Libraries have played an important role in developing and operating programs which enhance English-language skills and ease assimilation into U.S. society. This report presents descriptions of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) grants which funded library programs and projects benefitting individuals with limited English-speaking…

A study focused on the background factors that are most closely related to reading instruction and reading performance, including instructional approaches, reading experiences, home influences, and demographic characteristics. Data for these assessments were collected in the spring of 1988 and 1990 from a nationally representative sample of…

This summary report addresses the information needs of American citizens, institutions, schools, industry, and government within the context of three themes: literacy, democracy, and productivity. The report includes a preamble, which provides background information on the conference; discussions of the challenges posed by the Information Age in…

A graduate of the Columbia University School of Library Services in 1968 and the current Executive Director of the National Commission on Library and Information Science (NCLIS) argues that information professionals today are confronted with increasingly complex and conflicting missions: they must interpret the impact of change on the institutions…

Changes in today's technology make it necessary for library administrators to look anew at the role, the mission, and the future of the public library. Economic development and education strategists recognize three types of rural communities--rural poor, traditional middle America, and communities in transition--each with different values,…

Developed as a preliminary, literature-based study for a larger work in progress, this report summarizes the financial condition of academic libraries during the critical period from 1970 through the mid-1980's. The paper examines and addresses the issues which arose as libraries emerged from the 1960's, a time of unprecedented growth in library…

This report documents a national examination of the role of the public library in rural America. The investigation consisted of a study of public library use patterns in over 300 libraries among 2,485 adults (44% of the total contacted) in nonmetropolitan America. Seven of 10 public library users in rural areas are women, with a median age of 42…

In order to fulfill the mission of the school library media program and to ensure that the program is an integral part of the instructional program of the total school, the school library media specialist functions in three specific roles: (1) information specialist; (2) teacher; and (3) collaborative instructional partner. These roles are…

This assessment of the extent to which teacher-librarians in Australian primary schools are actively involved in curriculum development compared two Australian states, including both metropolitan and country regions, to determine whether observations made in Victoria were substantiated by the data collected, and whether this situation was…

Papers on university and other research libraries, presented at the 1983 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference, include: (1) "The Impact of Technology on Users of Academic and Research Libraries," in which C. Lee Jones (United States) focuses on the impact of technical advances in computing and…

To assess the impact of public library preschool activities on children's reading readiness skills, a criterion reference test of reading readiness development was administered to 106 children entering kindergarten. Questionnaires were given to both parents and children to determine their uses and views of the library in their town. Comparison of…

The assumption is made that what the 1990s have in store for users of depository libraries will hinge on three crucial areas: (1) the reform and development of government information policies; (2) changing technology; and (3) the willingness and ability of the depository libraries to accommodate these changes. The uncertain role of the government…

Lottery money in California, part of which is required by law to be distributed to educational institutions, provides avenues for innovative services. A pilot program was supported by the administration of California State University, Long Beach, to provide faculty access to CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) ONLINE (a remote database), which could…

This paper advocates the introduction of integrated resource centers in the developing sectors of South Africa as a means for creating technologically and media-literate generations in the Post-Apartheid Era. These centers would offer opportunities for students to utilize educational media in all formats, thereby reducing the resistance to…

Academic library computing systems, which are among the most complex found in academic environments, now include external systems, such as online commercial search services and nationwide networks, and local systems that control and support internal operations. As librarians have realized the benefit of using computer systems to perform…