The intent of the research is to focus attention on the existence and use of selection policies and to analyze selection policies to determine their thoroughness and currency. Professional guidelines and experts in the field offer direction on the selection of materials and criteria on dealing with challenges in the school library media center.…

This paper presents the results of a survey that investigated which countries follow the United Nations recommendations by having a national policy for library services to visually impaired and other print handicapped children. Questionnaires were distributed to the 78 members of the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and…

One of the most important policy documents for a school library media center is the selection policy or the collection development policy. A well-developed selection policy provides a rationale for the selection decisions made by the school library media specialist. A selection policy represents the criteria against which a challenged book is…

Discusses issues that libraries face when selecting electronic publications and describes the development and creation of a genre statement, a new form of collection policy for digital publishing, at the University of Maryland that includes content, pricing, use and functionality, archiving, access, duplication, licensing terms, and an evaluation…

Five Grand Challenges are proposed for library research: (1) Library service: Could library services be made more meaningful? (2) Library theory: Who knew what when? (3) Library design: Have digital libraries been designed backwards? (4) Library values: How neutral can libraries be? (5) Library communities: How do communities differ? (AEF)

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit reports results of a survey of ARL (Association of Research Libraries) that examined post-tenure review of librarians throughout higher education in North America. The purpose of the survey was to identify which institutions apply post-tenure or post-continuing appointment review to library…

Discusses when librarians should develop their own Internet collections and how to add value to them, based on examples from the Argus Clearinghouse Web site. Topics include evaluation criteria for Internet resources; strategic planning; Internet collection development policies; and adding value through organization, navigation, learning systems,…

This study measured the following performance factors at the Cleveland Health Science Library: user bibliographic information; collection development policy; acquisition policy; user catalog; circulation; library operation/functioning; and user search. Book availability rates were similar to rates for other academic libraries, and book…

This guide is designed to assist library media specialists in achieving the outstanding, comprehensive library media program outlined in "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning," published by the American Library Association and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. The guide contains the following…

This guide serves as an academic departmental planning instrument and provides a description of the various collections, goals, and policies of Southeast Missouri State University's Kent Library. An overview provides information about the library's mission, funding sources and allocation procedures, departmental library liaisons, overall selection…

Library binding concerns itself with the maintenance of a volume for reader usability and the maximum number of circulations, uses, or withdrawals. This manual has been designed as an introduction to binding for libraries. It is intended to assist librarians in the preparation of materials for binding, and to instruct them in the care of their…

Needs assessment in legislative libraries has three critical components: a well-thought out strategy to identify what should be understood about Members' research and information needs, expectations and preferences; a range of reliable, effective and appropriate methods to find this critical information; and ways of building what is learned into…

Offers a detailed overview of accreditation standards, criteria, and procedures used by one specialized accreditor; and suggests ways to be prepared for site visits and reports. A directory of 73 specialized accreditors and a brief bibliography are appended. (18 references) (Author/SLW)

Describes the major components of electronic journal genre statement for the Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University (New York). Discusses the guiding principles of collection development as they relate to electronic journals, selection criteria, the selection strategy for scientific electronic journals, and the present and future status of…

Examines guidelines for conducting quality Internet searches, highlighting subject catalogs, annotated directories, annotated directories with ratings or reviews, subject directories with ratings, subject guides, and information gateways. Discusses variable quality; evaluation criteria: metainformation, credibility, timeliness; quality assurance;…