Since SC LENDS started operating in June 2009, more public libraries have come on board. All of this on the back end connects to a Mozilla-based staff client that has distributions for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows, using SSL encryption to keep communications secure and private between remote libraries and the servers hosted at a high-end…

Fewer employees, shorter hours, diminished collection budgets, reduced programs and services--all at a time of record library usage. In this book, library expert Carol Smallwood demonstrates that despite the obvious downsides, the necessity of doing business differently can be positive, leading to partnering, sharing, and innovating. This…

Reports on Bill and Melinda Gates's tour of Alabama, the first state to be wired to the Internet by the nonprofit Gates Library Foundation, and the model for connecting 1000 more libraries this year. Mutual appreciation between Alabama librarians and the Gateses resulted. An interview with Bill Gates focuses on challenges libraries face in…

Greene County, near Charlottesville, is a predominantly farming community with little commerce and about 15,000 residents. It has been more adversely affected by recent economic conditions than counties with a stronger tax base. Yet it is also among the most rapidly growing counties in Virginia. County resources alone would not be enough to build…

Last year, Louisville, KY, grew overnight from the country's 64th largest city to the 16th largest, the result of the merger of the city with Jefferson County. Pittsburgh and Buffalo, NY, are among other communities discussing city-county mergers. Many smaller communities are considering merging services, such as police and fire, or consolidating…

This document presents funding and expenditure statistics for the Mississippi Library Commission for fiscal year 1995, as well as an overview of developments in the state's public libraries. These developments include budget increases; increased circulation and use of electronic reference sources; additional staffing; and developments in state…

It has been over two years since Cy-Fair College Branch in Cypress, Texas, opened as a joint-use library for both a community college and a public library. Cy-Fair College is a brand new college and it partnered with Harris County to create a library for both the college community and the public. Two of the founding librarians reflect on what went…

This 5-year plan for the improvement of library service in Louisiana identifies specific existing inadequacies and presents specific goals and objectives as part of an overall plan to overcome barriers to the best possible library service in the state. It is noted that, in Louisiana, the State Library does not have administrative authority over…

Building joint-use libraries to foster new types of learning and collaboration is a growing phenomenon that is of great interest to academic library planners around the world. Noteworthy among these efforts, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in San Jose, California, is a collaboration of a metropolitan university library and a major public…

The South Carolina State Library's plan for use of Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title I, II and III funds is presented. Highlights include a profile of the public, including special needs populations; profiles of the state's libraries and their needs; criteria, priorities, and procedures for library improvement under Title I…

The need for a reconsideration of policy in the Utah library community is driven by three factors: (1) the success of the Upgrade Process and state development grants in developing local library service; (2) the rapid expansion of revolutionary network technology; and (3) changing patterns of federal funding. This paper focuses on specific…

Discusses how the resources of public libraries are now available to distant learners through telecommunication services. Highlights increases in library Web access, revitalizations of libraries, and increases in library use. Summaries key items in one university-public library cooperative agreement. (AEF)

Considers the implications of community connections by examining a coalition developed by the Pekin Public Library (Illinois): the Pekin Intergenerational Network (PIN). Highlights include recognizing the need for coalitions; developing a team; and evaluating the coalition's progress. (AEF)

The South Carolina State Library's plan for use of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title I, II, and III funds is presented. Five chapters include: a profile of the library public, focusing on special needs populations; profiles of the state's libraries and their needs; criteria, priorities, and procedures for library improvement…

The South Carolina State Library's plan for use of Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title I, II, and III funds is presented. Highlights include: a profile of the public, including special needs populations; profiles of the state's libraries and their needs; criteria, priorities and procedures for library improvement under Title I…