In spring 2024, the Multicounty Multitype Library Systems, supported by State Library Services, conducted a census of K-12 public and charter schools in Minnesota to learn about the status of school libraries. A total of 1,528 out of 1,777 eligible schools completed the census. The findings can help legislators, school staff, librarians, and…

For over a half a century, State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs) have played a key role in the development and delivery of library services in the United States. While the organization and responsibilities of these agencies vary from state to state, they have two things in common: state-level planning for library services and…

Libraries of government departments provide information to policymakers, to government staff and employees, and, sometimes, to the general public. It is essential that libraries of government departments are organised and managed so as to collect and provide the information most needed by government decision makers, government workers, and the…

Presentation of a scenario in which a city council imposes fees for public library services without consulting the library director or trustees is followed by three analyses of the situation, and ways in which it should be handled by the library director are suggested. (CLB)

A review of the debate within the library profession concerning the changing role of libraries and fee based library services is followed by the presentation and discussion of an economic analysis of library services based on an indifference curve model. This model may be used to justify selected user fees. (CLB)

This booklet summarizes fiscal year 1985 activities of the Library of Congress (LC) in eight areas: (1) collection development, activities of the Copyright Office, housing, and access; (2) automation; (3) preservation, notably the Mass Book Deacidification Facility and the Optical Disk Pilot Program; (4) services to Congress performed by the…

Summarizes the responses of research library directors to the Library of Congress' Network Advisory Committee statement, which stresses an egalitarian network environment. The special role of research libraries and the effect on their participation in local area and multitype networks are discussed. (6 references) (CLB)

Developed through a joint effort of the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL), this planning approach to library development is designed to lead a public library through the developmental process and identify a series of actions that will direct it toward planning for excellence. Introductory material…

A survey of academic libraries which were members of the Association of Research Libraries in 1983-84 studies the organizational patterns that exist for collection development. Findings reveal that, although a variety of patterns exist, the one outstanding development has been the upgrading of the unit responsible for collection development.…

Discusses philosophy and economics of charging users for library services. Free services are advocated for reasons of equal access and intellectual freedom, and alternatives to charging are suggested, citing Seattle Public Library as an example. Opinions and statistics on library fees excerpted from the current literature are included. (CDD)

Examines the question of whether faculty or librarians should have primary responsibility for collection development in academic libraries. The findings of recent collection evaluations are presented, and the need for cost effective collection policies that combine the expertise of faculty and librarians is discussed. (16 references) (CLB)

The Ad Hoc Committee on Future Information Services explored possible future directions for information services at Texas A&M University Library and developed a plan to guide the library into the next decade in terms of automated access to information. In exploring future directions for automated information services, the committee members…

This report summarizes activities conducted from fall 1984 through spring 1985, under a planning grant from the Council on Library Resources for Innovation and Improvement of Basic and Supplementary Education for Academic and Research Libraries. The report includes a review of selected literature related to educational programs for academic…

Since no local library can meet the information needs of the community on its own, librarians and local policymakers must look to other existing agencies and channels for support. In every locale are agencies, organizations, and governmental and social service units that daily gather, compile, and disseminate information as one of their missions.…

This volume is the second of two in a report on a state-of-the-art assessment which was conducted to determine the roles of school, academic, special, and community libraries in creating and/or providing viewtext information services; the information resources now available or expected to be available in the future to a sample of libraries in the…