The introduction to this Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit explains the Conspectus method, which was developed in 1980 by the Research Libraries Group (RLG) as a means of systematically and qualitatively evaluating large library collections. The discussion considers advantages and disadvantages of this tool, which evaluates past…

Advocates of participative management in academic libraries point to increased job satisfaction and performance as benefits, while opponents favor less participative means such as consultive management, with librarians having input and the directors making the decisions. A survey of reference librarians in the Texas community colleges was…

This 1988-1989 edition of Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) statistics presents data from 114 U.S. and Canadian libraries that are not members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and are not covered by the annual ARL statistics. This edition is published every 2 years. The 114 non-ARL libraries that returned…

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit contains documents pertaining to personnel classification schemes and job descriptions in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries. It is noted that there seems to be no commonly held set of titles for support staff and that different ranks of personnel are usually…

This report describes the following 1986 Office of Management Studies (OMS) programs and services: (1) the Academic Library Program, which includes the Management Review and Analysis Program, the Public Services Study, the Planning Program for Small Academic Libraries, the Collection Analysis Project, the Leadership Development Program, the…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) kit provides a sample of excerpts from technical and planning documents contributed by 40 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries that are planning to install or have already implemented optical disc technology. Selected to represent a variety of media and applications, the…

This report describes the following 1985 Office of Management Studies (OMS) programs and services: (1) the Academic Library Program (ALP), which includes the Organizational Screening Program, the Collection Analysis Project (CAP), the Preservation Planning Program (PPP), the Public Services Study (PSS), the Management Review and Analysis Program…

This master plan for Colorado academic libraries assesses current strengths and weaknesses of public and private academic libraries in the state and forecasts the role of academic libraries in support of higher education. The plan consists of a series of recommendations divided into six related and overlapping sections: access, collection…

This paper opens with a brief description of three administrative options for implementing bibliographic instruction programs for college level students: (1) composition instructors teach their students research methods without working with librarians; (2) librarians offer separate library skills courses to the general student body; and (3)…

This report to the Governor and state assembly members reports two major achievements during the year: the opening of a new library facility for the blind and physically handicapped, and the continued growth of the computerized networking system linking the public libraries of the state. Introductory materials include lists of the members of the…

This state-of-the-art report presents the current IFLA position on library education and training and describes some of the experiences that occurred from 1980 to 1987 on which this position is based. These are: (1) IFLA-Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) pre-conference seminars held in Manila (1980),…

A survey of the current practices in school library-media centers in the Southwest, Three Rivers, Pathfinder, and Arkansas Valley Regional Library Service Systems in Colorado was conducted in the fall of 1986. The survey covered reference materials; media selection; computer usage, including cataloging, online searching, and use of library…

This paper addresses the concept of the communication audit, i.e., a fact-finding analysis, interpretation, and reporting process that studies the communication philosophy, structure, flow, and practice of the organization. Reasons for doing a communication audit are identified: (1) to uncover information blockages and organizational hindrances;…

To gather information on current catalog maintenance practices, researchers selected institutions from respondents to the September 1984 version of the OMS (Office of Management Studies) Automation Inventory of Research Libraries. A telephone survey of technical services and systems staff at 23 libraries investigated a wide range of issues related…

This document contains two papers on school libraries which were presented at the 1985 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference. In "Teachers, Information and School Libraries," Noelene Hall (Australia) discusses the activities of an international working group set up by IFLA in 1984 to develop guidelines for…