In preparation for its Five-Year Plan for the years 2008 through 2012, the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services has reviewed a variety of information resources, including studies, publications, surveys and stakeholder meetings, to assist in understanding the state, its people, its future and the potential role of libraries. This…

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)

A successful director must delegate authority and manage available resources to allow time for legal affairs, lobbying, public speaking, and community and institutional involvement. (RAA)

Describes a program developed at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) libraries that moved librarians from the centralized main library to college departments that are not served by branch libraries. Topics include remote access capabilities; librarians' roles, including reference librarian, instructor, Web master,…

Discusses the factors that led to the rise of the Arabic-Islamic libraries during the seventh through fourteenth centuries. The most famous libraries are identified, the management and organization of these libraries are described, and the factors behind the destruction of the Arabic-Islamic libraries are discussed. (30 references) (CLB)

Explains how a public library can compute the actual cost of distributing tax forms to the public by listing all direct and indirect costs and demonstrating the formulae and necessary computations. Supplies directions for calculating costs involved for all levels of staff as well as associated public relations efforts, space, and utility costs.…

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit, an update of a 1975 kit, considers trends in the development and use of goals and objectives statements in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions, as illustrated in documents received in response to an August 1979 SPEC survey. The kit comprises: documents on developing…

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…

This booklet summarizes fiscal year 1986 activities of the Library of Congress (LC) in the following areas: (1) LC administration; (2) collection development; (3) activities of the Copyright Office; (4) housing the collections; (5) accessing the collections; (6) automation; (7) preservation; (8) services to Congress performed by the Congressional…

This selective review of the Library of Congress (LC) prepared by the Advisory Group on Libraries in 1976 makes recommendations from the perspective of the library community. It emphasizes the general educational and cultural role of the LC, stressing the importance of making the public aware of LC services to expose the concept of the LC as…

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)

Outlines the development of public library policies and relationships with local government. Discussed are the prototype library, the imbalance of funding between large and small libraries, lack of theory in library education, and implications of the collectivist theory. The need for strong leadership and evaluation of library programs is…

This review of the effectiveness of bibliotherapy as a correctional rehabilitation tool discusses the need for library educators and associations to recognize that the function of prison libraries is to advance the freedom to read, not to provide formal educational or rehabilitational programs. (10 references) (CLB)

Illustrates how librarians can advocate their strong transferable abilities to management when coping with staffing shifts and shortages. Highlights include entrepreneurship and a move beyond traditional roles; application of skills; professional achievement in a new environment; examples of information roles and skills that function beyond the…

"When you start your new job as a school librarian, one of the first steps you must take is to ask to see the district's book selection policy. If there isn't one, write one. Right away. It protects you, the teachers, and the district." That advice was part of the author's school library administration course at the School of Library and…