The challenge in protecting the collections of the Library of Congress is to sustain and preserve these collections while making them maximally available to Congress and the American people. This article discusses types of materials in the collection; how the collections are made accessible; protection controls; and the framework of the Library of…

Presents guidelines and a self-assessment questionnaire that were developed by the New York Library Association for libraries serving users with hearing impairments. Areas covered by the documents include policy statements, materials, services, programing, cooperation with other agencies, facilities, and staff development. (LRW)

Presents four challenges faced by libraries and proposes research designs to address each of them. The challenges involve: invisible infrastructure; content and collections; preservation and access; and institutional boundaries. Proposes a mixture of research methods that includes surveys, case studies, documentary analyses, and policy analyses.…

Discusses Indiana-Marion County Public Library's decision to implement centralized collection selection and to hire a collection development librarian. Benefits of centralized selection include the decentralization of subject materials and the consequent broadening of subject materials at branch libraries. Selection depends upon a knowledge of the…

Discusses library collection development and information retrieval strategies for acquiring materials related to deafness. Highlights include defining a collection policy; acquisition tools; other information sources, including libraries and organizations; serial acquisitions; information retrieval and computer databases; and addresses of relevant…

In response to its space limitations, the Robert Manning Strozier Library at Florida State University decided to reduce the size and rate of growth of its federal documents collection. The committee charged with the task decided that the first step was to codify selection/deselection procedures into a written policy. The policy had to be…

A focus group study of 29 Queens College/CUNY (City University of New York) undergraduates, born and educated outside the United States, determined that most described needs related to course work rather than language or culture. Participants commented on library hours, physical surroundings, research tools, personnel, collections, and copy…

This paper investigates the need for electronic provision of information, and advises that the purpose and motivation for providing electronic resources be explored before embarking on a project to provide them. Many projects at universities and other institutes have been begun arbitrarily just because there happened to be financial resources…