (EJS)

At the Library of the University of British Columbia, computers are used for a variety of tasks, including the control of book and serial acquisitions. The computer-produced circulation records have been employed to study the use of library materials at U.B.C. in three distinct areas. There have been studies of use in relation to loan policy,…

A Braille Reader Survey Analysis was prepared for the Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress in 1974 in order to determine what kinds of books and magazines current braille readers like to read, and to obtain information about braille readers. The survey mailing list was gleaned from subscription lists of four…

Prediction of book circulation is seen as one major factor for some libraries in the development of an efficient book buying policy. The study approaches this problem of predicting book use from the conviction that there are certain characteristics associated only with high-use books, and certain other characteristics which are associated with…

Libraries face problems because of lack of discrimination between similar and same in dealing with circulation systems, shared systems, collection development and evaluation, classification systems, and in tailoring collections to meet user needs. (Author/SJ)

Suggestions are given for improving the availability of a library's most-requested books. (PF)

Indiana's Michigan City Public Library was the first in the nation to serve all regardless of residence and the first to establish a branch library in a large, enclosed, heated shopping mall. The results of these new services are discussed. (Author/NH)

Designed as a practical guide for school librarians, this text outlines the functional procedures in the evaluation, selection, and utilization of print and nonprint materials and equipment. Part I focuses on the planning and administration of the school library. Part II includes planning and building of the collection. Part III provides…

The current position of the American Library Association (ALA) on intellectual freedom was not a development and refinement of its earlier positions, but a reversal of an older posture. (Author)

Reports on third annual mini-survey on religious books in 30 public libraries across nation covering seven areas: regularity of purchase of religious materials; percentage of book budget used; percentage of circulation; collection policies; gifts; patron demand; attempt to "balance" book collection on certain issues; pressure from…

The service policies of the Pratt Institute Library are divided into two categories. The section on access covers constituency, hours of service, circulation of materials, reference and information services, reserve materials, and access to other library collections. The collection development section includes objectives, responsibility,…

Use and organization of non-print media in the specialized curriculum library, including selection of materials and equipment, cataloging, shelving, and circulation are covered. (Author/MBR)

Reports the results of a study which examined the need for and use of both academic and professional materials in library collections for professional education. The measures used included proportions of materials in an existing business collection, and comparisons of patron use and obsolescence rates of academic and professional materials. (CLB)

A library is not a theoretical thing: it is part of the total social fabric. To ignore public opinion is to invite the kind of retaliation that would severely cripple the library's ability to operate. (Author)