Libraries are critical learning spaces and may play a significant role in intercultural education initiatives, particularly in Sweden where the national curriculum ascribes central functions to libraries for learning activities. Unfortunately, the ways in which teachers and librarians may collaborate to leverage mutual resources is not fully…

Premier League Reading Stars (PLRS) is an educational project that harnesses the motivational power of football to encourage families to enjoy reading. It targets those hard to reach groups in society who may not have shown an interest in reading, but who do have a passion for football. PLRS has been running since 2003 following the creation of a…

In March 1975, a new act established the Tanzania Library Services Board with extended powers and functions which are in accordance with the national information systems (NATIS) concept. (Author/PF)

Describes the activities of the Ceylon National Library Services Board, established in 1970, including the pilot project in school and public libraries, national bibliography, national library, documentation services, and library training. (Author)

Considers possibilities for change in public libraries, primarily through continuing professional education programs and relationships with governmental bodies, other education professionals, information industries, and communities. Both strategies are action-oriented but recognize the limitations in which the library and librarian will serve.…

Describes the development of the Federal State Cooperative System (FSCS) for Public Library Data, a system that combines the annual collection of data from public libraries by state agencies with the reporting of national public library statistics by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Future plans are also discussed. (six…

Three papers and a brief report on audiovisual services and the agencies providing them in three countries of western Europe include: (1) "National Service to Public Libraries in the Field of Audiovisual Media: The Situation in the Netherlands," by Ed Spruit, who discusses problems concerned with the inclusion of audiovisual media in…

Union catalogs have yet to reach their full potential on the national level or in California. The National Union Catalog and the Union List of Serials in the Libraries of the United States and Canada, although monumental efforts, are far from comprehensive. A survey found that California exhibits most of the problems involved in union catalog…

Several new ideas regarding public library services for helping immigrants adjust to life in Sweden are discussed with respect to standards, selection, and acquisition of materials, children's services, and future plans. A bibliography of 19 references is included. (CHC)

A survey was conducted to investigate public library directors' use of the Federal-State Cooperative System for Public Library Data and the Public Library Data Service reports. This article highlights the uses directors made of statistics and the aspects of statistics that they found particularly useful. (Contains 51 references.) (Author/AEF)

A survey was conducted of the existing library legislation in 14 countries, four developing nations and ten developed countries, with varying forms of local and national government. The countries were chosen to show different aspects of existing laws. Particular attention was paid to Europe and Africa, where rapid development is taking place, and…

explains the work by the Maryland Association of Public Library Administrators Birth to Five Task Force that has helped public libraries get involved in community programs for preschoolers. Topics include national resources and initiatives; brain research; reading research; Early Childhood Longitudinal Study; systems reform for solving community…

Designed to provide assistance to countries in developing centralized services to their libraries for nonbook materials, this pamphlet contains examples from five countries that have succeeded in establishing such services. Those examples include: (1) "The Central Library Service for AV-Materials in Denmark" (Suzanne Hemmeth…

Examines the involvement of public and village libraries in literacy and postliteracy programs in Africa south of the Sahara during the last two decades. Issues discussed include the extent of illiteracy in Black Africa, populations served by village libraries, African rural strategies of development, and the implications for library services. (44…

Discussion of rural library technology concerns focuses on the Kalona (Iowa) public library and its attempts to acquire up-to-date technology. Topics include costs, politics, Internet service providers, personnel concerns, funding, and national and state-based opportunities. (LRW)